The project reunited Dion andJean-Jacques Goldman, who last worked together on the very successful albumD'eux. In their first collaboration Goldman wrote songs for Dion, this time he wrote more in his own style, while letting Dion sing her own unique way, like she has been singing a long time ago. Most of the arrangements on that album are simple to let her voice dominate the songs.
During the francophone concerts in theLet's Talk About Love World Tour, Dion performed six songs fromS'il suffisait d'aimer. The concerts in Paris were recorded and released asAu cœur du stade in 1999. It was promoted by the video of Dion performing "Dans un autre monde". In addition, video from behind the scenes of the recording session ofS'il suffisait d'aimer was included as a bonus on theAu cœur du stade DVD.
Some tracks fromS'il suffisait d'aimer were featured on Dion's 2005 greatest hits albumOn ne change pas.
The album received generally positive reviews, with particularly strong praise from critics in Francophone countries.AllMusic stated that "fans will be pleased to hear Dion's return, in a sense, to her roots, especially since the album is about as consistent as any of her albums, both English and French".[1]
The French magazinePublic rated the album 20 out of 20, which is the highest score that Dion's albums have received on the magazine's website, noting: "compared to the slightly overachieving tone ofD'eux, we slightly prefer its younger sibling,S'il suffisait d'aimer, the second collaboration betweenJean-Jacques Goldman and Céline Dion, released in 1998. With less to prove and a softer approach, it's a more 'indie' album—if one might say so—for the duo. Rather than opening with a hit like "Pour que tu m'aimes encore", it begins with an intimate song, "Je crois toi", which was never released as a single. The tone is set from the very beginning. Full of subtlety, relying less on vocal power and more on emotional nuance, the album reaches into the heart of Céline—a heart that Jean-Jacques Goldman understands well, portraying her through moments of doubt. Tracks like "On ne change pas" reflect on the child within her; "En attendant ses pas" speaks of the child she is expecting; and others, like "Zora sourit" or "Tous les blues sont écrits pour toi", address more socially conscious themes. A hidden gem, "Papillon", written byErick Benzi, was re-recorded by Céline in the studio simply for the joy of singing it again—knowing its intimacy likely wouldn't fit on stage. The album ends with a lament about the state of the world—but one that carries a sense of hope. "S'il suffisait d'aimer" has, in our eyes, become Céline's anthem".[2]
S'il suffisait d'aimer is the second best-selling French language album of all time, behind her ownD'eux. In its first three weeks of availability worldwide (except the US), it has already sold 2 million copies with 700,000 of it in France alone.[3] To date, It has sold over 4 million copies worldwide,[4][5] including 2 million in Europe, where it was certified 2× platinum by theIFPI.[6]
S'il suffisait d'aimer has sold over 1,890,000 copies in France alone and was certified diamond.[7] In Canada, it has sold 500,000 copies[8] and was certified 4× platinum.[9] The album was certified gold, platinum and Multi-platinum around the world, also in non-Francophone countries.S'il suffisait d'aimer became the second, afterD'eux, French-language album to be certified gold in the United Kingdom.[10] In the United States, although a French-language release, it has sold 112,000 copies according toNielsen SoundScan.[11][12]
S'il suffisait d'aimer topped the charts in Switzerland (for five weeks), France (for four weeks), Belgium Wallonia (for four weeks), in Quebec (for two weeks) and in Canada, Greece, Poland and on theEuropean Top 100 Albums.[13] It charted inside top 40 in many non-Francophone countries, including the United Kingdom at number 17, or Germany where it peaked at number 11.
All tracks produced byJean-Jacques Goldman andErick Benzi. All tracks written by Goldman, except "Zora sourit" (Goldman,J. Kapler), "Terre" (Benzi) and "Papillon" (Benzi).
