My Heart Will Go On

"My Heart Will Go On" is the theme song of the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic. With music by James Horner, lyrics by Will Jennings, and production by Walter Afanasieff, it was recorded by Celine Dion. Originally released in 1997 on Dion's album Let's Talk About Love, it went to #1 all over the world, including the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. My Heart Will Go On was released in Australia and Germany on December 8, 1997, and in the rest of the world in January and February 1998. It became Dion's biggest hit, and one of the best-selling singles of all time, eventually becoming the world's best-selling single of 1998.

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. Dion was Horner's first choice to sing it, but when she heard the song, she did not want to record it. It was her manager and husband, Rene Angelil, 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."

The song was recorded in one take and without instrumental accompaniment. Horner, Dion, and later Sony Music Entertainment decided to use this first recording because "Dion's voice was perfect."

The original Horner-produced version of the ballad appears on the Titanic soundtrack and has an extended ending with longer, segmented vocalizations by Dion. The single also played over the ending credits of the film. 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 appears on the 4-track maxi single as well as on Dion's album "Let's Talk About Love". 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.

The music video was directed by Bille Woodruff and released at the end of 1997. It was included later on the All the Way... A Decade of Song and Video DVD.

In addition to Dion's Let's Talk About Love and the Titanic soundtrack, "My Heart Will Go On" appears on several other albums.

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 dialog from the Jack and Rose lead characters in the film inserted in between Dion's vocal lines. It was included later on Back to Titanic second soundtrack album.

In France, "My Heart Will Go On" was released as a double A-side single with "The Reason."

Chart Success
"My Heart Will Go On" is Céline Dion's biggest hit and one of the best-selling singles in history. In the United States, the song was given a limited number of copies - 690,000. Regardless, it debuted at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, with sales of 370,000 copies, 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. The single was eventually certified gold in the United States.

In addition "My Heart Will Go On" reached number one in several other U.S. charts, including, Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks,undefinedTop 40 Mainstream, Hot Latin Pop Airplay, and Hot Latin Tracks. For the latter, the single became the first English-language song to top the Hot Latin Tracks chart, to which Dion was given a Billboard Latin Music Award for that achievement.

Internationally, the song was a hit, as well, 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, ten weeks in Belgium Wallonia, Denmark, Italy, and Norway, seven weeks in Belgium Flanders, six weeks in Ireland, four weeks in Australia and Austria, two weeks in Spain and the United Kingdom, and one week in Finland.

In Germany, "My Heart Will Go On" was certified 4x platinum for selling over two million copies,undefinedand was ranked as one of the most popular singles ever released, there. It sold over 1.315 million copies in the United Kingdom and 1.2 million in France, being certified 2x platinum and diamond in those respective markets. Additionally, the song was certified 3x platinum in Belgium, 2x 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 210,000 and was certified 2x platinum, for 200,000 copies sold. The remixed edition released in June 1998 sold 115,000 copies and was certified gold for 100,000 copies sold, due the fact that maxi-singles are treated as an album.

Accolades
"My Heart Will Go On" won the 1997 Academy Award for Best Original Song. It dominated the 1999 Grammy Awards, winning Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Femal Pop Vocal Performance and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television. "My Heart Will Go On" won also the Golden Globe Award for "Best Original Song-Motion Picture" in 1998.

The song also won a Japanese Gold Disc Award, for Song of the Year,as well as a Billboard Music Award for Soundtrack Single of the Year.

In a 2006 poll for a program on Five called 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, selling over a million copies, the second single released by Dion to do so. She is the only female artist to date to have released two million-selling singles in Britain. It was ranked at number 14 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs celebrating the 100 greatest songs in American film history. In April 2010, the UK radio station Magic 105.4 voted the single the "top movie song of all time" after listeners' votes.undefinedDue to the song's widespread popularity when it was released, it is considered to be Céline Dion's signature song. Today, along with two other songs from film soundtracks, Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" from Bodyguard and Bryan Adams's "(Everything I Do) I Do it For You" from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, it is considered one of the biggest love ballads of the 1990s.

Lyrics
Every night in my dreams

I see you, I feel you

That is how I know you go on

Far across the distance

And spaces between us

You have come to show you go on

Near, far, wherever you are

I believe that the heart does go on

Once more you open the door

And you're here in my heart

And my heart will go on and on

Love can touch us one time

And last for a lifetime

And never let go till we're gone

Love was when I loved you

One true time I hold to

In my life we'll always go on

Near, far, wherever you are

I believe that the heart does go on

Once more you open the door

And you're here in my heart

And my heart will go on and on

You're here, there's nothing I fear

And I know that my heart will go on

We'll stay forever this way You are safe in my heart And my heart will go on and on

Credits to

 * Titanic Wiki on Fandom

Music Video
The music video shows Dion on a model of the Titanic. She is singing the song while clips of the film are played throughout the music video.

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