"Tell Him" | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Single by Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion | ||||||||||||||||||||
from the album Higher Ground and Let's Talk About Love | ||||||||||||||||||||
Released | 3 November 1997 | |||||||||||||||||||
Format | CD single | |||||||||||||||||||
Recorded | 30 September 1997 Wallyworld, Record Plant Studios, The Hit Factory, Chartmarker Studios, Paramount Studios, Masterphonics | |||||||||||||||||||
Length | 4:51 (Album Version) 4:53 (Radio Edit) |
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Label | Columbia, Epic | |||||||||||||||||||
Writer(s) | Linda Thompson, Walter Afanasieff, David Foster | |||||||||||||||||||
Producer(s) | David Foster, Walter Afanasieff | |||||||||||||||||||
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"Tell Him" is a duet between Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion. It was released on 3 November 1997 as the first single from Dion's Let's Talk About Love and Streisand's Higher Ground albums.
On 24 March 1997 Dion became the first artist ever to perform twice on the same Academy Awards night. In addition to singing "Because You Loved Me," she also sang "I Finally Found Someone" from the movie The Mirror Has Two Faces, recorded by Barbra Streisand and Bryan Adams. Streisand preferred not to perform that night and Natalie Cole had been scheduled to sing her song instead. But Cole pulled out and two days before the Oscar night, Dion was asked if she could do it. Although nervous, she accepted and managed to perform on the night.
A few days later, Streisand sent Dion flowers and a note: "I watched the tape afterwards, you sang my song beautifully and I regret I wasn't in the room to hear you, next time let's make one together. I really wish your song would have won, you are a wonderful singer." That note wasn't left without an answer and René Angélil called up David Foster to write a song for them, and the result was "Tell Him."
On 7 October 1997 "Tell Him" had its first runs on the United States radio waves. This duet was rejected however by non-adult contemporary radio stations. Even if the song was a large adult contemporary hit, Sony Music Entertainment cancelled the U.S. single release, because it did not have a broad enough support to put the song on top of the charts. The song did manage to peak at number five on the Adult Contemporary and number 58 on the Radio Songs charts. However, "Tell Him" was a huge hit outside the U.S.