Patti LaBelle - "If You Asked Me To" Was A Hit Because Celine Dion Is White

Celine Dion version of "If You Asked Me To"

No. Eet is bee-cause I am dee greatust singah in da worl.

I didn't know Patti's version existed until after I heard Celine's version. It's a great song and I like both versions.

Patti’s more soulful

Patti LaBelle can go fuck herself. As if white people don't buy the records of black artists. Oh please.

LaBelle has more innate talent than Celine Dion will ever have, but Celine's recording of that crappy song is more listenable than LaBelle's. LaBelle's version is ruined by the cheap dinky sounding orchestration.

On PattiVSGladys

when Patti was asked why it was a bigger hit when Celine did it, she said “Because she’s a white girl”

I've always preferred Patti's version of this song. It moves me more. That said, Celine's cover is lovely too.

Patti’s version was the closing song for the 1989 James Bond film ‘License to Kill’

I prefer Celine’s version. And, I’m not a Celine fan. Just my honest opinion.

Not a big fan of Patti’s phrasing, particularly in the chorus.

Celine’s longer notes give the melody more fluidity.

I love Patti's version so much that I've never even bothered to listen to the redo.

[quote] Not a big fan of Patti’s phrasing

yeah I notices that to, and Celine's diction is more crisp

Irony is that English is not Celine's first language!

I love them both

Patti sounds like a little girl in her version.

Celine projects her voice. Belt it out, chere!

It probably didn't go anywhere because the film it was attached to didn't do very well.

I perfer Patti's version but Patti was much older and past her prime commercially by that time. Celine was new and fresh and was at the start of her english language career.

Patti’s was more emotional while Celine’s was more delicate. It was more palatable for a larger audience.

However, I still always think of it as Patti’s song.

Patti is one of my favorite singers but I did not like her version of this song as much

Patti sounds like a munchin in the beginning of the song but it's a beautiful song and I forgot about it. I like both versions maybe Patti's a little more. But George Michael ruled the airwaves in 1989 so SOL Patti. It got lost.

There is so much more that goes into a song becoming a hot than just race, though there might be some truth to Patti’s belief. But Celine was rising, and Patti was known, plus the timing, the record company promotion, who was running on MTV then, what was in zeitgeist. If race played a part, and it probably always does to some exte, it’s not the whole story.

Patti, GFY. You sang "On My Own" with a white dude.

R10 YES. That's the difference. Musically, Céline's version really sings. I like both too, but also prefer Céline version.

R21 MM wasn’t just any white dude

I love Gladys but this was bad.

Very close decision. IMO, their renditions are not that different. However, I will give Celine the edge because of how she sings this line:

[quote] Ask me to, I will give my world ... to you baby. I need you now ...

Possibly, Celine is singing in a lower key than Patti and, therefore, it's easier to sing along with Celine's version.

People are fascinated when a Caucasian woman sings soulfully: Celine (in this song), Amy Winehouse, Adele, etc.

If Britney Spears were black, I don't think she would have been as successful.

I love Patti's Stir It Up. Did that even chart in the U.S.? It's from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack!

Patti, Aretha and Mariah all disliked Celine. Celine has a reputation in the industry for being a privileged white woman who never recognized that privilege.

R28, privilege? GFY. Celine grew up as poor white trash in a grungy suburb north of Montreal (yes, I've been there and there's a boulevard named after her).

R28, Mariah was pretty much white herself for the first 10 years or so of her career.

Lets be honest Mariah was just pissed Celine was outselling her ass in the 90s. I doubt Celine even thought of Mariah much.

Celine is French Canadian, which isn't white-white, Patti.

Patti herself stole this song from Martika

Martika’s version

The Bond Producers really missed an opportunity to have Patti do a big Goldfinger-esque theme song. The Timothy Dalton Bonds were more low-key though and Gladys fit that vibe for the opener. She would have been great during the Roger Moore years.

Diane Warren wrote it and said Pattis label didn’t do anything with the song so Celine did it.

Patti need to stick to bakin' pies!

Hmmmmmm

[quote] Patti, Aretha and Mariah all disliked Celine. Celine has a reputation in the industry for being a privileged white woman who never recognized that privilege.

Now you're really making shit up. Mariah wasn't concerned about Celine when she was pretty much the queen of Columbia Records at that time with THREE diamond albums. I don't think Aretha was all that concerned about Celine either. Patti didn't dislike Celine and even said that Celine told her personally that it wasn't fair how her version of "If You Asked Me To" was more of a hit than Patti's. Patti is cool with Celine and respects her.

