Céline Dion Revealed a Shocking Truth About Recording "My Heart Will Go On" for 'Titanic'
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When Titanic first debuted in theaters in December 1997, no one expected the phenomenon it became. The heart-wrenching story of star-crossed lovers accompanied by Céline Dion's iconic ballad "My Heart Will Go On"quickly became a classic, with the notable door scene remaining a topic of debate to this day.
But it turns out that what is arguably Céline's most famous hit almost didn't make it into the film at all...
In a video uploaded to Céline's TikTok page on April 23, the songstress opened up about her most famous fashion moments for Vogue's "Life in Looks"video series. As she turned to a photo of the outfit she wore while accepting the 1998 Oscar for Best Original Song, she revealed a surprising detail about the tune: Director James Cameron initially wasn't into the idea of a theme song.
"James Cameron, the director of the movie, did not want any song," she explained in the video. "He said, 'My movie is great enough. I don't need any songs.'"
So, how did Céline end up getting involved with Titanic? She shared that the writer of "My Heart Will Go On" approached her and her late husband (and manager at the time) René Angélil, with the idea of her singing on the track. Céline didn't want to sing the song if the director was against the idea, but René had other plans, which he later voiced to her and the songwriter.
"[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,'" Céline recalled. "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."
Eventually, Céline agreed to go into the studio, where she teared up upon hearing Titanic's premise. The original idea was for her to record a one-take demo of "My Heart Will Go On," just so it could be presented to James to see if he liked it. Well, it turned out the initial recording was so good that James agreed to feature that version. Céline was never called back in to re-record it.
"I sang the song, and I never re-sang the song to record it, to make it as a record," she explained. "They used my voice as a one-take thing."
Well, clearly Céline knew what she was doing, because "My Heart Will Go On" not only won an Oscar, it received a plethora of other accolades too.
Thank goodness we don't need to imagine what Titanic would've been like without her contribution!
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