Legendary singer Celine Dion has shared a surprising behind-the-scenes story about the song that not only defined a generation but also became the cornerstone of her career.
On Wednesday, February 25, Dion marked the 27th anniversary of My Heart Will Go On with a heartfelt Instagram video, reflecting on how close she came to never recording the iconic ballad from Titanic.
“I’ve been very, very lucky in my career because I’ve had some classic songs offered to me that won Oscars and will be remembered long after I’m gone,” Dion, 57, said. However, she admitted that she initially resisted recording the sweeping anthem. “I didn’t want to sing My Heart Will Go On, not just because the director didn’t want a song in his movie — he believed his film was powerful enough on its own, which is true.”
Dion revealed there was tension between director James Cameron and composer James Horner, with one pushing strongly for the song’s inclusion. When Horner first played the demo, Dion declined outright.
It was her late husband, René Angélil, who encouraged her to reconsider. She eventually agreed to record a single demo take. “I was tired and had a black coffee, which changed my vibrato,” she recalled. Despite the raw nature of the recording, the emotional performance left everyone in the studio in tears.
The rest is music history. The song topped charts in more than 25 countries, became the best-selling single of 1998, and won an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and four Grammy Awards — cementing its status as Dion’s signature hit and one of the most iconic ballads of all time.