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When people think of Celine Dion songs, they think of gorgeous music about love. Interestingly, one of the “My Heart Will Go On” singer‘s most beloved hits is about dead people coming back to life. Who thought one of her songs would fit perfectly in a zombie movie? While Dion is the singer most associated with the track in question, it was not originally hers.

1 of Celine Dion’s songs was also recorded by Meat Loaf

Jim Steinman was a songwriter behind epic hits like Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” Meat Loaf’s “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” and Air Supply’s “Making Love Out of Nothing At All.” He is known for long songs that combine rock with elements of Wagnerian operas. “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” is one of his masterpieces. On his website, Steinman discussed the meaning of that ballad.

“I was trying to write a song about dead things coming to life,” he wrote. “I was trying to write a song about being enslaved and obsessed by love, not just enchanted and happy with it. It was about the dark side of love and about the extraordinary ability to be resurrected by it once dead.”

The tune has an unusual history. First, it was recorded by the forgotten girl group Pandora’s Box. Then Dion released her hit cover of it. Later, Meat Loaf made it the centerpiece of his long-awaited concept album Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose. All versions of “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” are good. Dion’s version is the best because her voice displays a stunning vulnerability in the verses.

Why Celine Dion was designed for Jim Steinman songs

Steinman further elaborated on the meaning of “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.” “It’s about obsession, and that can be scary because you’re not in control and you don’t know where it’s going to stop,” he said. “It says that, at any point in somebody’s life, when they loved somebody strongly enough and that person returns, a certain touch, a certain physical gesture can turn them from being defiant and disgusted with this person to being subservient again. And it’s not just a pleasurable feeling that comes back, it’s the complete terror and loss of control that comes back. And I think that’s ultimately a great weapon.”

“It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” remains Dion’s best song because her voice was meant for melodrama. No musical producer of the 20th century was better at melodrama than Steinman. Love or hate his over-the-top style, he always embraced big emotions.

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‘It’s All Coming Back’ almost took over the charts

“It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” was a big hit, even if it wasn’t as popular as some of Dion’s middle-of-the-road offerings. The track peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 30 weeks. The power ballad appeared on the album Falling into You. That record topped the Billboard 200 for three weeks and lasted for 113 weeks.

“It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” has a morbid meaning. However, Dion’s voice and Steinman’s production make it a thing of beauty.

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