Horner composed the basis of "My Heart Will Go On" as a motif for the Titanic soundtrack, and suggested developing it into a song. The director, James Cameron, felt a pop song would be inappropriate for the film, but agreed after hearing the demo. The final version was arranged by Afanasieff. The music video was directed by Bille Woodruff.
Before the release of the film Titanic, studio executives worried that it would be a commercial failure.[7] Sony had paid $800,000 for the rights to Titanic soundtrack album and were hoping it would include a theme song.[7] However, the director, James Cameron, felt that ending Titanic with a pop song would be inappropriate.[7]
James Horner, the composer of the Titanic score, initially composed "My Heart Will Go On" as an instrumental motif for the film.[7] Wanting to prepare a vocal version for the end credits, he enlisted the lyricist Will Jennings, who wrote the lyrics "from the point of view of a person of a great age looking back so many years".[8]
The song was originally intended for the Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø.[9][10]Simon Franglen, who was working with Horner on electronic textures and synthesizers for the score, suggested Céline Dion, with whom he had worked on many hits.[11] Dion initially did not want to record it, as she had already recorded the film songs "Beauty and the Beast" and "Because You Loved Me".[8] However, her husband and producer, René Angélil, convinced her to record a demo.[7]
Horner waited until Cameron was in an appropriate mood before presenting him with the demo.[7] After listening several times, Cameron approved it, but worried that he might be criticized for "going commercial at the end of the movie". Cameron also wanted to appease the anxious studio executives and "saw that a hit song from his movie could only be a positive factor in guaranteeing its completion".[12]
The music producer Walter Afanasieff was not impressed with the demo, finding it meandering and dreary, but agreed to arrange and produce the studio version.[7] He replaced all parts of Horner's demo, and was upset that Horner was given a co-producer credit.[7]
According to the music executive Tommy Mottola, Dion recorded her vocal in one take, and that demo is what was released in the film. Dion re-recorded the song for her album Let's Talk About Love after the film's release, with a few note changes at the end.[7]
Composition
"My Heart Will Go On" is in the key of E major. The verses follow the chord progression of E–Bsus4–Aadd9–E–B, while the choruses follow C♯m–B–A–B. The song modulates to A-flat major at the end.[13] It contains emphasis on the instrumental arranging. Usage of Tin Whistle is prominent, backed by melodic use of strings and rhythm guitars. The song features both acoustic and electronic instrumentation. Dion's vocal performance is described as "emotional" and "demanding" by Pandora Radio.[14]
The Horner-Franglen "demo" version of the ballad runs a little over five minutes and has an extended ending with longer, segmented vocalizations by Dion. Franglen mixed the final film and soundtrack version, expanding on the demo and adding orchestra to the final chorus. It is this version which appears on the Titanic soundtrack album and is also played over the ending credits of the film.[15]
When the single was to be released to radio, it was produced further by Walter Afanasieff who added string and electric guitar, as well as rearranged portions of the song. This version, which runs a little over four and a half minutes, appears on both the 4-track maxi single and Dion's album Let's Talk About Love.[16] At the height of the song's popularity, some radio stations in the US and the UK played an edited version of the song, that had dramatic moments of dialogue from Jack and Rose, the lead characters in the film, inserted in between Dion's vocal lines.
The Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø was scheduled to record the song for the film in 1997, but Dion's vocals were preferred due to Horner's decision to support Dion's career.[9][10][17][18] In a December 2014 interview, Horner said: "When I had completed the Titanic [film], I had to decide for Celine Dion or Sissel['s] [vocals]. Sissel I am very close, while Celine I had known since she was 18, and I had already written three film songs for [her]. But that was before Celine was known and filmmakers and marketing people had not done what they should have done for Celine and [her] songs. So I felt I owed her a Titanic chance, but I could [still] have used Sissel there".[19] Instead, Kyrkjebø completed much of the score for the soundtrack album, Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture.[9] Dion accepted to sing a demo for the film, despite being initially hesitant to record as she had already done three film songs earlier.[20][21] Years later, Horner chose Kyrkjebø to perform "My Heart Will Go On" on both world premieres of Titanic 3D (2012) and Titanic Live (2015).[10]
Critical reception
The song was generally well received by music critics. AllMusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that the song "shines the most brilliantly" and marked it as a standout track from the Let's Talk About Love album.[22] Another AllMusic reviewer, single editor Heather Phares, who rated the single 4 out of 5 stars, wrote, "Indeed, her performances of it on VH1 Divas, the 1998 Academy Awards (wearing the film's 'Heart of the Ocean' pendant, no less), and on her 1997 album Let's Talk About Love have cemented 'My Heart Will Go On' as the quintessence of Dion's sweeping, romantic style".[23]Larry Flick from Billboard called it a "stately ballad", noting that the song "woos with romantic lyrics and a melancholy melody that is fleshed out with a weeping flute solo." He added, "There's no denying that Dion can hit notes that shatter glass—and she does so here—but it's a pleasure to hear her build slowly and remind listeners of her ability to pack volumes of emotion in a whisper. A fine single that will add a much-needed touch of class to every station it graces."[24]
Music Week named it "Single of the Week" and gave it five out of five, writing that "Dion delivers another stunning vocal on an Irish-style production".[25] The magazine's Alan Jones felt the Celtic stylings "help the record build from quiet beginnings into a most powerful, stirring ballad, with Dion's voice adapting to whatever is required, from gentle breathiness to full throttle."[26]People Magazine stated that "the dramatics are fitting when she sings "My Heart Will Go On" as a survivor mourning the lover she lost when the big ship went down."[27]Yahoo.com described it as an "emotional power ballad that perfectly captured [Titanic's] romantic yearning".[8]Vulture said that it is a powerful song and has "one of the most glorious key changes in recorded music history", and that "its legacy is eclipsed only by Whitney Houston's (admittedly far superior) song "I Will Always Love You"".[28] The Washington Post appreciated how the song was not just tagged on the end of the three-hour film, but has a lyrical motif that was already placed throughout the key moments of the film's love story in order to create a musical narrative.[29]
The song has also received some criticism. In 2011, Rolling Stone readers ranked it the seventh worst song of the 1990s, with the magazine writing, "Celine Dion's song and the movie have aged very poorly...Now [the song] probably just makes you cringe."[30]The Atlantic attributed the song's decline in popularity to its overexposure and added that over the years there have been many jokes that parody the song's lyrics by claiming "My Heart Will Go On" goes "on and on and on".[31]Vulture reasoned that it has become fashionable to dislike the song because it "encapsulates most everything that once-enthusiastic moviegoers now dislike about Titanic: it's outdated, cheesy, and overly dramatic".[28]Maxim deemed it "the second most tragic event ever to result from that fabled ocean liner".[31]
The song won a Japanese Gold Disc Award, for Song of the Year,[47] as well as a Billboard Music Award for Soundtrack Single of the Year.[35][48] Moreover, it also won at MTV Asia Awards for International Song of the Year in 1999.[43]
It has been named one of the Songs of the Century.[49] It is one of the best-selling singles ever in the United Kingdom,[50] the second single released by Dion to sell over a million copies there. This made Dion one of only two female artists to date to have released two million-selling singles in Britain.[51] In December 2007, the song was placed on number 21 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90's".[52] In April 2010, the UK radio station Magic 105.4 voted the single the "top movie song of all time" after listeners's votes.[53] It was ranked at number 14 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs, celebrating the 100 greatest songs in American film history.[54]
Cultural impact
The song became "imprinted on the movie's legacy", and every listen prompts a reminder of the blockbuster and the hype surrounding it.[31]USA Today agreed that the song will be forever tied to Titanic.[55]The Washington Post has argued that it is the marriage of music and image that make both the song and film greater than the sum of their parts.[29]
The Los Angeles Times stated that "My Heart Will Go On helped make 1998 an amazing year for big pop ballads."[56]The Atlantic stated that its popularity did not stem from being played at events such as high school proms, weddings, and funerals, but by being indelibly placed into pop culture through numerous plays on the radio station, speakers, and passing cars.[31] Anne T. Donahue from TrackRecord called it "The Greatest Movie Ballad Of All Time" stating: "It changed the game for movie ballads altogether, and the impact was felt immediately."[57]MTV listed "My Heart Will Go On" as the sixth biggest song of the '90s.[58]
