Several factors were behind the worldwide phenomenon that was Titanic’s premiere in 1997. On one hand, its success was due to combining the harsh story of a real-life shipwreck that killed so many people along with the tragic tale of two lovers who could not get their happy ending, which managed to convey the emotional impact of the tragedy to the audience. And, on the other, contributing to its success was casting Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as lead actors, two performers whose careers were on the rise, and who had even been nominated for Academy Awards. These two factors, combined with James Cameron’s expertise as director, writer, and producer, and a budget of $200 million, became the recipe for success.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Titanic followed Rose DeWitt Bukater and Jack Dawson, two young people from different backgrounds, who meet on the eponymous ship and live a brief but legendary love story up to the tragedy. Since it was released, the movie has become one of the greatest hits in cinema history. Indeed, Titanic shattered many records in its day: in terms of its production budget, the number of Oscar nominations it garnered, and for being the highest-grossing film of all time until Avatar, incidentally another James Cameron movie, surpassed it in 2010. Upon its release, Titanic also became the first movie to reach the billion-dollar mark at the box office, propelling everyone involved straight to stardom.

One of Titanic’s emblematic elements is undoubtedly its theme song: “My Heart Will Go On”, performed by Celine Dion and later sung by millions of fans around the world. Yet, perhaps a lesser known fact about this song is that it was very close to not making it into the movie. This article will go over the rocky history of this beautiful song and how it eventually made its way into Titanic’s soundtrack.

James Cameron’s One Condition

     Paramount Pictures

Once Titanic was greenlit, Cameron jumped into action and started to gather the necessary people to put together what was to become his dream team. When it came to hiring someone responsible for the film’s music, Enya, the Irish singer and songwriter, was his first choice, as the filmmaker had been listening to her music while writing the screenplay for the movie. After she turned down the offer, Cameron contacted James Horner, a composer with whom he had already worked on Aliens, who agreed to join this new project. Regarding the soundtrack for the film, Cameron had just one condition: the melodies were to be instrumental only, as he didn’t want music with lyrics. This was because, according to the producers, hiring a vocal artist would have been far too expensive. As a result, Horner composed the soundtrack according to Cameron’s request, yet the idea of turning one of his melodies into a song was growing stronger, so he teamed up with Will Jennings, a fellow composer, who wrote the lyrics for what would become “My Heart Will Go On,” attempting to capture the tragic love story between Rose and Jack.

Celine Dion’s Rejection

     Getty Images

With the tune and the lyrics already crafted, James Horner set out on a new mission: finding the perfect singer to perform it. Fortunately, he already had someone in mind — Celine Dion. Horner contacted the singer and managed to schedule a meeting at the New York hotel where she was staying, all of this, per People, unbeknownst to Cameron. During the meeting, the composer explained his idea, and he even sang the song and performed it for her on a piano. Dion, who had previously worked on the theme songs for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Sleepless in Seattle, was afraid that her career would be pigeonholed into movie soundtracks or romantic songs, so she turned down the offer. However, after much insistence from Horner and her own husband and manager, René Angélil, Dion finally agreed, and at the first studio test, she recorded the rendition that would eventually make it into the film.

A Tape Waiting For Its Lucky Day

     Phil Dent / Redferns

At this point, Horner already had the track ready, but lacked the most important thing: the director’s approval. Even though he was totally convinced of his single’s potential, Horner strategically decided to keep the tape in his pocket at all times, waiting for the day he would find Cameron in a great mood to show it to him. Four weeks later, that perfect moment arrived: during a gathering at the director’s house, Horner shared the recording with him, and after listening a few times to the track, impeccably interpreted by Dion, Cameron agreed to include it at the end of the film. Even though he was concerned that he would be criticized for that decision, he also felt that such a song could only be seen as a positive factor in the film.

My Heart Will Go On’s Legacy

As soon as it was heard by audiences, “My Heart Will Go On” became a smash hit worldwide, shattering all sorts of music records. The song quickly rose to be one of the best-selling songs in history, selling an estimated 18 million copies worldwide, and became Dion’s signature song, making her career skyrocket from then on. In addition, the song garnered numerous nominations and awards, including an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and four Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television. Titanic’s hit single, besides becoming a classic, set an example for all subsequent film productions to pay special attention to their musical identity.