| "Water and a Flame" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byDaniel Merriweather featuringAdele | ||||
| from the albumLove & War | ||||
| Released | 2 November 2009 (2009-11-02) | |||
| Studio | Modern Dirt Laboratories (London)[1] | |||
| Length | 3:39 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producer | Eg White | |||
| Daniel Merriweather singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Adele singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Water and a Flame" onYouTube | ||||
"Water and a Flame" is a song recorded by Australian singerDaniel Merriweather for his debut solo album,Love & War.[2] It features vocals from English singer-songwriterAdele.[2] "Water and a Flame" was released as the album's fourth and final single on 2 November 2009.[2] Produced byEg White and released underColumbia Records, "Water and a Flame" peaked at number 180 on theUK Singles Chart.[3] In 2013, "Water and a Flame" was recorded by Canadian singerCeline Dion for her album,Loved Me Back to Life, also produced by White.
"Water and a Flame" was described as "a smoky, heartfelt ballad". According to David Balls ofDigital Spy, "it finds their rich and soulful vocals dovetailing sweetly - enough to draw attention away from the slightly clichéd chorus".[4]
The song's music video does not feature Adele.[5]
Digital single
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[3] | 180 |
| "Water and a Flame" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Promotional single byCeline Dion | |
| from the albumLoved Me Back to Life | |
| Released | 6 February 2014 (2014-02-06) |
| Recorded | 2012 |
| Studio |
|
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 3:42 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriters | |
| Producer | Eg White |
| Audio | |
| "Water and a Flame" onYouTube | |
Canadian singerCeline Dion covered "Water and a Flame" for her 2013 album,Loved Me Back to Life. It was once again produced byEg White and released as the third single in the United Kingdom.[6] "Water and a Flame" was added to the A List on theBBC Radio 2 Playlist on 6 February 2014 and the commercial single was scheduled for release in the UK on 24 March 2014.[6] On 11 April 2014, "Water and a Flame" was officially sent toContemporary hit radio in Italy.[7]
On 8 August 2012,Le Journal de Montréal wrote that Dion's upcoming English-language studio album will contain songs written and produced byEg White, who worked withAdele on19 and21.[8] The fragment of the first song, "Water and a Flame" premiered onThe Katie Couric Show on 25 April 2013 and a behind-the-scenes look at Dion and White recording the song was posted on singer's official website the next day.[9][10] On 29 August 2013,Billboard wrote that Dion's upcoming albumLoved Me Back to Life is her edgiest record to date and it includes "Water and a Flame", which finds Dion utilizing the lower, grainier register of her voice.[11] The video titled "Making of Water and a Flame" was released onto Dion'sVevo channel on 30 October 2013 and the official audio of the song premiered there on 5 November 2013.[12][13] Eg White also co-wrote and produced another song onLoved Me Back to Life, "Didn't Know Love".[14] On 6 February 2014, Dion's official website announced "Water and a Flame" as the third UK single.[6] The song was added to the A List on theBBC Radio 2 Playlist and the commercial single was scheduled for release in the UK on 24 March 2014.[6] However, the commercial single was withdrawn at the last minute.[6] The song peaked at number thirty on the UK Radio Airplay Chart in early March 2014.[15] On 11 April 2014, "Water and a Flame" was sent to radio in Italy.[7]
Loved Me Back to Life was originally to be titledWater and a Flame. In an April 2013 interview onThe Katie Couric Show, Dion played a recording of her cover of "Water and a Flame".[16] Right before hearing the song,Katie Couric asked Dion and her husband/manager,René Angélil, in reference to the then title of the album: "where did 'Water and a Flame' come from?" Angélil responded, "It's, you know, the opposites," and Dion replied, "It's the name of the song".[16] MusicianSamantha Ronson, who is a friend of Merriweather's and brother of DJ and producerMark Ronson (of whom has worked with Merriweather, including co-producingLove & War alongside White), wrote a blog post that included the video of the interview and the text "Dear Celine Dion, when you COVER someone else's song - you might want to give them credit".[17]In June 2013, Merriweather linked to Ronson's post from hisFacebook page and harshly criticized Dion, writing, "This song has every ounce of my heartache and pain in it and she pretends as if she wrote it herself".[18] Two days later, Dion's management responded on her website, saying that, while Dion often does not mention the writers of her songs, she has been very vocal about the fact that she does not write her own songs, that she did not intend any harm by the omission, and that all of the writers and producers were always credited on the liner notes.[19] On 25 July 2013, Dion's website confirmed that the album was re-titled toLoved Me Back to Life.[20]
"Water and a Flame" garnered favorable reviews from music critics. The song was a track-pick inStephen Thomas Erlewine's review of Dion'sLoved Me Back to Life onAllMusic.[21]The New York Times review by Jon Caramanica and Nate Chinen said: "Celine, her show atCaesars Palace in Las Vegas... has perhaps pushed Ms. Dion to new levels of pizazz. Several of the album's new songs would fit seamlessly into that revue — "Water and a Flame" has genuineR&B swagger".[22] Jim Farber of theDaily News stated, "TheWinehouse-y number finds Dion fully convincing in her woozy, boozy phrasing".[23] Mike Wass, ofIdolator wrote, "It's an inspired choice, taking Celine down an entirely different path. It's veryAdele – all smoky vocals and retrosoul production complete with gorgeous strings. This is a great sound for the diva and she should consider revisiting it on future endeavors".[24]
On 28 October 2013, Dion performed "Water and a Flame" live for the very first time onToday inNew York City.[25] The next day, she sang it again at theEdison Ballroom in New York City during her intimate concert.[26] Andrew Hampp fromBillboard was impressed by her rendition of "Water and a Flame", and wrote that Dion impressively turned it into her own "gin-soaked" breakup ballad.[27] Later, "Water and a Flame" was included on the setlist of Dion'sSans attendre Tour which started in Belgium on 21 November 2013 and ended in France on 5 December 2013.[28] The performance from one of the 2013 sold-outParis shows was included on theCéline une seule fois / Live 2013 (2014) as a CD bonus.[29] She also performed the song during her appearance on theToday Show on 22 July 2016.[30]
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom (Airplay Chart)[15] | 30 |
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom[6] | 6 February 2014 | Promotional single | Columbia |
| Italy[7] | 11 April 2014 |
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Live albums | |
| Singles | |
| Featured singles | |
| Other songs | |
| Concerts | |
| Television | |
