Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture explained

Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture
Type:	soundtrack
Artist:	James Horner
Cover:	VA - Titanic - OST.JPG
Released:	November 18, 1997
Recorded:	1996–1997
Length:	72:31
Label:	Sony Classical/Sony Music Soundtracks

Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the film of the same name composed, orchestrated, and conducted by James Horner. The soundtrack was released by Sony Classical/Sony Music Soundtrax on November 18, 1997.^[1]

Riding the wave of the film's immense success, the soundtrack shot to the top of the charts in nearly two-dozen territories,^[2] selling over 27 million copies worldwide, making it one of the top 100 best-selling albums in the United States,^{[3] [4]} one of the best-selling albums of all time, and the highest-selling primarily orchestral soundtrack ever.^[5]

In 2012, the album, along with its successor Back to Titanic (1998), was re-issued as part of the Collector's Anniversary Edition set for the 3D re-release of the film. In 2017, La-La Land Records released the 20th Anniversary Edition in a limited edition 4-disc release.

In 2022, on the film's 25th anniversary, the album was released on LP in a limited edition of 7,500 copies. The set included 2 LPs in a gatefold sleeve, an 8-page booklet, an XL poster, and a print replica of the historical New York Times frontpage.^[6]

Album information

Director James Cameron originally intended Enya to compose the music, and in fact put together a rough edit of the film using her music as a temporary soundtrack.^[7] After she declined, he approached James Horner. Their relationship was strained after their first collaboration in Aliens, but the soundtrack to Braveheart made Cameron overlook it. Horner composed the soundtrack having in mind Enya's style; Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø performed the wordless vocals on the soundtrack.

Horner knew Sissel from the album Innerst i sjelen and he particularly liked how she sang the song Eg Veit I Himmerik Ei Borg ("I Know in Heaven There Is a Castle"). Horner had tried 25 or 30 singers and, in the end, he chose Sissel to sing the wordless tune.^[8]

Céline Dion, who was no stranger to movie songs in the 1990s, since her contribution to "Beauty and the Beast" from Walt Disney's Beauty and the Beast, sang "My Heart Will Go On", the film's signature song written by James Horner and Will Jennings. At first, Cameron did not want a song sung over the film's ending credits, but Horner disagreed. Without telling Cameron, he went ahead and wrote the song anyway, and recorded Dion singing it. Cameron changed his mind when Horner presented the song to him. "My Heart Will Go On" became a worldwide smash hit, going to the top of the music charts around the world. "My Heart Will Go On" also ended up winning the 1997 Academy Award for Best Original Song as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 1998.

Other artists were invited to submit songs for the movie including contemporary Christian artist Michael W. Smith. He mentions in the liner notes to the song "In My Arms Again" from his 1998 album Live the Life;^[9] "Inspired and written for the movie Titanic, grateful for the opportunity to send them a song; grateful it landed on this record."

For the choral background of certain tracks, Horner made use of a digital choir instead of a real one; after the orchestral music was recorded, Horner personally performed the synthesized choir over a playback of the recording.^{[10] [11]} The idea behind using electronics, rather than a real choir, stemmed from Horner wanting to avoid a 'church'-like sound.^[12]

Principal leitmotifs

Throughout the film, the composer created themes for particular characters, events, locations, and ideas.^[13]

