My Heart Will Go On

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
"My Heart Will Go On"
"My Heart Will Go On" cover
Single by Céline Dion
from the album Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture and Let's Talk About Love
Released February 3, 1998
Format CD single, cassette single
Recorded Las Vegas and New York; mid 1997
Genre Pop/Ballad
Length 4:41
Label Epic
Writer(s) James Horner and Will Jennings
Producer(s) Walter Afanasieff, James Horner
Chart positions
Céline Dion singles chronology
"The Reason"
(1997)		 "My Heart Will Go On"
(1997)		 "Immortality"
(1998)

"My Heart Will Go On" is the theme song of the highly popular 1997 film Titanic. It was written by James Horner (music) and Will Jennings (lyrics) and recorded by Céline Dion. Originally released in 1997 on Dion's album Let's Talk About Love, it went to number one in several countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. It stayed at this position for two weeks in each of the aforementioned countries.

Contents

[edit] History

Horner had originally composed the song as an instrumental motif that is used in several scenes during Titanic. He then wanted to make a full vocal song out of it, for use in the end credits of the film. Director James Cameron did not want such a song, but Horner went ahead anyway and got Jennings to write the lyrics.[1] Dion was Horner's first choice to sing it, but when she heard the song, she did not want to record it.[citation needed] It was her manager and husband, René Angélil, who convinced her to record a demo version, which was something she hadn't done for many years. Horner waited until Cameron was in an appropriate mood before presenting him with the song. After playing it several times, Cameron declared his approval, although worried that he might be criticised for "going commercial at the end of the movie."[1]

The song heard on the radio and in Dion's albums was recorded in one take, without instrumental accompaniment. Horner, Dion, and later Sony Music decided to use this first recording because "Dion's voice was perfect."[citation needed] One oddity in this song occurs when Dion sings "my heart will go on and on."

In addition to Dion's Let's Talk About Love and the Titanic soundtrack, "My Heart Will Go On" appears on several other albums, including two of Dion's later albums, All the Way... A Decade of Song, Au Coeur Du Stade and A New Day... Live in Las Vegas.

At the height of the song's popularity, some radio stations in the U.S. and the UK played an edited version of the song, that had dramatic moments of dialog from the Jack and Rose lead characters in the film inserted in between Dion's vocal lines.

[edit] Accolades

"My Heart Will Go On" won the 1997 Academy Award for Best Song. It dominated the Grammy Awards of 1999, winning Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television.

Appeared on 'the hits' 50 Greatest Love Songs at #3 in 2006. In a 2006 poll for a Channel 5 program Britain's Favourite Break-up Songs, "My Heart Will Go On" was voted tenth. It has been named one of the Songs of the Century. It is one of the best-selling singles ever in the UK. It was, worldwide, the best selling single of 1998.

Due to the song's large popularity when it was released, it is considered to be Celine Dion's signature song. Today, along with Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", it is considered to be the biggest love ballad of the 1990s.

[edit] Covers

A cover version of this song was later recorded by Neil Diamond for an album of film tracks. Sarah Brightman recorded an Italian version of the song on her album Eden under the name of "Il Mio Cuore Va". In 1998, Sandy from Sandy & Junior made a cover and a Portuguese version of the song. New Found Glory also recorded a cover, on their From the Screen to Your Stereo EP. Kenny G also recorded a cover version. There is also a send-up (or parody) of this song through the popular radio rugby league program Continuous Call Team as a dedication to one of the inept "presenters" Darryl Brohman tentatively titled "The Big Maaan Is Gone."

[edit] Influence

After the song had become a huge worldwide hit, many movie studios and record labels tried to duplicate its impact. Although many soundtrack singles had become hits before "My Heart Will Go On", a string of similar songs followed afterwards, such as Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Armageddon and Faith Hill's "There You'll Be" from Pearl Harbor. Each followed in the footsteps of the "Titanic" theme, a love ballad for a tragedy. Although those two songs became hits, they did not achieve the success of "My Heart Will Go On". However a version of the song done by The Libertines has also surfaced online, with Scarbrough Steve as the vocalist.

[edit] Music sample

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Parisi, Paula (1998). Titanic and the Making of James Cameron. London: Orion, 195. ISBN 075281799.

[edit] External links

Preceded by:
"Doctor Jones" by Aqua		 UK Singles Chart Number 1 single
February 15, 1998 for 1 week		 Succeeded by:
"Brimful of Asha" by Cornershop
Preceded by:
"Frozen" by Madonna		 UK Singles Chart Number 1 single
March 8, 1998 for 1 week		 Succeeded by:
"It's Like That" by Run-DMC vs Jason Nevins
Preceded by:
"Nice and Slow" by Usher		 Billboard Hot 100 number one single
February 28, 1998		 Succeeded by:
"Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" by Will Smith
Preceded by:
"You Must Love Me" from Evita		 Academy Award for Best Song
1997		 Succeeded by:
"When You Believe" from The Prince of Egypt
Preceded by:
"Doctor Jones" by Aqua		 ARIA (Australia) number one single
February 15, 1998 - March 8, 1998		 Succeeded by:
"It's Like That" by Run DMC vs Jason Nevins
Celine Dion
Albums | Singles | Videography | Tours | Awards
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../m/y/_/My_Heart_Will_Go_On_c246.html"
In other languages