‘My Heart Will Go On’: 20th Anniversary of Celine Dion’s iconic ballad from ‘Titanic’

By 1997, Celine Dion was already a multi-platinum selling artist and before the release of the James Horner composed classic in December, she had already dominated pop music with two consecutive diamond selling albums in the United States with Falling Into You (1996) and Let’s Talk About Love (1997) – both of which sold over 30 million copies worldwide.

So, ‘My Heart Will Go On’ was actually released at a time when Dion was already at the peak of her super-stardom, further cementing her legacy as one of the greatest divas of the decade and giving her the quintessential signature ballad of her career.

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Originally featured on Celine’s fifth English studio album, “Let’s Talk About Love” – which was released only four days before the official motion picture soundtrack of the movie, ‘My Heart Will Go On’ became world’s best selling single for the year 1998 and went on to win an Academy award for ‘Best Original Song.’

Interestingly, the song was originally never meant to be, as its legendary composer James Horner only thought of it as an instrumental until Will Jennings later gave some words to it. Initially disagreeing with the idea, Horner was blown away when he heard Celine’s demo recording of the song – which the diva had said to be recorded in a single take.

Celine’s sweeping vocals that start off a caressing smooth touch of velvet before proceeding to a theatrical show-down of her glorious pipes as it reaches the final climax – Dion’s inimitable and impeccable delivery became a staple of vocal finesse for an era that was already being dominated by female balladeers.

2017 marks 20 years since the release of one of the biggest musical moments of the 20th century. ‘My Heart Will Go On’ isn’t just one of the best selling songs of Celine Dion’s career but also the second best selling song by any female artist ever.

The worldwide impact and domination of the song loomed to such an extent that it reflected on Celine’s next chart-topping singles and the four-year Vegas residency, from 2003 to 2007 – which still ranks as one of the highest grossing concerts in music history – with a total collection of a whopping $462 million.

As and when people will look back to celebrate the career of the legendary songstress, the assessment won’t be complete without acknowledging the impact of ‘My Heart Will Go On’ and how it helped her establish her worldwide legacy as the icon she is known to be today.