• "Hymn to the Sea" — A sorrowful, melancholic theme which expresses the tragic side of the Titanic. It's also featured prominently in "Never An Absolution". This theme contains uilleann pipes and vocals by Sissel Kyrkjebø. An alternate version is first heard in the film's opening sequence. Furthermore, the track contains a menacing, descending, four-note motif which signifies the wreck of the ship and is first featured when Titanics wreck site comes in view at the beginning of the film.
• "Southampton" — Uplifting, adventurous and rather heroic-sounding theme which signifies the spectacle of the Titanic. This melody features an electronic choir and snare drum clumps.
• "Distant Memories" — This leitmotif contains synth choir vocals and an aquatic, chiming tone. This piece is first heard when old Rose is taken aboard the "Keldysh".
• "Rose" — The sentimental theme of the film that is associated with the romance between Jack and Rose. Whilst in the major key for the most parts, this leitmotif's rousing chorus modulates to the relative minor key. The theme features orchestral violin, strings and piano. Electronic choir intrudes at times. Sissel Kyrkjebø performs the wordless vocals of this theme. This theme is first heard when Jack sees Rose for the first time on the deck and it would usually interpose during sequences when other music is playing, such as in "Hard to Starboard" and "Death of the Titanic".
• "Hard to Starboard" — This piece contains the ominous leitmotif associated with the iceberg (i.e. "Iceberg Theme"), which is first heard when the iceberg is spotted. It also contains a percussion-heavy, pulsating motif that corresponds to the peril and danger the characters endure during the sinking. Anvils are extensively used in this track.
• "Death of Titanic" — This track contains a descending, tumid and foreboding motif that also corresponds to peril and danger. It is played during the scene where the ship slowly starts to submerge into the ocean. To note, the descending cue is also heard in other tracks (i.e. "Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave"), such as when Jack and Rose are chased by Cal, although it sounds slightly altered.
• "2 1/2 Miles Down" — Although this track is mostly incidental, ambient music with droning synth voices and eerie strings,^[14] it features the menacing, descending, three-note motif which signifies the wreck of the ship and is first featured when Titanics wreck site comes in view at the beginning of the film, which is also heard in "Hymn to the Sea".

Commercial performance

Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture became the highest-selling primarily orchestral film score in history, with worldwide sales surpassing 30 million copies. The soundtrack quickly moved up the US Billboard 200, going from number eleven to number one on the chart in January 1998, keeping Shania Twain's Come On Over and Madonna's Ray of Light from reaching the top spot. It remained at the top for sixteen straight weeks until it was replaced by the Dave Matthews Band album Before These Crowded Streets. No album would spend at least ten consecutive weeks at number-one until Adele's 21 in the winter of 2012. The soundtrack has been certified 11× Platinum for 11 million copies shipped in the United States,^[15] becoming the best-selling album of 1998, and the fastest-certified soundtrack album ever.^{[16] [17]}

The soundtrack also hit number-one in at least 14 other countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. The soundtrack was certified 5× Platinum by the ARIA in Australia for 350,000 copies shipped.^[18] It was certified 3× Platinum in the United Kingdom for over 900,000 copies shipped;^[19] and was certified diamond by the CRIA in Canada for 1 million copies shipped.^[20] The soundtrack is the best-selling non-Chinese CD album in Taiwan, selling 1.1 million copies.

The soundtrack's success led to the release of a second volume, called Back to Titanic which contained a mixture of previously unreleased soundtrack recordings and newly recorded performances of some of the songs in the film, including one track recorded by Clannad singer, Máire Brennan. Back to Titanic was certified platinum by the RIAA.^[21]

Track listing

Anniversary Edition (2012)

A two-disc edition comprised the original soundtrack as disc 1, and Gentlemen, It Has Been a Privilege Playing with You Tonight as disc 2.

A four-disc edition, released only in certain countries, moved Gentlemen to disc 3, with Back to Titanic as disc 2, and Popular Music From the Titanic Era as disc 4.

All tracks on Gentlemen, It Has Been a Privilege Playing with You Tonight performed by I Salonisti and produced by John Altman.

20th Anniversary Edition (2017)

Discs 1–3 composed and produced by James Horner, except where noted.

Disc 4, tracks 1–7, 15–23 produced by John Altman. Tracks 9–12 produced by Randy Gerston. Tracks 8, 13, 14 arranged and conducted by William Ross.

