Non-fans regard Céline Dion as ersatz and plastic, yet to those who love her, no one could be more real, with her impoverished childhood, her (creepy) manager-husband's struggle with cancer, her knack for howling out raw emotion. There's nothing cool about Céline Dion, and nothing clever. That's part of her appeal as an object of love or hatred — with most critics and committed music fans taking pleasure (or at least geeky solace) in their lofty contempt. This book documents Carl Wilson's brave and unprecedented year-long quest to find his inner Céline Dion fan, and explores how we define ourselves in the light of what we call good and bad, what we love and what we hate.
Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Brilliant." -- Alex Ross, author of The Rest is Noise
"It's fascinating stuff...By turns hilarious and heartwarming." -- Guardian Unlimited Arts blog, March 2008
"A wide-ranging book, one predicated on the possibility that what repels us may say more about us than what attracts us...[an] insightful, engaging, and unexpectedly moving book." -- The Globe and Mail, January 19, 2008
"An important study- not just of Dion and pop music but also of the changing nature of criticism in the popular realm." -- Bookforum, January 2008
"This could be the best book of the series...razor-sharp and unerringly intelligent." -- John Wenzel, The Denver Post
“The always critical and erudite Mr. Wilson actually approached Let's Talk About Love as a non-fan grappling with questions of "good" and "bad" taste... -- Idolator.com
“a rigorous, perceptive and very funny meditation on what happens when you realize that there's more to life than being hip, and begin to grapple with just what that "more" might be.” -- Montreal Gazette
“A book pondering the aesthetics of Celine risks going wrong in about 3,000 different ways...Instead, this book goes very deeply right.” --Sam Anderson, New York Magazine
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From the Back Cover
Punk, metal, even social-justice rock such as U2 or Rage Against the Machine, with their emphatic slogans of individuality and independence, are as much "inspirational" or "motivational" music as Céline's is, but for different subcultural groups. They are just as one-sided and unsubtle. Morally you could fairly ask what is more laudable about excess in the name of rage and resentment than immoderation in thrall to love and connection. The likely answer would be that Céline is conformist, quiescent, unsubversive. "Subversion" today is sentimentality's reverse: It is nearly always a term of approval. To show the subversiveness of a song, TV show or movie is tantamount to validating it, not just in pop criticism but in academic scholarship.
Tens of millions of people around the world love Céline Dion. Many millions more can't stand her. Why? Carl Wilson, by no means a Céline fan at the start of his quest, searches for the answer in this extraordinary book. Immersing himself in Dion's 1999 hit album Let's Talk About Love (the one with that Titanic song on it), he examines everything from Céline's Quebec roots to her enormous voice to her tear-jerking sentimentality. As Wilson strives to understand Céline's immense global popularity, he faces the question of what drives personal taste - and whether it's possible to change it.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When I took Introduction to Aesthetics in college, I wish we had a text as smart, accessible, funny, and just plain awesome as this little book on Celine Dion to introduce us to the material. What Wilson has done here with his approach to the subject of taste and tackiness is nothing less than stunning. It is a must read for people who write about music and those that love to read about it.
Nota bene: You need not be a fan of Celine Dion to love this book.
Nota bene: You need not be a fan of Celine Dion to love this book.
22 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It took over a year of hearing about this book before I finally caved in and bought it, and now I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy the book when it first came out! It's hard to do Carl Wilson's book justice when it has so much to say, and says it so beautifully. So let's start with the obvious: DO NOT LET THE SUBJECT MATTER TURN YOU OFF! Yes, it's a book about Celine, but it's so much more than that. It's warm, erudite, smart, funny, insightful, provocative, kind, approachable, and ultimately moving. Sure, I can see the argument that the whole concept is a bit of a stunt ("Look, everyone, I'm going to write a book about something I hate!") but when it's done this brilliantly, who cares? This is the kind of book that should be a best seller, and I really hope the author publishes another book soon.
19 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By Wendy Raffel
Format:Paperback
I've read all of the 33 1/3s, and most of them are great books, each in their own way. So when I say Let's Talk About Love is my new favorite, you should trust me, b/c I know what I'm talking about. And I don't care one whit for Celine Dion... can't stand her. But Carl Wilson is an amazing writer. Maybe the best music critic we've got (visit his blog, Zolius!) and this book is truly a brilliant piece of work that waaaaay exceeds the parameters of its subject.
Check it out - you'll be glad you did, I swear.
Check it out - you'll be glad you did, I swear.
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Why is someone like Céline Dion so popular? What does her popularity say about those who love her music, and more importantly, those who are critical of her career? Carl Wilson takes on these subjects and others in thoughtful, appreciative look at taste, criticism, and almost incidentally her 1997 best-selling release, featuring "My Heart Will Go On".
This is thoughtful, erudite reading, one of my favorite books I've read this year. I'd recommend it for anyone who is into music of whatever kind. Sure, Wilson throws big words around. If that bothers you, get a dictionary and look them up.
This is thoughtful, erudite reading, one of my favorite books I've read this year. I'd recommend it for anyone who is into music of whatever kind. Sure, Wilson throws big words around. If that bothers you, get a dictionary and look them up.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By L. Beck
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an interesting, thoughtful, and humane book with a touch of humor by a prominent music critic. Carl Wilson takes his best shot at redeeming Celine Dion from the critical consensus that she is supremely kitsch and uncool. He does this as an exercise, in order to demonstrate how that seemingly solid judgment can actually rest on snobbery, nationalism, ignorance, and class anxiety. The details are very interesting: we learn about the political history of Quebec, the turn against sentimentality in art, and how improvements in microphone technology led to the denigration of "big voice" style.
