Celine Dion performed the closing act Friday night in Paris during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games, singing Edith Piaf’s dramatic song, “Hymne à l’amour.”
Watch the video on YouTube from NBC SportsThis was Ms Dion’s first public performance since 2020, following her announcement in 2022 that she was suffering from stiff person syndrome. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine:
Stiff person syndrome is a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that most commonly causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms that come and go and can worsen over time. However, some people experience other symptoms such as an unsteady gait, double vision or slurred speech. SPS symptoms are thought to be related to which type of SPS a person has.
Although there is no treatment that cures stiff person syndrome, working with a specialist and maintaining symptom control can make it easier to live with the condition.
SPS most commonly develops in people ages 40 to 50, but in rare cases, it occurs in children and older adults. SPS is thought to affect one to two people in a million. However, SPS experts now consider the syndrome to be a spectrum of disorders, which means it is likely more common than originally thought, although still rare.
In English, the song’s title translates as “Hymn to Love,” and the lyrics, translated here to English, speak about a love that lasts beyond the end of the world.
The singer expresses a deep, unwavering love and devotion. They’re willing to do anything, no matter how extreme, for the person they love. This includes making big sacrifices like leaving their country, changing their appearance, or whatever. They emphasize that their love for this person is so strong that worldly problems and challenges mean nothing compared to their feelings.
Jon Pareles, a New York Times pop music critic, said Ms Dion “nailed the landing,” a reference to the games at which she performed.
He went on to describe how she used a mix of “subtlety” and “lung power” and may have sounded a bit scratchy at times, especially after being sick. But she turned the dramatic moment of the Olympics into an amazing performance, reaching a high point in the music before ending with a strong, victorious finish.