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.^[22]

• Andy Bass – assistant engineer
• Bob Bornstein – music preparation
• James Cameron – liner notes
• Sandy De Crescent – orchestra contractor
• Celine Dion – primary artist, vocals
• Simon Franglen – producer, keyboards
• Marc Gebauer – scoring engineer
• Frank Harkins – art direction, design
• Jim Henrikson – supervising music editor
• Anthony Hinnigan – tin whistle
• James Horner – composer, conductor, primary artist, producer, keyboards
• Will Jennings – lyricist
• Randy Kerber – keyboards
• Lesley Langs – assistant music editor
• David Marquette – assistant engineer
• Shawn Murphy – engineer, mixing, recording
• Joe E. Rand – music editor
• Eric Rigler – Uilleann pipes
• Jay Selvester – scoring engineer
• Sissel – vocals
• Kirsten Smith – scoring engineer
• Pat Sullivan – mastering
• Ian Underwood – keyboards, woodwinds

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1997–98)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[23]	1
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[24]	1
Belgian Albums (Flanders)^[25]	1
Belgian Albums (Wallonia)^[26]	1
Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[27]	1
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)^[28]	1
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[29]	1
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[30]	1
French Albums (SNEP)^[31]	1
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[32]	1
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)^[33]	1
Irish Albums (IRMA)^[34]	1
Italian Albums (FIMI)^[35]	2
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[36]	3
Malaysian Albums (RIM)^[37]	1
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[38]	1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[39]	1
Portugal Albums (AFP)	1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)	1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[40]	1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[41]	1
UK Albums (OCC)	1
US Billboard 200^[42]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1998)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[44]	3
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[45]	1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[46]	3
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[47]	2
Canada Top Albums (RPM)^[48]	1
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)^[49]	7
European Albums (Music & Media)^[50]	2
French Albums (SNEP)^[51]	2
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[52]	1
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[53]	13
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[54]	2
UK Albums (OCC)^[55]	10
US Billboard 200^[56]	1

Best of all time charts (Top 200)

See also

• List of best-selling albums
• List of best-selling albums in Brazil
• List of best-selling albums in China
• List of best-selling albums in Europe
• List of best-selling albums in France
• List of best-selling albums in Germany
• List of best-selling albums in Italy
• List of best-selling albums in Japan
• List of best-selling albums in the Philippines
• List of best-selling albums in Taiwan
• List of best-selling albums in the United States
• List of diamond-certified albums in Canada

External links

• (via Sony BMG Masterworks)

