Watch Bee Gees and Celine Dion record 'Immortality' in fascinating behind-the-scenes studio footage
23 November 2022, 15:46 | Updated: 17 March 2023, 10:43
Celine Dion and the Bee Gees are some of the greatest artists of all time and Celine shared a special relationship with the Bee Gees brothers.
Celine Dion and the Bee Gees had a unique friendship that was highlighted during their collaboration together in the 1990s.
Celine collaborated with the Bee Gees on the hit song ‘Immortality’ in 1998 - when it was released it reached number five in the official UK singles chart.
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In rare behind-the-scenes footage released by Celine on YouTube, her friendship with the Bee Gees is clearly seen as they record the song in the studio together.
Céline Dion - Immortality (feat. Bee Gees) (Studio Session - Let's Talk About Love)
‘Immortality’ was gifted to Celine from the Bee Gees and they wrote it with her in mind - after struggling to compose the song, at the end of a recording session the band managed to create the track in a matter of minutes.
According to the band’s official website, the Bee Gees created ‘Immortality’ with their music engineer John Marchant and he recalled the unforgettable moment.
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John mentioned that the brothers were coming to the end of a long songwriting session and they were trying to work on one specific idea. As the group struggled to make the idea work, they decided to take a break.
It’s thought that Barry suggested that the Bee Gees return to the idea the following morning - he also mentioned that he had another idea in mind that they might be able to do something with.
John recalled the story and said that he gets “goosebumps” every time he shares it because they managed to create it in “one pass”.
“He started playing the intro for the song ‘Immortality,' Maurice listened, and played the first chord, and then three and a half minutes later, they wrote the song—in real-time, in just one pass,” John explained.
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“I get goosebumps telling that story. It was unbelievable. Barry would change chords, and Maurice would be there immediately, like he knew where Barry was going.”
He continued: “They locked in together in a way, both timing-wise and intonation-wise, that only someone who knows what the other person is thinking before they think it could do.”
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“So, the way you hear Celine Dion perform [‘Immortality’] now is exactly how they did it [that night],” John added.
In 2017, Celine performed ‘Immortality’ at a televised concert titled Stayin’ Alive: A Grammy Salute to the Music of the Bee Gees.
“It’s a song that means more and more to me each day,” Celine said as she introduced the track and dedicated it to the Bee Gee brothers.
She added: “Tonight I sing it with love for Barry and in memory of Robin, Maurice and Andy.”
