Readers of That Grape Juice know what avid music lovers we are – especially of hits past.
So, as our retrospective features ‘From the Vault’ and ‘TGJ Replay’ allow us the chance to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday of one artist, our newest feature Chart Rewind – a variation of our current Retro Rewind assay – accedes salutes to an entire era of music history.
This week we’ll go on to relive the magic of Celine Dion‘s ‘My Heart Will Go On’ – one of the most successful singles of all time. Penned by Will Jennings and Walter Afanasieff (most famous for co-writing some of Mariah Carey‘s greatest hits), the heart-tugging tune – selected to kick off the soundtrack to James Cameron‘s historical film, ‘Titanic’ – was an immediate hit. Debuting at #1 on the Hot 100 this week in 1998, ‘Heart’ – despite spending only 2 weeks atop the tally – went on to amass sales and accolades over the following year rivaled only by the blockbuster success of Whitney Houston‘s ‘I Will Always Love You’ (from ‘The Bodyguard’ soundtrack) a few years prior….
In addition to dominating radio airplay with then-record breaking impressions, ‘My Heart Will Go On’ went on to:
- Sell 18 million copies worldwide (double platinum in the United States alone)
- Win Best Original Song at 1998 Oscars
- Capture Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Song Written for a Movie honors at the 1999 Grammys
The recap above only represents a fraction of the accomplishments afforded to ‘Heart’ as it – some 20+ years later – not only rests as Celine’s crowning career achievement but is also featured on many lists as “one of the greatest recordings in music history” (from films and otherwise).
Look below to see who joined Celine in the top 25 on this week’s chart rewind:
Hot 100 This Week in 1998
Hot 100 This Week
Click here to see this week’s full Hot 100 Chart Check as presented by That Grape Juice.