"My Heart Will Go On"
(James Horner / Will Jennings)
Recorded by Celine Dion (1998)

Every night in my dreams
I see you, I feel you,
That is how I know you go on

Far across the distance
And spaces between us
You have come to show you go on

Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on

Love can touch us one time
And last for a lifetime
And never let go till we're gone

Love was when I loved you
One true time I hold to
In my life we'll always go on

Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on

(Key modulation)
You're here, there's nothing I fear,
And I know that my heart will go on
We'll stay forever this way
You are safe in my heart
And my heart will go on and on

Corporate Love Songs (The 1990s & Beyond)

The1990's, like every other decade, had its share of great love songs. It started out strong with Sinead O'Connor's heart-stopping "Nothing Compares 2 U" in 1990. Bryan Adams "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" was released a year later, followed by Whitney Houston's soaring "I Will Always Love You." Meatloaf assured us he would "Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" in 1993 and Seal gave us a "Kiss From A Rose" in 1995. That same year Whitney Houston sang "Exhale (The Shoop Shoop Song)" and Annie Lennox told us there would be "No More I Love You's." Songwriter Diane Warren had an outstanding run in the 1990's with Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart" (1996) and Aerosmith's "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing." (1998) (She didn't do too badly in the 1980's either!) The Goo Goo Dolls blew everyone away with the great (but strangely titled) "Iris," better remembered by its signature line: "I just want you to know who I am."

Some of the biggest-selling love songs of the 1990's came from Walt Disney's unparalleled series of animated musical films - Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, and The Lion King. But with the exception of The Lion King with its pop music score, the films delivered a string of hits reminiscent of - but not as good as - the songs of the classic movie musicals of the 1930's. Nice but nothing new. Nevertheless, "A Whole New World," the love theme from Aladdin,has probably been played at more weddings than any song since The Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun."

The nineties gave us two great ballads inspired by the loss of a loved one - Eric Clapton's timeless, achingly beautiful lament for his dead son, "Tears In Heaven" and the blockbuster hit from the movie Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On." It is the latter, beautiful as it is, that brings us to the underlying problem with many of the love songs of the 1990's. Toward the very end of that song there is a key modulation (musician-speak for a rapid shift in the home key of the song). In this case the entire song is raised to a higher key. This kind of simple modulation is guaranteed to evoke a strong emotion in the listener, usually one of yearning or hope. It was once a common device but isn't used much anymore, at least not in its simplest form, as it is here; it's just too obvious, too manipulative. The song itself is already highly emotional. The key modulation was not needed. But you can almost hear the movie execs telling James Horner, the composer, to max out the emotional impact, really sock it to 'em. I wish they had let that beautiful song speak for itself. This may seem like a small thing to most listeners, but as a songwriter I am very aware of the line that is crossed when songs that evoke emotions become songs that manipulate emotions.

The 1990's saw the rise of huge mega-multi-conglomerates that gobbled up any business that looked like it might turn a profit. What does this have to do with love songs, you ask? Well, nowadays the label that records and markets your favorite artist is most likely owned by an oil company, an appliance manufacturer,a liquor brand, or a company that is all three. Whoever they are, they don't understand (or care about) making music. However, they DO understand how to sell 'widgets'. And so, during the 1990's the process of recording, marketing, and selling was the same whether you were pushing Boyz II Men or Coca Cola. Not since the bland teen idol clones of the late fifties and early sixties (Frankie, Fabian, et al.) have we been treated to such a slick package with so little inside. Thus we had singers who were not emotionally connected to their material (Mariah Carey) and manufactured vocal groups groomed to a perfect sheen but lacking any substance (Boyz II Men and All 4 One). The talent was there; the emotional depth was not.

As we have moved into the first years of the new millenium, there appears to be a growing backlash. Although listeners continue to buy the slick dance tracks and big ballads with pristine, auto-tuned lead vocals, many people are discovering the music of singer-songwriters with a strong, individual approach to love songs such as Ron Sexsmith, Jason Mraz, Norah Jones, Aimee Mann, Duncan Sheik, and Elliot Smith, among others. It's too soon to tell who will write the songs that will become tomorrow's standards. In the meantime, one of the biggest selling albums of the present decade is Rod Stewart's rendition of the classic ballads of the thirties and forties, proving that a great love song never goes out of style!