(meaning "1 girl & 4 guys") is the twentieth studio album and twelfth French-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Sony Music on 13 October 2003. features thirteen songs written and arranged by Jean-Jacques Goldman, Erick Benzi, Jacques Veneruso, and Gildas Arzel, and produced by Benzi. The first single from the album, "Tout l'or des hommes", reached top ten in all Francophone countries, including number one in Quebec and number three in France. It was followed by "Et je t'aime encore" and "Contre nature".
received favourable reviews from music critics, some of whom noted that it is a record many Dion fans were hoping would arrive one day. On the commercial level, the album also became a success. It topped the charts in Canada, France, Belgian Wallonia, and Greece, and also reached top ten in Switzerland, Poland, Finland, and Belgian Flanders. was certified 2× Platinum in France, Platinum in Belgium and Switzerland, and Gold in Finland.
Background
Dion started working on her upcoming French-language album on 8 October 2002 in Paris when she met with four well-known French songwriters and producers: Jean-Jacques Goldman, Erick Benzi, Jacques Veneruso, and Gildas Arzel. After four days of rehearsals, Dion met with them again in Las Vegas in May 2003, during her break from performing in her residency show A New Day.... The songs were recorded between 2 and 11 May 2003. On 11 August 2003, Dion's official website announced that the release of a new French album, titled (meaning 1 girl & 4 guys), was set for 13 October 2003 in Europe and 14 October 2003 in Canada. Dion worked on this project with "4 guys" only: Goldman, Benzi, Veneruso, and Arzel. Goldman, who had written and produced the best-selling French-language albums of all time, D'eux and S'il suffisait d'aimer, guided as artistic director. The first single, "Tout l'or des hommes", was sent to radio on 27 August 2003. It was written by Veneruso, who had penned Dion's 2001 number-one hit, "Sous le vent", a duet with Garou. The music video for the song was serviced to video outlets in September 2003, and the CD single was scheduled for release on 6 October 2003 in France, Switzerland, and Belgium; on 7 October 2003 in Canada; and a few weeks later in Germany. The behind-the-scenes from the video for "Tout l'or des hommes" and the making of the album was posted in the video section on celinedion.com on 28 September 2003. was also scheduled for release in the United States on 11 November 2003, in Japan on 17 December 2003, in Sweden on 9 February 2004, and in Spain on 19 April 2004.
Content
On 14 September 2003, the album's track listing was posted on Dion's website. On 23 September 2003, it was revealed that would be released in three different versions. While the standard edition was available from all retailers, a deluxe edition with special photos and a DVD was sold in Europe and exclusively in Archambault stores in Canada. Finally, a limited edition with a special 45-page booklet was made available in France's Carrefour stores. After the album was released, it turned out that it contained a hidden track, "Valse adieu". The songs were written and arranged by Goldman, Benzi, Veneruso, and Arzel, and produced by Benzi. Goldman's brother, J Kapler, co-wrote "Et je t'aime encore" and wrote "Valse adieu". Goldman, Benzi, Veneruso, and Arzel also played instruments and sang lead and background vocals on the record. The album contains three covers: "Retiens-moi", recorded by Nanette Workman for her 1996 album, Une à une; "Tu nages", recorded by Anggun for her 2000 album, Désirs contraires; and "Rien n'est vraiment fini", recorded by Leyla Doriane for her 2000 album, Libre. "Et je t'aime encore" is a French-language version of the song "Je t'aime encore", from Dion's One Heart, which was released in March 2003.