My Heart Will Go On
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “My Heart Will Go On” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||
| Single by Céline Dion from the album Let's Talk About Love and Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture |
|||||
| Released | December 8, 1997 (AUS, GER) February 9, 1998 (UK) |
||||
| Format | CD single, 12" single, 3" single, cassette single | ||||
| Recorded | Wallyworld, The Hit Factory | ||||
| Genre | Pop/Ballad | ||||
| Length | 4:40 | ||||
| Label | Columbia, Epic | ||||
| Writer(s) | James Horner, Will Jennings | ||||
| Producer | Walter Afanasieff, James Horner, Simon Franglen | ||||
| Certification | Diamond (France) 4x Platinum (Germany) 3x Platinum (Belgium) 2x Platinum (Australia, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom) Platinum (Greece) Gold (Austria, United States) |
||||
| Céline Dion singles chronology | |||||
|
|||||
| Audio sample | |||||
|
|
|||||
| Alternate covers | |||||
 |
|||||
 |
|||||
"My Heart Will Go On" is the theme song of the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic. With music by James Horner and lyrics by Will Jennings, it was recorded by Céline Dion. Originally released in 1997 on Dion's album Let's Talk About Love, it went to number one 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 of 1998.
In March 2007, the United World Chart ranked "My Heart Will Go On" as the fourteenth most successful song in music history. Referring to that same list, "My Heart Will Go On" is also the second most successful song released by a solo female musician behind Whitney Houston's cover of "I Will Always Love You." [1]
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. 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, 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."
The song was recorded in one take and without instrumental accompaniment. Horner, Dion, and later Sony Music decided to use this first recording because "Dion's voice was perfect." Two oddities in this song occur when Dion sings "my heart will go ond and on" and "and I believe thatch the heart does go on."
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 & 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, including three of Dion's later albums, Au cœur du stade, All the Way… A Decade of Song 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. 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."
[edit] Chart success
"My Heart Will Go On" is Céline Dion's biggest hit and one of the best-selling singles in history. It reached number one all over the world and on the United World Chart. Although in the U.S. it debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed in that position for two weeks, it spent ten weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay. It was also number one for two weeks on the Hot 100 Singles Sales. Only a limited number of copies were released - 687,000 - which were sold out in a few weeks. The single was eventually certified gold in the U.S.
In Germany, "My Heart Will Go On" sold over 2 million copies and was certified 4x platinum. It also sold over a million copies in the United Kingdom (1,312,551) and France (1,197,000), and became 2x platinum and diamond single respectively. Other certifications include: 3x platinum in Belgium (150,000), 2x platinum in Australia (140,000), Netherlands (150,000), Norway (40,000), Switzerland (100,000), platinum in Greece (40,000) and gold in Austria (25,000). "My Heart Will Go On" was released twice in Japan. Regular edition from January 1998 sold 205,300 and was certified 2x platinum (200,000). Remixes edition from June 1998 sold 111,920 and was certified separately gold (100,000) due the fact that maxi-singles are treated as an album.
In Canada, the single was released as an import only and peaked at number 14; nevertheless, it still became one of the highest charting import singles. In New Zealand, "My Heart Will Go On" was released as a radio single, and without a commercial release it did not chart higher than number 34. The song also peaked at 34th position on the Japanese Oricon chart.
[edit] Accolades
"My Heart Will Go On" won the 1997 Academy Award for Best Original 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. "My Heart Will Go On" won also the Golden Globe Award in 1998. Other awards include: Billboard Music Award for the Soundtrack Single of the Year, Blockbuster Entertainment Award for the Favourite Song from a Movie, Billboard Latin Award for the First English-language Song to Top Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks Chart, Japan Record Award for the Special Achievement and Japanese Gold Disc Award for the Song of the Year.
The song 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. It was ranked at #14 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs, celebrating the 100 greatest songs in American film history.
Due to the song's large 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 The Bodyguard and Bryan Adams' "(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.
[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 afterward, 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."
