On ne change pas

On 7 July 2005, celinedion.com announced that a new album presenting Dion's French-language greatest hits would be released in October 2005.^[1] The two‑CD compilation, titled On ne change pas, was planned to include previously unreleased material, among them the first single written by Jacques Veneruso, "Je ne vous oublie pas".^[1][2] On 22 August 2005, the track listing was revealed, and the album was scheduled for release on 3 October 2005 in Europe and 4 October 2005 in North America.^[3] However, in some European countries, On ne change pas was released earlier, on 30 September 2005.^[4][5] The music video for "Je ne vous oublie pas" premiered on television on 31 August 2005.^[6] It was filmed at the Royal Impérial Theatre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on 29 July 2005 and directed by Didier Kerbrat, who had previously worked with Dion on the video for "Contre nature" in 2004.^[2][6]

The first single, "Je ne vous oublie pas" was released on CD in France, Belgium and Switzerland on 10 October 2005, a week after the album. It included instrumental version of the song and "Sous le vent" recorded with Les 500 Choristes. The single debuted and peaked at number two, being held from the number-one position by Crazy Frog's hit, "Popcorn". "Je ne vous oublie pas" was certified Silver in France.

"Tous les secrets" had its worldwide premiere on 1 September 2005 in Poland, ahead of any French-speaking country. The song gathered great reviews and became a very successful single reaching no. 1 on RMF FM. Alas, it was the first and only single from On ne change pas in Poland. Then, in Spring 2006 it was released as a second single in Francophone territories and was featured in an animated movie, Asterix and the Vikings.^[7][8][9] The music video with the fragments from the film premiered on 27 February 2006.^[10] "Tous les secrets" CD single was issued in Francophone countries in Europe on 13 March 2006 and included English-language version of the song, titled "Let Your Heart Decide".^[11] The music video for "Let Your Heart Decide" was also released.^[11] Both versions of the song were featured on the film's soundtrack and the music videos were included on the Asterix and the Vikings DVD.^[12][13] "Tous les secrets" reached number twenty in France.

The third single, "I Believe in You" (duet with Il Divo) was released on a CD in France and Switzerland on 1 May 2005.^[14] The single contained another track from Il Divo, "Hasta Mi Final". Both songs were included on Il Divo's album, Ancora. The song reached number thirty in France and in June 2006, it was featured on the official 2006 FIFA World Cup album, called Voices from the FIFA World Cup.^[15][16] "I Believe in You" was also released in January 2006 in the United States as a promotional single from Ancora and reached number thirty-one on the Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.

Sony Music released several versions of the album, all of which include three new songs: "Je ne vous oublie pas", "Tous les secrets", and "I Believe in You" (a duet with Il Divo).^[3] The standard edition was issued as a two‑CD set in a jewel case, while the collector's edition digipak includes a bonus DVD with thirty minutes of exclusive footage and the music video for "Je ne vous oublie pas".^[3] The North American edition features Dion's French‑language hits from the 1990s and 2000s, as well as many songs from the 1980s that established her career in Quebec, beginning with her 1981 debut single, "Ce n'était qu'un rêve".^[3] The European edition focuses on songs that became popular in France and also includes several rare tracks.^[3] It contains hits such as "Pour que tu m'aimes encore", "Je sais pas", "Un garçon pas comme les autres (Ziggy)", "Tout l'or des hommes", "S'il suffisait d'aimer", and "D'amour ou d'amitié", as well as the number‑one single "Sous le vent", previously available only on Garou's debut album, and "Ma Nouvelle-France", recorded for the 2004 film Battle of the Brave (Nouvelle-France).^[3][17]

In November 2005, the ultimate edition was released in Europe and Canada, containing three CDs and a bonus DVD in a longbox.^[18] It includes 50 songs recorded between 1981 and 2005, covering all of Dion's French‑language hits and various rare tracks.^[18] In late March 2006, a one‑disc edition was issued in Europe and Canada, featuring 19 greatest hits on a single CD.^[19] An accompanying On ne change pas DVD was also released in November 2005, containing Dion's French‑language music videos and bonus material.^[20] In November 2009, Best of – 3 CD (also promoted as Triple Best Of) was released in Francophone European countries, containing the three CDs from the ultimate edition.^[21]

In Canada, Dion appeared on Star Académie on 2 October 2005 and performed "Je ne vous oublie pas" live from the Las Vegas stage, while the contestants sang from the studio.^[22][23] On 11 December 2005, she performed the song on the Canadian show L'école des fans and sang several duets with the children.

