People Magazine wrote, "When Dion sings about letting down her defenses and giving in to love on "I Surrender", it's the song that gets belted into submission." Slant Magazine critic Sal Cinqueman states that 'I Surrender' is a "power ballad only a singer with Dion's voice could pull off." Christopher Smith from TalkAboutPopMusic said that it "has much drama and theatrics, so much so that you almost begin to think the producers are really looking to shape Celine into the next Barbra Streisand rather than herself." Live performanceĬeline Dion performs this song in her video album, where she is surrounded by artistic backup dancers, who visually and dramatically express the song's lyrics in a miming manner. ReceptionĪccording to Chuck Taylor from Billboard, "Dion does not disappoint with ballads like the rafter-shaking 'I Surrender' where she sings of forbidden love amid a firestorm of utterly volcanic instrumentation". The song was produced and arranged by Grammy award winner and Golden Globe nominee Simon Franglen. The song was described as a "bombastic, heart-pounding" ballad, which has become a popular song choice for contestants on reality television singing competitions like American Idol. It uses a Neapolitan chord of Ab major before a suspended chord at the end of the verses. The chorus uses the common chord progression of vi–IV–I–V, with Dion's vocal range spanning from note D 3 to D 5. Having a tempo of 57 beats per minute with syncopation, the song is written in the key of G minor and it would feature piano, string ensemble, drums and a synthesizer. A lushly orchestrated love song that has been covered numerously, it is about an enamoured individual who would surrender everything just to be with their lover. "I Surrender" is a power ballad written by Louis Biancaniello and Sam Watters, and recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion from her seventh English-language studio album, A New Day Has Come (2002). Celine Dion performing 'I Surrender' in Las Vegas, 2007