When Celine Dion and Joe Walsh performed together in 2008 as part of Dion’s live television special (titled ‘Celine Dion: That’s Just The Woman In Me’), they certainly made an unlikely pairing. Celine Dion is a Canadian songstress known primarily for beautiful, heartbreaking ballads including ‘My Heart Will Go On’ and ‘Think Twice’, whereas Joe Walsh is a prolific multi-instrumentalist best known for his guitar work with the rock band The Eagles. In short, the two could not have been more different.
In the end, however, the pair proved to be a match made in heaven, delivering an astoundingly delicate version of the George Harrison-penned track ‘Something’, which was released by The Beatles as a double A-side in 1969. Dressed in stunning thigh-high black boots and a feathery white dress, Celine looked almost angelic as she sang with effortless elegance, lending a sense of femininity to the track and, in doing so, channeling previous versions by female singers including Shirley Bassey.
Joe Walsh’s guitar parts, meanwhile, were rich and melodious, complementing Celine’s vocals but never overpowering them. He later burst into the song’s famous solo, taking inspiration from the original record but also putting his own stamp on it by adding more of a country rock feel. Together, these two artists’ very different styles resulted in one hugely potent cover, and one which exceeded many of its viewers’ expectations; “a masterclass by two legends in respect of a third”, said one fan.
If you’ve never heard The Beatles’ original version of ‘Something’, meanwhile, you’re going to want to check it out immediately. Dubbed “the greatest love song of the past 50 years” upon its release, the song was written by the band’s guitarist George about his then-wife Patti, and made number one in various countries worldwide. Typified by its pretty melody, beautiful guitar arrangements and meaningful lyrics, it is undoubtedly one of the many classic tracks found within The Beatles’ discography.
Given that they were covering a song of such legendary status, Celine and Joe’s cover of ‘Something’ back in 2008 could arguably have gone quite wrong, or even been poorly received by the show’s live audience. However, the palpable talents of these two artists meant that their duet was not only stunningly performed but also did justice to the original version, as verified by the pride and gratefulness on the face of Olivia Harrison, George’s widow, who was in the audience of Celine’s show that night.