Horner himself repeated the formula of making a song from his film themes with movies such as A Beautiful Mind, Bicentennial Man and The Perfect Storm.
[edit] Formats and track listings
|
2-track CD-single - (U.S.)
4-track CD-single - (UK)
2-track CD-single - (EU)
4-track CD-single - (UK, EU, AU)
2-track CD-single - (EU)
2-track CD-single - (EU)
2-track CD-single - (FR)
|
2-track CD-single - (FR)
5-track CD-single - (AU)
2-track CD-single - (JP)
5-track CD-single - (JP)
4-track CD-single - (BR)
|
[edit] Official versions
- "My Heart Will Go On" (Richie Jones mix) – 4:15
- "My Heart Will Go On" (Richie Jones love go on mix) – 4:58
- "My Heart Will Go On" (Richie Jones go on beats) – 5:10
- "My Heart Will Go On" (Riche Jones unsinkable club mix) – 10:04
- "My Heart Will Go On" (Tony Moran mix) – 4:21
- "My Heart Will Go On" (Tony Moran's anthem vocal) – 9:41
- "My Heart Will Go On" (Soul Solution bonus beats) – 3:31
- "My Heart Will Go On" (Soul Solution) – 4:18
- "My Heart Will Go On" (Soul Solution percapella) – 4:16
- "My Heart Will Go On" (Soul Solution drama at the sea) – 8:54
- "My Heart Will Go On" (Matt & Vito's penny whistle dub) – 3:23
- "My Heart Will Go On" (Matt & Vito's unsinkable epic mix) – 9:53
- "My Heart Will Go On" (Cuca's radio edit) – 4:22
- "My Heart Will Go On" (movie dialogue) – 4:41
- "My Heart Will Go On" (soundtrack version) – 5:11
- "My Heart Will Go On" (album version) – 4:40
- "My Heart Will Go On" (alternate orchestra version) - 5:19
- "My Heart Will Go On" (TV track) – 3:12
- "My Heart Will Go On" (no lead vox) – 4:41
[edit] Charts
|
|
[edit] Cover versions
- A cover version of this song was later recorded by Neil Diamond for an album of film tracks.
- Trish Thuy Trang has recorded a cover of this song in Vietnamese.
- 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 recorded an instrumental 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."
- German pop–soul star Sarah Connor sampled the song on her single "Living to Love You."
- Eric D. Snider once directed a spoof of Titanic complete with a spoof of "My Heart Will Go On."
- "Weird Al" Yankovic has a concert-only parody of "My Heart Will Go On" entitled "Free Delivery."
- Big Daddy band did an extremely upbeat cover/parody on their 2000 album "The Best of Big Daddy."
- Neal Schon guitarist of Journey also recorded a cover of this song on his album Voice.
- James Galway recorded an instrumental cover version on his album Love Song.
- Tina Arena sang the song as one of her songs on many of her concerts.
- Michael Ball recorded a cover version of this song on his album The Movies.
- On the hit show American Idol Kimberley Locke sang this song in season two and Diana Degarmo sang this in season three.
- The song's popularity and over the top airplay also spawned a running gag on Saturday Night Live which included a wicked impression of Dion by castmember Ana Gasteyer, who later appeared onstage at a Dion concert "in character" with Dion herself.
- Pakistani Pop/Rock Female singer Hadiqa Kiyani used this video in her song 'Aao Phir Eik Baar'.
- In a spoof of 2007's Eurovision's musical contest, the Gato Fedorento actors, in their show Diz Que É Uma Espécie de Magazine, invited the Portuguese singer Sabrina to sing this song, and in their sketch of an alternative reality, Portugal won the contest with this song (the show Diz Que É Uma Espécie de Magazine is famous for always having a "musical moment").
- Yuna Ito covered the song for a Japanese tribute album to Dion, released on September 26, 2007.
- Eugene Levy, in character as lounge singer "Bobby Bittman," recorded a satirical parody of the song entitled "My Act Will Go On" for a live show.
- Masae Ootani of Melon Kinenbi covered this song as part of their 2006 Live House Tour.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
|
|||||
