Titanic is one of the greatest movies of all time for a reason. It’s the blueprint for breathtaking romances, and it packs a seriously heartbreaking punch. It’s the definition of a blockbuster, and has rightfully earned its praise in the years since its release. But aside from the story, or the infamous debate of whether or not Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) could fit on the door with Rose (Kate Winslet), one of the most defining pieces of the film is its stunning score. Titanic is a masterpiece all on its own, but add in the score by James Horner, and it’s taken to an entirely new level. After all, you can’t hear “My Heart Will Go On” by Céline Dion without thinking of the movie. But that almost wasn’t the case. In fact, director James Cameron originally didn’t want a song at all.
James Horner Sneakily Got “My Heart Will Go On” Into ‘Titanic’
While Titanic is an important and beautiful movie on its own, there’s no denying that one of its most recognizable features is its love theme “My Heart Will Go On”. It’s often deemed as “the Titanic song” for how reminiscent it is of the movie, and it makes sense. After the release of the film, you were hard-pressed to find a radio station not playing the powerful ballad. So it’s hard to imagine a world where the two don’t coincide, but had James Cameron gotten his way, the song wouldn’t have even been a consideration. Céline Dion shared this shocking fact in a recent interview with Vogue.
Céline sat down with Vogue to discuss her “life in looks”, so she slipped through a book filled with pictures of past outfits she had worn on stage or red carpets. One of the looks she flipped to was her look at the 1998 Academy Awards. It was the same year Titanic was nominated for (and won) a record amount of Oscars, and to celebrate the momentous night, Céline wore a replica of the necklace from the film. The famous “heart of the ocean”. But instead of discussing the look, Céline decides to tell a story that coincides with the night, and proceeds to drop a major bombshell.
“There’s a big story about this picture, because James Cameron, the director of the movie, did not want any song. He said “My movie is great enough, I don’t need any songs.”” Céline revealed in regard to her chart-topping power anthem . She then goes on to say that while she was in Las Vegas, James Horner secretly came to visit. “He started to play us the song, and my husband is watching me, and he’s watching him, and he said “James, we should stop right now.””
Céline then follows up the shocking revelation with one of her own: “I don’t want to sing the song.” But James Horner wasn’t deterred, and between him and Céline’s husband and manager Réne Angélil, they managed to get Céline in the studio to record the song. “Let’s go to Los Angeles,” Angélil suggested to Horner. “We’ll do like a little maquette, a little demo, she can put her voice on it.” And when the idea was out in the open, Céline knew immediately that she would be singing the song. There was just one issue. “I don’t want to sing the song. The director of the movie doesn’t want to have a song in his movie.”
Céline Dion and James Cameron Were Both Against “My Heart Will Go On”
So Céline hopped into a recording studio anyway to lay down some vocals, and as soon as she began everyone knew they had something special in their hands.
“When I get into a studio, and I hear music, I get into a character, and I even sell it to myself,” Céline said. “So I start to sing the song, he tells me about the story of the movie a little bit, I’m already in tears. But it’s a demo, it’s just to put my voice, one take, just quick, just for them to present to the director, insisting on putting this song in the movie. I sang the song… and I never re-sang the song to record it, to make it as a record .” Céline explained. “It was a one-take thing.”
So not only did Céline Dion not want to sing the song originally. But the version of “My Heart Will Go On” that we hear at the end of the movie is the original demo she recorded. It’s the version on every copy of the soundtrack, on her own album, the one that was inescapable on the radio in the late 90s. It’s impressive enough on its own, but to know that she didn’t even want to sing the song to begin with, but still managed to sound so good a second recording wasn’t needed? There’s a reason she’s a legend in the music industry.
However, it is understandable why Dion was apprehensive to record the song. In an interview with Billboard, she shared a bit more insight about the moment she first heard the song. “I just came out of “Because You Loved Me,” and then “Beauty and the Beast” was, like, huge. Why do we need to break our nose?” Which is admittedly a very rational reason to not do the song. After all, how often can you really catch lightning in a bottle? For Céline Dion? Apparently, three times, because “My Heart Will Go On” not only made it into the film, but it became the biggest song of Céline Dion’s career.
‘Titanic’ Wouldn’t Be the Same Without Its Theme Song
James Cameron’s rationale isn’t exactly wrong either. In the same Billboard interview, Randy Gerston (who was the music supervisor on Titanic) shared a conversation he had with Cameron about the end-of-movie song.
“We had done a record deal with Sony to do the soundtrack — just the Horner score — and I think the label imagined that they would get an end-title song into the film. Jim Cameron didn’t want to end the film with a pop song.” And then Cameron said something that really made Gerston think. ““Would you put a song at the end of Schindler’s List ?””
Simon Franglen, who was the co-producer on “My Heart Will Go On” also shared a fun tidbit about the song and how they finally pitched it to Cameron. “I did a decent mix. And James Horner carried around a cassette for weeks on weeks on weeks, waiting for the right time to play it for Cameron. He wanted him to be in a good mood.” Franglen shared.
Given that Titanic is based on the tragic true story, “My Heart Will Go On” is a rather minuscule detail in the grand scheme of things. But there’s no denying that it’s the cherry on top of what is already a masterpiece. The song not only became a major part of Titanic but also went on to influence the music industry as well, so clearly the filmmakers (and Dion herself) made the right decision.
“I didn’t think that James Cameron is just going to buy this thing.” Céline added. “James Cameron didn’t want to have a song in his movie. “My movie is big enough, I don’t need something bigger, I don’t need any singer.” And I don’t blame him. But Horner says, “I’m not going to tell you who sang the song. Just please give me a favor and listen just one time.””
