20. Ashes (2018)

When Céline Dion’s era as a foolproof hitmaker ended, she seemed weirdly liberated and more willing to take risks. Witness the video for Ashes: an impressively atmospheric ballad from the soundtrack to Deadpool 2, in which she gently mocks her own image in the company of Ryan Reynolds, in character as the antihero.

19. Where Does My Heart Beat Now? (1990)

Debuted by Dion at the 1989 Eurovision song contest final, this is the killer cut from her first English-language album, Unison, which was released a mere two years after she learned to speak English. It’s a superior power ballad: huge chorus, mammoth drums, Dion absolutely belting it out. It has been overshadowed by her later successes, but it’s worth revisiting.

18. Misled (1993)

Dancefloor-focused pop isn’t what Dion is famous for, but The Colour of My Love’s diversion into camp club anthem territory is surprisingly good – she makes a fine disco diva and the house remixes, by MK and E-Smoove, are great. E-Smoove’s piano-powered Mission mix is the pick.

17. Ne Bouge Pas (2003)

The album 1 Fille et 4 Types is an example of Dion deliberately playing against type. Made with a quartet of Francophone singer-songwriters including Jean-Jacques Goldman, it produced the improbable sound of the power ballad queen singing over distorted slide guitar, wailing harmonica and a Bo Diddley beat. Fun!

16. Encore un Soir (2016)

Recorded before the death of Dion’s husband, René Angélil, but released a few months afterwards, the title track of her 2016 album offers a reflection on the passing of time that was unavoidably coloured by the singer’s loss. A chart-topper in France, it’s a beautiful song, made all the more potent by Dion’s restrained vocal.

15. I’m Alive (2002)

A subtle update of Dion’s characteristic style, I’m Alive threw a mid-tempo four-to the-floor beat and a softly chugging synth bassline into the mix to impressive effect. A viral mashup of the track with the Whispers’ disco classic And the Beat Goes On propelled it back into the singles chart 22 years later.

14. The Prayer (1998)

Take your pick from Dion’s original solo version, a duet with Andrea Bocelli and a later duet with Josh Groban. The Oscar-nominated, Golden-Globe-winning hit from the largely forgotten animated film Quest for Camelot shines regardless, a suitably cinematically orchestrated and lavish showstopper.

13. To Love You More (1995)

Originally recorded for a television drama in Japan, To Love You More followed hard on the heels of Dion’s major English-language pop breakthrough album, The Colour of My Love. It’s another vast hit, featuring a beautiful melody, a sprightly string arrangement and a vocal that fires on all cylinders.

12. A New Day Has Come (2002)

Dion’s first release after a couple of years of maternity leave, A New Day Has Come was reflective of her new-mum status: “Where there was weakness I found my strength / All in the eyes of a boy.” One critic suggested it resembled a “gentle exhale” – certainly, there’s a lovely, lullaby-like quality to its melody.

11. Pour Que Tu M’Aimes Encore

If French-speaking listeners thought Dion might turn her back on her native tongue after her English breakthrough, they were wrong. She followed up The Colour of My Love with D’eux, the bestselling album not in English made by a female artist. Its gently funky biggest hit became one of her signature songs.

10. I Drove All Night (2003)

There’s an impressive fearlessness about Dion’s choice of covers. The definitive version of Cyndi Lauper’s I Drove All Night is by Roy Orbison, one of the most celebrated and distinctive voices in rock history. No matter: Dion’s take, which replaces the cantering rhythm with a house pulse, is utterly assured.

9. Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Dion was recruited to provide a more radio-friendly take of the version of the great Disney ballad, sung by Angela Lansbury in the movie of the same name. She was a relative newcomer, so Peabo Bryson was employed to amp up the star power; understandably, it’s their version that became the most famous.

8. Tell Him (1997)

Barbra Streisand, one of Dion’s biggest idols, suggested a collaboration after Dion deputised for her at the 1997 Oscars ceremony – she sang Streisand’s duet with Bryan Adams, I Finally Found Someone. Whatever you make of Tell Him’s booming, slightly dated production, there’s no doubt their voices work incredibly well together.

7. Immortality (1997)

Written by the Bee Gees for the stage version of Saturday Night Fever – their 1996 demo was released on their greatest hits record in 2001 – the trio provide immediately recognisable backing vocals on Dion’s take. It’s a great song: the stately pace and power ballad dynamics suit her perfectly, while the chorus is pure Gibb brothers magic.

6. All By Myself (1996)

Another example of Dion boldly claiming an extremely well-known song for herself, her take on Eric Carmen’s mid-70s weepie – the global theme tune of the recently dumped – manages to ratchet up the tormented drama. It’s no mean feat, given how dramatic and racked the original sounds.

5. That’s the Way It Is (1999)

A new track appended to Dion’s greatest hits collection All The Way … A Decade of Song, That’s the Way It Is was the handiwork of three Swedish songwriters – Max Martin among them – collectively responsible for a string of Britney Spears hits. This is a little lighter and poppier in tone than Dion’s usual work, yet was another huge hit.

4. My Heart Will Go On (1997)

A No 1 in more than 25 countries – it shifted more than 18m copies – the Titanic theme was originally supposed to be sung by the Norwegian soprano Sissel Kyrkjebø. It’s almost impossible now to imagine anyone other than Dion singing it, so familiar is her gradual build from fragile whisper to full-on fireworks.

3. Because You Loved Me (1996)

Few artists do a big old ballad climax quite like Dion – and Because You Loved Me is the perfect example. Written by Diane Warren, it slowly develops from hushed beginnings until, three minutes in, Dion hits a series of high notes and her vocal explodes, soaring and imploring over gospel-influenced choir.

2. The Power of Love (1993)

Famed in the UK thanks to Jennifer Rush’s chart-topping 1985 original (and not to be confused with the Frankie Goes to Hollywood song), The Power of Love was relatively unknown in the US before Dion got hold of it and turned it into a paean to her romance with her manager, and soon-to-be-husband, Angélil. Synths shiver, drums boom, guitars echo; Dion sounds as if she means every word.

1. It’s All Coming Back to Me Now (1996)

Writer Jim Steinman claimed It’s All Coming Back to Me Now was inspired by the scene in Wuthering Heights when Heathcliff exhumes Cathy’s corpse and dances with it on a beach. No such scene exists, but that’s Steinman for you. His songs are so wilfully overblown that they require a singer with total emotional commitment to pull them off without sounding silly – and Dion perfectly fit the bill after a version by the girl band Pandora’s Box flopped. Dion sings it as if it’s a matter of life and death, her voice supremely powerful and emotive even amid Steinman’s characteristic Wagnerian bombast. The end result is a mad, spectacular triumph.