Anyway, I like Patti's version better because she's far more soulful and slays the bridge and the ending. But I agree with others who said Celine's version had the better production (it was produced by David Foster).

You mean Celine version was more commercial

[quote] The Bond Producers really missed an opportunity to have Patti do a big Goldfinger-esque theme song.

I can hear that in my mind. As long as Patti stays out of the Minnie Mouse / helium singing, it would sound great.

I only know Patti's version--didn't even know Celine had recorded it until this thread.

That’s EXACTLY why The Power of Love wasn’t a hit for us but a smash for Celine! She’s white!!!

Honestly, I think Patti's version is fine. She had crossover appeal as Adult Contemporary/Pop

But Celine made it a Power Ballad.

Patti says in concert to intro the song how much she loves Céline and her version, “but... don’t get it twisted I did it first.”

So her logic is that people decided not to buy her single, hoping that one day a white person would record it ?

Patti has one of the best voices in music, still to this day. However, I don’t really know her music, aside from “lady marmalade” and “new attitude”. What are her great hits?

R48

Other than the subject song of this thread, “Lady Marmalade” and “New Attitude”, her fans are mostly familiar with “If Only You Knew”. That’s probably her biggest classic soul hit. Then there’s “Somebody Loves You”. “Love, Need, and Want You” is another one, but sorta sounds just like “Somebody...”.

My favorite is her duet with Michael McDonald “On My Own”: gorgeous singing, gorgeous 80’s power, and a pointless, but epic 80’s music video with her giant hair.

Some people like her renditions of “Over the Rainbow”, but I’m not a fan.

I like Patti's version better. But it's just stupid to suggest that race had anything to do with how well each was received.

I hate Patti Labelle's voice she shrieks

I agree R51

Certain music genres are sequestered off from mainstream popular music because it's "R&B" or "soulful" or what have you, and isn't considered popular to a wide audience. That's not true, obviously, but the people controlling the music industry think it is, so a single by Patti that hasn't been specifically mixed and edited for a blander audience is going to get a whole different release than a single by Celine, and yeah, there is some racism involved.

R53 the Patti song was mixed for a mainstream pop audience, it was specifically cut for a James Bond movie. I love Patti, but she chose to trill all over that song and made it less marketable.

Was Patti drunk she she said this?

John Michael Montgomery released I Swear. It wasn't a hit. All 4 One released the same song and it was a huge hit. Clearly All 4 One had the hit because they were white like Celine.

Bonnie Tyler released The Best. It wasn't a hit. Tina Turner released the same song and it was a huge hit, just because she was a white lady.

Tina Turner originally recorded Diane Warren's Don't Turn Around but didn't put it on an album. Aswad has a British number 1 with it, Ace Of Base later covered it and a had a huge hit with it.

Bonnie Tyler, Robin Beck and Cher all released Diane Warren's Save Up All Your Tears, and none of them had a big hit.

Bette Midler and Cliff Richard both released From A Distance in the UK the same week in 1990. Cliff had a moderate hit, Bette sunk without trace, but the song was re-released a year later and was a huge hit. No one remember's Cliff's version, thank god.,

And didn't famous African American singer Dolly Parton sing I Will Always Love You first?

John Michael Montgomery’s version of I swear was a huge hit r55 and was the the number one country single of 1994.

[quote]My favorite is her duet with Michael McDonald “On My Own”: gorgeous singing, gorgeous 80’s power, and a pointless, but epic 80’s music video with her giant hair.

r49 that's my favorite Patti song too, I find myself singing it all the time! It is encapsulates everything I love about Patti and the 1980s. Perfect song!

[quote]John Michael Montgomery’s version of I swear was a huge hit [R55] and was the the number one country single of 1994.

Having a #1 country single is like getting a #1 on the Dance chart.

Montgomery's version made #42 on the Billboard 100. All 4 One spent 11 weeks at #1 on the Billboard 100, the song was #2 in the UK for 7 weeks, was number 1 in Australia, Germany, Canada, Sweden and Zimbabwe and a huge hit in every other country it was released in.

Exactly R56, Whitney Houston, a white woman, had a more successful rendition of “I Will Always Love You” than black singer Dolly Parton, the singer-songwriter, did.