"Where Does My Heart Beat Now" is a song by Canadian singer Celine Dion from her ninth studio album, Unison (1990). It was released as the first single in the United States in September 1990 and as the third single in Canada in October 1990. Other regions released it in early 1991. The song was written in 1988 by Robert White Johnson and Taylor Rhodes. Dion recorded it in 1989, and Christopher Neil produced it. She first performed the song publicly at the Eurovision Song Contest 1989 in Switzerland, where it was performed alongside her 1988 winning song, "Ne partez pas sans moi."

The song received positive reviews from music critics and won an ASCAP Pop Award. It was the most successful single from Unison and Dion's highest-charting English-language song at the time. It reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, making her the first French-Canadian artist to achieve a top-10 hit on that chart. It also reached number two on the Adult Contemporary chart. Internationally, the song entered the top 10 in Norway and Canada, reaching number four and number six, respectively. Two music videos were made for the single. In 2008, the song was added to the North American version of Dion's greatest hits collection, My Love: Essential Collection.

Background and release

In 1989, Dion was recording her first album in English called Unison. One of the songs chosen for the album was "Where Does My Heart Beat Now," written by Robert White Johnson and Taylor Rhodes. On May 6, 1989, Dion first performed the song during the Eurovision Song Contest in Lausanne, Switzerland. The song was released in September 1990 as the album's lead single in the United States and in October 1990 as the third single in Canada. Additional releases of the song occurred in other regions in 1991.

Critical reception

American magazine Billboard called the song a "richly arranged single." Chicago Tribune editor Jan De Knock wrote that Dion performs best on romantic love songs, using "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" as an example. A reviewer from the Columbia Daily Tribune described it as a "growing ballad." Dave Sholin of the Gavin Report noted, "Climbing the Adult Contemporary chart, this French-Canadian singer only learned to speak English three years ago—surprising considering how well she sings this emotional ballad." Chris Roberts of Melody Maker wrote, "Whitney / Mariah-style epic ballad of the week. These singers know how to make a chorus powerful. Utterly fantastic, it makes me feel like I'm wrapped in soft sheets." Pan-European magazine Music & Media praised it as a "slow, emotional song with a strong, dramatic build-up, performed by one of Canada's most popular singers." A reviewer for Music Week called it "a tense ballad that shows her singing style similar to Gloria Estefan." Gene Sandbloom of The Network Forty stated, "A grand production, this large ballad has everything except loud sounds like cannon fire or explosions. The deep, sincere voice of French-Canadian Celine Dion brings it to life." The Newcastle Evening Chronicle remarked on its "slow, steady rhythm in a sensually dramatic ballad." The Orlando Sentinel described it as a "colorful pop-gospel ballad."

Later reviews remained positive. About.com ranked "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" number five on its 2017 list of "Top 10 Celine Dion Songs." In a 2020 review, Matthew Hocter of Albumism called it the best track on Unison and "the song that truly helped Dion gain wide recognition." AllMusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine selected it as a standout track along with " (If There Was) Any Other Way." Talk About Pop Music's Christopher Smith described the track as a "power ballad" that highlights Dion's "strong singing ability."

Commercial performance

In Canada, the song "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" entered the charts in October 1990. It reached number six on The Record's Retail Singles Chart on April 8, 1991. The song also reached the top of the RPM Adult Contemporary chart for two weeks in February 1991. In the United States, the song first appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 80 on December 8, 1990. It reached its highest position at number four on March 2, 1991. This was Dion's first time entering the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and made her the first French-Canadian artist to achieve a top-10 hit on that chart. The song also entered the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart on October 27, 1990, and reached number two on February 2, 1991.

Internationally, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" was successful in Norway, where it reached number four in March 1991. It also entered the top 40 in Ireland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. The song charted in Australia and the United Kingdom as well.

Music video

Three versions of the music video were created. The first was a black-and-white version made for Canada and released in October 1990. The second was a color version showing a performance for the United States, released in November 1990 and directed by David Phillips. The third was a black-and-white version that mixes performance clips with extra footage for the Unison home video, released in July 1991. This version was later uploaded to Dion's official YouTube channel in February 2013. As of May 2024, it has more than 33 million views.

Live performances

Celine Dion first performed "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1989, along with the winning song from the previous year, "Ne partez pas sans moi." She later performed the song on many Canadian and American television programs in 1990 and 1991, including The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, Into the Night with Rick Dees, and Super Dave. Dion also performed the song on television in Norway and the Netherlands in 1991, as well as during the 1991 Juno Awards.

She performed "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" during several concert tours, including the Unison Tour, Celine Dion in Concert, The Colour of My Love Tour, D'eux Tour, Falling into You: Around the World, and her 2013 Sans attendre Tour. Live performances of the song are available on the DVD The Colour of My Love Concert (recorded in 1993) and on the 1994 CD À l'Olympia. Dion also performed the song during her 2011–2019 Las Vegas residency show, Celine, from 2011 to 2018.

Accolades

On May 13, 1992, the song "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" was awarded an ASCAP Pop Award for being one of the most played songs during the 1991 survey period, which ran from October 1, 1990, to September 30, 1991. Dion's performance of the song at the 1991 Juno Awards was also nominated for a Gemini Award in the category of Best Performance in a Variety Program or Series.

Formats and track listing

• 7-inch, cassette, 3-inch CD, and CD single

• "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" – 4:33
• "I Feel Too Much" – 4:09

• European 12-inch and CD maxi-single

• "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" – 4:33
• "I'm Loving Every Moment With You" – 4:08
• "I Feel Too Much" – 4:09 / 4:08

Credits and personnel

• Recorded at West Side Studios, London

• Celine Dion – lead vocals
• Christopher Neil – producer, additional vocals
• Robert White Johnson – songwriter
• Taylor Rhodes – songwriter
• Phil Palmer – guitar
• Andy Duncan – drums and percussion
• Wix – keyboard and bass instruments
• Simon Hurrell – sound engineer