In New Zealand, "My Heart Will Go On", along with Dion's rendition of "The Power of Love", are favorites of siren kings, a Pasifika youth subculture originating in South Auckland who stage modified vehicle public address system loudspeaker competitions. The song is a staple of the competitions, due to the purity and clarity of Dion's voice suiting the audio range for public address systems.[59][60] The song is played at full volume through speakers attached to cars in the small hours of the morning, in a contest by siren kings to produce the loudest sound.[61][62]
In the late 2010s, a pop culture trend emerged on platforms such as YouTube in which the song's iconic key change would be edited in as the soundtrack to a dramatic moment from a sporting match, such as a winning shot.[63][64] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Barcelona pianist Alberto Gestoso performed "My Heart Will Go On" for his quarantined neighbors.[65] In 2021, the DJ at the January 6 Trump rally in Washington, D.C. played "My Heart Will Go On" to the crowd.[66]
In 2024, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump used "My Heart Will Go On" at rallies. Dion released a statement saying she did not endorse its use and expressed surprise at the choice. Variety said that the song "evokes the tragedy of the Titanic and, in the film, Leonardo DiCaprio’s dying character sinking to the bottom of the sea".[70]
Music video
The accompanying music video for "My Heart Will Go On" was directed by Bille Woodruff and shows Dion singing at the bow of the ship while scenes from the film are inter-cut in between.[71] It was filmed in front of a green screen in Los Angeles. Titanic computer artists filled in the background. On set, Celine provided one special effect, it required her to sing a high speed version of the signature song.[72] In January 2018 the director's cut of the music video appeared on YouTube.[73] It contains unseen footage of Celine including her walking to the bow and a segment which puts her right into the movie.[74]
On March 23, 2023, a new music video was released to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Dion's performance of the song at the 70th Academy Awards. The video features alternate never-before-seen footage from the video shoot and was restored from its original 35mm elements to 4K resolution.[75][76]
"My Heart Will Go On" is one of the biggest radio hits and best-selling singles in history, having sold more than 18 million copies worldwide.[78] It was also the best selling single of 1998 worldwide.[79] As of March 2023, "My Heart Will Go On" has drawn 5 billion in cumulative airplayaudience and over 728 million official streams in the United States.[80] Streams increased following the Titan submersible implosion, which renewed interest in Titanic.[81][82] TMZ suggested that the song was streamed 500,000 more times, though this is disputed by other sources.[83]
United States
In the United States, the song was given a limited number of copies – 658,000. Regardless, it debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, with sales of 360,000 copies,[84] where it stayed for two weeks. In addition, the song spent ten weeks at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay, and was number one for two weeks on the Hot 100 Singles Sales. As a testament to the popularity of the song on the radio, the song broke the record for the then-largest radio audience ever, garnering 117 million listeners in February 1998.[85] The single was eventually certified gold in the United States.[86]Billboard reported that the digital copy of the single has sold 1,133,000 units since being available bringing total sales to 1,791,000 copies sold in the US.[87] In 2011 alone, Dion has sold 956,000 digital tracks in the US, with My Heart Will Go On being her biggest digital tracks (163,000 downloads).[88] In an article published by Billboard in November 2019, "My Heart Will Go On" has 588.2 million on-demand streams in the US, making it her most streamed song in the country.[89]
In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number one with first week sales of 234,000 copies.[90] As of February 2022, the song has already sold in excess of 2,100,000 units,[91] becoming Dion's second million-selling single in Britain, following "Think Twice" in 1995, and Britain's second-best-selling single of 1998, behind Cher's "Believe".[92] This made her the first solo female artist to have multiple million-selling singles in Britain.[93]
Rest of the world
In Germany, "My Heart Will Go On" was certified 4× platinum for selling over two million copies,[94] and was ranked as one of the most popular singles ever released there.[95] It sold over 1.2 million copies in France, being certified Diamond. Additionally, the song was certified 3× Platinum in Belgium, 2× Platinum in Australia, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland, Platinum in Greece, and Gold in Austria. "My Heart Will Go On" was released twice in Japan. The regular edition from January 1998 sold 205,300 and was certified 2× Platinum, for 200,000 copies sold. The remixed edition released in June 1998 sold 111,920 copies and was certified Gold for 100,000 copies sold, because maxi-singles are treated as an album.
Internationally, the song was phenomenally successful, spending many weeks at the top position in various countries, including 17 weeks on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles, 15 weeks in Switzerland, 13 weeks in France and Germany, 11 weeks in the Netherlands and Sweden, 10 weeks in Wallonia, Denmark, Italy, and Norway, seven weeks in Flanders, six weeks in Ireland and Canada, four weeks in Australia and Austria, two weeks in Spain and the United Kingdom, and one week in Finland.
It was included later on the Back to Titanic second soundtrack album, but it does not appear on the 20th anniversary edition. In France, "My Heart Will Go On" was released as a double A-side single with "The Reason". In the Let's Talk about Love album booklet, the lyrics of the song contain an additional line between a second chorus and the final verse. The words "There is some love that will not go away" are not performed by Dion in any available version of the song, however, they are still included on Dion's official site.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
