Hear just those beginning flutes of “My Heart Will Go On,” and you are instantly transported to James Cameron’s Titanic. It’s one of the many things that make the film endlessly iconic. 

But this beloved anthem likely would have never made it into the movie at all, had it not been for a series of small miracles, some well-intentioned deception, and one seemingly fated misunderstanding. 

James Cameron never wanted a closing ballad

Though Jack and Rose’s romance was central to the story, Cameron didn’t want a commercially-friendly love ballad playing over the credits to act as marketing gimmicks that would ultimately cheapen his artistic vision. 

And yet, composer James Horner believed that audiences needed an emotional release to encapsulate the tragedy they witnessed for over 3 hours…and ultimately, the hope that love indeed survives in our memory. 

A happy misunderstanding in the editing room

So, Horner was experimenting with........

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