Dion also visited France in early October 2005, during a break from A New Day..., and recorded various television appearances.^[24][25] On 7 October 2005, she appeared on Star Academy and performed "Je ne vous oublie pas" as well as two of her hits with the contestants: "Pour que tu m'aimes encore" and "On ne change pas".^[26][27] The episode became the most-watched French prime‑time program of the evening, attracting an average of 7,820,800 viewers and achieving a 36.8% audience share, with a peak of 9,080,000 viewers during the performance of "Pour que tu m'aimes encore".^[28]

Dion also performed "Je ne vous oublie pas" on Au Nom des Autres on 10 October 2005 and on Hit Machine on 15 October 2005.^[27] On 5 November 2005, she appeared on Les 500 Choristes Ensemble, performing several songs, including "Je ne vous oublie pas", "I Believe in You" with Il Divo, "S'il suffisait d'aimer", "Pour que tu m'aimes encore", and "L'envie" with Johnny Hallyday.^[29][30] The broadcast became the most-watched French prime‑time program of the evening, drawing an average of 7,870,720 viewers and a 36.7% audience share, setting a record for the show.^[28] Several of Dion's performances were later included on two Les 500 Choristes albums: 500 Choristes Avec.../Vol.1 (2005) and 500 Choristes Avec.../Vol.2 (2006).^[31]

On 25 December 2005, Dion performed "I Believe in You" with Il Divo on Vivement Dimanche, and on 27 December 2005 she sang "Je ne vous oublie pas" on Les Disques D'or. On 29 December 2005, she performed three songs on the Symphonic Show, including "Je ne vous oublie pas", "I Believe in You" with Il Divo, and "Le blues du businessman". The performance of "Tous les secrets" on Hit Machine, recorded in October 2005, was broadcast on 1 April 2006.

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The album received positive reviews. Rob Theakston of AllMusic wrote that "On ne change pas is without no doubt a companion piece to 1999's All the Way... A Decade of Song. Dion amassed quite a back catalog of French-language hits ranging from dance‑pop‑friendly numbers to her familiar ground of passionate, melodramatic ballads. For those unfamiliar with this portion of her career (or for those who don't speak French), getting past the roadblock of not being able to understand the subject material will lead to a greater, more holistic appreciation of the depth and prolific output of her career in such a short span... On the plus side there are a few new tracks including her duet with Il Divo, 'I Believe in You'."^[32]

In Canada, On ne change pas debuted at number two with sales of 34,000 copies.^[33] In its second week, the album remained at number two, which became its peak position, selling 16,000 units.^[34] In January 2006, On ne change pas was certified triple platinum in Canada for shipments of 300,000 copies.^[35] The album also topped the chart in Quebec for three weeks.^[36]

In France, the album spent seven consecutive weeks at number one and became the best‑selling compilation of 2005.^[37] It sold 109,000 copies in its first week and 71,000 in the second. On ne change pas was certified triple platinum in France and has sold over 790,000 copies there.^[38][39]

The album also reached number one for three consecutive weeks in Belgium's Wallonia and number two in Switzerland, and was certified platinum in Belgium and gold in Switzerland.^[40][41][42]

In 2005, Dion received the Chérie FM Star Honorary Award. In 2006, she was nominated for two Félix Awards: Female Vocalist of the Year and Most Popular Song of the Year for "Je ne vous oublie pas".^[43] She was also nominated for the NRJ Music Award for Francophone Female Artist of the Year.^[44]

In November 2009, Best Of – 3 CD was released in Francophone European countries, containing three CDs from the complete edition of On ne change pas. The album entered the chart in Wallonia (Belgium) in 2012 and peaked at number 73 in 2014. In France, Best Of – 3 CD debuted and peaked on the charts in 2016, reaching number one on the Back Catalog Albums Chart and number seven on the main albums chart. It also entered the charts in Switzerland in 2016, peaking at number nine on the Romandy chart and number 32 on the main Swiss albums chart.