Celine Dion hit #1 with “My Heart Will Go On”

My Heart Will Go On Celine Dion

Writer(s): James Horner/ Will Jennings (see lyrics here) Released: December 8, 1997 First Charted: December 12, 1997 Peak: 12 US, 110 BA, 19 GR, 19 RR, 110 AC, 3 A40, 12 UK, 16 CN, 14 AU, 6 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, 1.8 UK, 18.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 366.3 video, 411.03 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: When Titanic was released in 1997, it was the most expensive film ever made. TB Such an oversized budget needed a larger-than-life voice to soundtrack it and Celine Dion was an obvious choice. True, detractors berated her over-the-top performance style and cheesy sentimentality as overwhelming her undeniably huge talent, but since that was often the same criticism of Titanic director James Cameron, hers was just the right voice to help sink one of the most hyped ships of all time. In actuality, Cameron only wanted instrumental music in the film. FB As Walter Afanasieff, one of the song’s co-producers said, “Cameron didn’t want anything modern in his film…It was a period piece and he wanted to be true to the music of the time.” FB However, when James Horner composed “a melody to die for,” TB lyricist Will Jennings couldn’t resist. The song had a simple structure, but a range which few pop singers could handle. LW Since Horner had a good relationship with Dion, LW he asked her to record it, even though she didn’t like it initially. FB The originally reluctant director was won over. Jennings says that when Horner played the demo over the movie’s finale, “Cameron had to leave the room to compose himself.” FB Understandably, the melodramatic song drew eyerolls from some accusing it of being “overwrought and overblown,” TB but the “money-shot line of ‘Near…far…whereeeeeeeever you are’…[made for] an operatic moment of almost Wagnerian pop.” TB Truth be told, after Leonardo DiCaprio slips from his lover Kate Winslet’s grasp and into his watery grave, most of the audience were scrounging for tissues when the song kicked in as the credits rolled. Resources: FB Fred Bronson (2007). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (4th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 864. LW Alan Lewens (2001). Popular Song – Soundtrack of the Century. Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 179. TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 284. Related Links: First posted 1/7/2015; last updated 7/25/2023.

Titanic soundtrack hit #1

Titanic (soundtrack) James Horner (composer)

Released: November 18, 1997 Peak: 116 US, 13 UK, 111 CN, 111 AU Sales (in millions): 12.0 US, 1.0 UK, 30.0 world (includes US and UK), 36.56 EAS Genre: film score

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Never an Absolution Distant Memories Southhampton (3/14/98, 55 BA, 22 AC) Rose Leaving Port Take Her to Sea, Mr. Murdoch Hard to Starboard Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave The Sinking Death of Titanic A Promise Kept A Life So Changed An Ocean of Memories My Heart Will Go On (CELINE DION) (12/8/97, 12 BB, 110 BA, 19 GR, 19 RR, 110 AC, 3 A40, 12 UK, 16 CN, 14 AU, 6 DF Hymn to the Sea (JAMES HORNER/ CELINE DION)

Rating: 4.215 out of 5.00 (average of 18 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: There have certainly been iconic instrumental themes associated with movies in the past – who doesn’t know the mencing thump from Jaws or the majestic sweep of Star Wars? Still, no full-fledged movie score has been more successful than James Horner’s Titanic. Much like “director James Cameron’s 20th-century melodrama,” AZ the soundtack became a commercial juggernaut the likes of which no one had seen before. Horner’s Academy-winning “score is grand, without falling into typical melodrama, and delicately romantic, without being sickly sentimental; it offers genuine emotion and excitement, with the haunting vocals of Norwegian singer Sissel providing a nice counterpoint to Horner’s blend of strings, vocals, orchestras, and synthesizers.” AM “And what can we say about Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On; would ‘ubiquitous’ suffice?” AZ The song “may feel a little like an afterthought, especially after experiencing Horners wrenching, affecting score, but its heart is in the right place.” AM The song bears the unique distinction of propelling two albums to the top of the charts. It wasn’t surprising that Dion’s Let’s Talk about Love topped the charts, but “Titanic was the first soundtrack to reach the No. 1 slot on the Billboard charts in two decades.” AZ If that wasn’t enough, the song also pushed both albums to 30 million in sales globally. “Nevertheless, it is Horner’s instrumental work and its whirlwind of emotions that makes the score of Titanic a voyage worth repeating.” AM “Horner’s combination of synths, chorale, and orchestra perfectly underscores the action…It’s a finely honed piece of Hollywood craftsmanship from a composer who has tackled more musically adventuresome projects in his career.” AZ

Reviews: AM AllMusic.com review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine AZ Amazon.com review by Jery McCulley Related DMDB Links: First posted 4/28/2010; last updated 7/17/2025.