Notes and References

1. Web site: James Horner – Titanic (Music From The Motion Picture). discogs.com. Discogs. 17 July 2014.
2. https://books.google.com/books?id=q1Q8PlAnosQC&pg=PA53 Titanic: Anatomy of a Blockbuster
3. Web site: Top 100 Albums. RIAA. 6 October 2015.
4. Web site: September 27, 2001. Celine Dion: The heart will go on.... September 27, 2001. The Times of India.
5. http://www.ostmovie.com/score.html Film Score
6. Web site: ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK - TITANIC (JAMES HORNER). musiconvinyl.com. 26 January 2023.
7. Web site: When Enya Said No To Titanic. newagemusic.guide. 21 April 2017. 9 December 2018.
8. News: In Titanic's Wake: A Voice to Remember . . .. Earle. Hitchner. Wall Street Journal . 12 March 1998 .
9. Web site: Live The Life. 28 April 1998. Amazon.
10. http://www.hornershrine.com/interviews/soundtrack1297.html Scoring, Not Sinking
11. http://www.hornershrine.com/interviews/hr0198.html Q & A with James Horner 12/97
12. http://www.hornershrine.com/interviews/NPR.html National Public Radio Interview 12/97
13. Web site: James Horner - Titanic. Mfiles. 1 January 2016.
14. http://jameshorner-filmmusic.com/exclusive-review-titanic-expanded-ocean-discoveries/ EXCLUSIVE REVIEW
15. https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=tblTop100 Gold & Platinum – January 19, 2011
16. https://www.riaa.com/newsitem.php?news_year_filter=1998&id=E1EA3054-8BF7-07B9-0F5B-C32D3D87C898 The Titanic Hits Eight Million Sales in RIAA Awards
17. http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1998/the-billboard-200 Information Not Found
18. Web site: ARIA Charts - Accreditations.
19. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx Certified Awards Search
20. Web site: CRIA. Retrieved 2009-12-05.. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101019175407/http://cria.ca/cert_db_search.php. 2010-10-19.
21. http://riaa.org/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH RIAA
22. Web site: Titanic [Music from the Motion Picture] > Credits ]. 31 Jan 2023 . Allmusic.
23. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts.htm Australian Record Industry Association
24. http://www.ifpi.at/?section=goldplatin Gold & Platin IFPI Austria. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
25. https://www.ultratop.be/nl/album/a75/Soundtrack-_-James-Horner-Titanic Soundtrack / James Horner – Titanic
26. https://www.ultratop.be/fr/album/a75/Soundtrack-_-James-Horner-Titanic Soundtrack / James Horner – Titanic
27. http://www.cria.ca/goldplat.php Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum
28. Web site: © 1998-7 . Top20.dk . 2014-02-04 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140317173904/http://top20.dk/chart/1998-7 . 2014-03-17 .
29. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundtrack+%2F+James+Horner&titel=Titanic&cat=a Soundtrack / James Horner – Titanic
30. http://finnishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundtrack+%2F+James+Horner&titel=Titanic&cat=a Soundtrack / James Horner – Titanic
31. http://www.disqueenfrance.com/fr/ Disque en France
32. http://www.musikindustrie.de/ Bundesverband Musikindustrie: Aktuell
33. Web site: Kereső - előadó/cím szerint - Archívum - MAHASZ - Magyar Hangfelvétel-kiadók Szövetsége . Zene.slagerlistak.hu . 2014-02-04 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120924070100/http://zene.slagerlistak.hu/archivum/kereso-eloado-cim-szerint . 2012-09-24 .
34. http://www.irma.ie/aucharts.asp >> IRMA << Irish Charts - Singles, Albums & Compilations >>
35. Book: Billboard . titanic. . . 1998-02-28 . Nielsen Business Media . 2014-02-04.
36. Book: Billboard . titanic. . . 1998-02-21 . Nielsen Business Media . 2014-02-04.
37. Book: Malaysian Albums Chart. 7 February 1998. 2014-01-24.
38. https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundtrack+%2F+James+Horner&titel=Titanic&cat=a Soundtrack / James Horner – Titanic
39. http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundtrack+%2F+James+Horner&titel=Titanic&cat=a Soundtrack / James Horner – Titanic
40. http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundtrack+%2F+James+Horner&titel=Titanic&cat=a Soundtrack / James Horner – Titanic
41. http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundtrack+%2F+James+Horner&titel=Titanic&cat=a Soundtrack / James Horner – Titanic
42. Billboard 200
43. Web site: 자료제공:(사)한국음반산업협회/이 자료는당협회와 상의없이 가공,편집을금합니다.: 1999.01월 - POP 음반 판매량 . . ko . https://web.archive.org/web/20090228164400/http://miak.or.kr/stat/pop_199901.htm . February 28, 2009 . December 25, 2021.
44. Web site: ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Albums 1998. Australian Recording Industry Association. November 13, 2019.
45. Web site: Jahreshitparade 1998. Ö3 Austria Top 40. Hung Medien. November 13, 2019. de.
46. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 1998. Ultratop. Hung Medien. November 13, 2019. nl.
47. Web site: Rapports annuels 1998. Ultratop. Hung Medien. November 13, 2019. fr.
48. Web site: RPM's Top 100 CDs of '98. RPM. November 13, 2019.
49. Web site: Jaaroverzichten - Album 1998. MegaCharts 100. Hung Medien. November 13, 2019. nl.
50. Web site: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1998. December 19, 1998. November 13, 2019. 51. 15. 29800226. Music & Media. 8.
51. Web site: Top de l'année Top Albums 1998. SNEP. fr. January 21, 2021.
52. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts. de . GfK Entertainment. September 8, 2016.
53. Web site: Top Selling Albums of 1998. Recorded Music NZ. November 13, 2019.
54. Web site: Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1998. Swiss Music Charts. Hung Medien. November 13, 2019. de.
55. Web site: End of Year Album Chart Top 100 - 1998 - Official Charts Company. officialcharts.com. November 13, 2019.
56. 1999 The Year in Music. Billboard. December 26, 1998. 110. 52. 0006-2510. November 13, 2019.
57. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999. Billboard. January 28, 2021.
58. Mayfield . Geoff . 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade – The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s . . December 25, 1999 . October 15, 2010.
59. Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums. Billboard. 18 January 2016.