DEE SNIDER: How My Song Ended Up On CELINE DION's Album - Dec. 20, 2002
In what ranks as one of the most unlikely pairings to ever rock the music world, a Christmas ballad written by TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider was recorded by Celine Dion for her first Christmas album, 1998's "These Are Special Times", which went on to sell 10 million copies worldwide.
The song, which was re-titled "The Magic of Christmas", was originally written by Dee at the request of his wife, Suzette Snider, who asked her husband a few years ago to write her a Christmas song as a present.
"And I told her she was insane," Dee told The Washington Post.
But he did, a lovely song he titled "God Bless Us Everyone". Unfortunately, Snider couldn't sing it it wasn't in his range so he had some studio musicians record it for Suzette. Producer Ric Wake, who's worked with such pop divas as Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez, kept a copy and called Snider four years ago to tell him Dion wanted to record it.
"I asked 'Does she know it's me?'
"He said no. And I said, 'Well, don't tell her. I don't want to jinx this.' "
Dion included it on "These Are Special Times", though she changed the title. Which, Snider says, "was fine. Just send me my 7.5 cents per record." The album credit reads D. Snider.
The next year, Dion and Rosie O'Donnell redid the song as a duet on Rosie's Christmas album and opened O'Donnell's Christmas special on ABC with it.
"I'm sitting at home watching it, my wife's crying, and I'm thinking 'This is just too much,' " Snider said. "At the end, the camera pulls away and they're broadcasting into Times Square with Rosie and Celine and the children's choir holding candles, singing 'God Bless Us Everyone
'
"I just wanted to pop out from behind the curtain: It's me! It's me! Merry Christmas!"
