James Cameron’s Titanic (1997) will forever be remembered as one of the most iconic films to have graced the film industry. You simply cannot have a conversation about cinema without mentioning the film that removes your heart from your chest cavity, stomps on it, and puts it back in, forcing you to feel all the feels. On top of that, Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On helped James Cameron in breaking our hearts into a million pieces.
Celine Dion recorded My Heart Will Go On for Titanic and we cannot imagine the beautiful film without its beautiful theme. However, there was a time when the song didn’t make it to the film as Celine Dion was totally against recording it. Why? Well, she was simply adhering to the director’s wish. Luckily, her husband was right there to make this a possibility. What’s even more mind-blowing is the fact that Celine Dion recorded the song in a single take.
Celine Dion Didn’t Want to Sing for Titanic
A few months ago, Celine Dion sat down with Vogue for their Life in Looks video series where she took a trip down memory lane looking back at her most iconic looks from the past years. Soon it was time to talk about her look at the 70th Annual Academy Awards in 1998, where My Heart Will Go On won Best Original Song.
Talking about Titanic, Dion revealed that James Cameron never wanted his iconic film to have a theme song in the first place. He believed his movie was great on its own.
Dion said,
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.’
While Cameron’s initial feelings are understandable to some extent, we cannot deny that Dion’s song took the film to a whole new level and helped convey the emotions of the main characters Jack and Rose.
Apparently, the writer of the song felt a similar way. He decided to meet up with Dion and her late husband and then-manager René Angélil secretly and play them the song. Still, the singer was not convinced as she didn’t want to go against Cameron’s wish.
[René] says to the writer, ‘I have an idea. Why don’t we just go to Los Angeles, we’ll do a little demo. She can put her voice on it. When he said that, obviously I knew that I was going to be in trouble! I don’t want to sing the song. The director of the movie doesn’t want to have a song in his movie. And I know that when I get into a studio and I hear music, I get into a character.
Angélil, somehow, was able to convince Dion and they flew to Los Angeles together to try and record a demo.
Celine Dion Recorded the Song in a Single Take
Upon reaching the studio in Los Angeles, Dion heard the story of Titanic and was instantly moved to tears.
While recording My Heart Will Go On, Dion was well aware that she was only recording a demo, something to present to Cameron. She believed that if he gave the song a green light, she’d probably have to come in and re-record it. However, that didn’t turn out to be the case at all.
It looks like Cameron was so moved by Dion’s vocals that not only did he go against his initial idea of not having a theme song, but he also decided to use that demo recording in the film. In short, Dion only had to do a single take for the song.
Dion recalled,
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, that 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. They used my voice as a one-take thing.
Imagine being so talented!
It’s a good thing Dion’s husband was there to push her into recording a Demo for Cameron. We don’t want to imagine a world where Titanic exists without My Heart Will Go On.
Stream Titanic on Paramount+.