Wilson's fresh summary of Pierre Bourdieu's *Distinction* and some more recent empirical work is very good and benefits greatly from his pop-culture examples. I was surprised to learn of the survey results demonstrating that people with greater musical tolerance easily learn to appreciate the music associated with racial minorities (jazz, latin, etc.), but only extremely tolerant listeners do not shun heavy metal, gospel, and other music associated with low education. I suspect Wilson is on to something when he suggests that critics' extreme distaste for Celion Dion is partly motivated by a desire to distance themselves from low education / "white trash" culture.
The author also name-checks Hume, Kant, and other deep thinkers on the nature of taste, but these philosophical parts of the book are the shortest and least enlightening.
Later in the book Wilson meets with some fans of Dion to discuss why they like her music and what she means to them. This section cashes out the more speculative, sociological/philosophical passages. Wilson displays a deep humanity in these chapters.... Read more ›
Wilson's fresh summary of Pierre Bourdieu's *Distinction* and some more recent empirical work is very good and benefits greatly from his pop-culture examples. I was surprised to learn of the survey results demonstrating that people with greater musical tolerance easily learn to appreciate the music associated with racial minorities (jazz, latin, etc.), but only extremely tolerant listeners do not shun heavy metal, gospel, and other music associated with low education. I suspect Wilson is on to something when he suggests that critics' extreme distaste for Celion Dion is partly motivated by a desire to distance themselves from low education / "white trash" culture.
The author also name-checks Hume, Kant, and other deep thinkers on the nature of taste, but these philosophical parts of the book are the shortest and least enlightening.
Later in the book Wilson meets with some fans of Dion to discuss why they like her music and what she means to them. This section cashes out the more speculative, sociological/philosophical passages. Wilson displays a deep humanity in these chapters.... Read more ›
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Makes you question all that you hold near & dear...and all that you push away in disgust.
May 16, 2010
By J. Maurer
Format:Paperback
Conversational and contemplative, this book inspired so many wonderful conversations between me and my girlfriend that we fired our couples' therapist and became Carl Wilson's Facebook friends instead. With 'Let's Talk About Love', Wilson has brought me and my gal closer and helped me to better explain my soft spot for certain Celine Dion songs. Slightly embarrassing! Highly recommended!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Among the best books ever written about popular music and its aesthetics
November 5, 2011
By kingsinger
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Carl Wilson's "Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste" is among the best books ever written about popular music and its aesthetics.
For a short book, it covers significant ground, deftly drawing insights from academic cultural theory, while remaining engaging, personal, and easily comprehensible throughout.
The discussions of cultural capital and anger schmaltz alone are worth the price of the book.
It's no accident that some reviewers encountered this book in a college class, for it's a great introduction to the discourse around aesthetics. If I was teaching such a class, I'd assign it for sure.
It's a shame some of these undergrads didn't like Wilson's book. But don't let their opinions deter you from reading it. Maybe I'm a snob to say so, but I suspect they're not the sharpest tools in the shed.
For a short book, it covers significant ground, deftly drawing insights from academic cultural theory, while remaining engaging, personal, and easily comprehensible throughout.
The discussions of cultural capital and anger schmaltz alone are worth the price of the book.
It's no accident that some reviewers encountered this book in a college class, for it's a great introduction to the discourse around aesthetics. If I was teaching such a class, I'd assign it for sure.
It's a shame some of these undergrads didn't like Wilson's book. But don't let their opinions deter you from reading it. Maybe I'm a snob to say so, but I suspect they're not the sharpest tools in the shed.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A decent, albiet academic, analysis
I found this book to be as much of an author's self-reflection as to why he doesn't like something, as much as a look at a particular album and artist. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Eric
5.0 out of 5 stars
if you hate Celine Dion....read this book, Really
This book won't convince you to like Celine Dion but it will get you thinking about why you like certain things and hate other things and in the process you will learn tons and... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Karen M. Rudolph
5.0 out of 5 stars
Celine Dion
The item shipped in the time agreed upon. It was as discussed in the description online. It was to my satisfaction.
Published 7 months ago by Amanda Manning
3.0 out of 5 stars
This Is A Twisted Premise
Relative to the rest of this excellent series (just search "(33 1/3)") one thing screams out: Celine Dion simply does not belong in a list with U2, Public E. Read more
Published 19 months ago by JM
5.0 out of 5 stars
Music Critic Takes Honest Look at his Profession and Prejudices
This is a great book. Wilson calls himself out for being a snob and asks why Celine can't get the love, challenging his readers to open their minds. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Shaun Tatarka
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read! (for anyone with a brain & sense of humor, at least)
This was a really great book - short, funny and I totally agree with the author. He starts on a bit of a rant about why Celine Dion sucks so bad - but if she's so bad, why does she... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Jenn
1.0 out of 5 stars
Bad, bad, bad!
Honestly, one of the worst books I've ever read. I had to read it for a class and I couldn't even finish it. Carl Wilson has no idea what he is talking about. Read more
Published on September 19, 2010 by aj4ever
1.0 out of 5 stars
So Annoying...
I love this series of books but Let's Talk About Love is the most annoying piece of masturbatory justification for being a music snob I have ever read. It was painful to read. Read more
Published on May 1, 2009 by Oscar Jordan
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