Titanic is one of the most important soundtracks ever released. Why? Because it was, and still is, the most popular one ever released. Climbing to the number 1 spot on many charts, the score was propelled almost single-handedly by Celine Dion's absurdly popular variation on the score's love theme. The movie was loved by both genders, males for the delightfully explosive special effects and the looks of the female lead, females for the love story (obviously) and the charm of the male lead. James Cameron would later try to replicate this success to astonishing results in the 2009 blockbuster Avatar. The later film even included a song that was a variation on the primary love theme for the score, in the vein of Titanic. While I See You, by Leona Lewis, never reached the popularity of Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On, both had quite a lot in common, being lyrical versions of the love theme and also having the lyrics partially written by the composer to the score - James Horner.
James Horner has had quite a long and illustrious career. Titanic still ranks among one of his most popular despite his many other successful soundtracks. Titanic's score's success rode pretty much off the beauty of the love theme alone, a gorgeous theme that today has seen reprisals in pretty much every medium possible, be it funked out editions or sleazy jazz performances. This is to be expected; without doubt, Titanic's love theme is among the best Horner has ever written, despite its immense simplicity. The simple layering of the piano, strings, synthetic choir and Sissel Kyrkjebø's beautiful voice somehow came together in a delightful fashion to create a truly gorgeous theme deserving of the attention it received. Its true reprisals in the film appear in, sadly, three tracks on the album: Rose, Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave, and Hymn to the Sea. Thankfully, these three reprisals are all stunning in their form, particularly in Hymn to the Sea. While Rose features an outstanding performance as well, Hymn to the Sea's is far more noble, far more beautiful, and far more longing. It is the type of music that drives men to tears, and truly, it is amazing. Its first minute alone are truly incredible. The bagpipe driven portions in both Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave and Hymn to the Sea are slightly irksome in their instrumentation, but they still succeed due to the simple elegance of the theme. Rose's performance of the theme is gorgeous, and ends on a longing note to represent the ill-fated love story for the two main characters.
In the album Back to Titanic, the track The Portrait again reprises the love theme, this time in solo piano form. Performed by James Horner himself, the track is a lovely 5 minute piece with extra repeats and delightful simplicity. It works incredibly well.
However, one question people ask is how good the rest of the music is. Most pass if off as simple, unenjoyable filler material. How wrong, they are. In truth, the rest of the stuff is also highly impressive - arguably as good as, if not even better than, the love theme itself. The other themes you have are the ones that represent an older Rose, one for the ship itself, and one for the ship's sinking. You have some small motifs, like one for death, and one to represent the panic aboard the ship as it sinks.
The score opens with a statement of the ship's theme in Never An Absolution carried on pipes. It then moves on into a statement with vocals. It really actually is quite similar to the love theme, even going so far as to include synthetics playing the love theme underneath. It is surprisingly complex for an opening, and quite apt. Some more of it appears in An Ocean of Memories at the end of the album, and also appears in Southampton. Another reprisal is in A Life So Changed. Truly, the ship theme is a mighty impressive piece of work that is definitely underrated. Its nobility and simplicity again amaze the way the love theme does.
Older Rose's theme in An Ocean of Memories and Distant Memories are highly impressive as well. The methods used to convey the magical feel to it were utilized heavily for the forest sections of The Spitfire Grill, and some of it may also remind of James Newton Howard's later success in Lady in the Water. Its a simple, fluttering piece likely utilizing synth to make the "sleigh bells" effect, though they are eventually overtaken by strings. It really is hard to say anything else about the theme; it doesn't make many appearances, and for all its synthetic effects, it still feels organic.
The sinking theme is the most explosive. Obviously. Its primary performances start after the love theme's performance in Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave. After the initial beauty, a feel of impending doom sets in. In fact, a sense of unease begins around Hard to Starboard, where heavy and intense percussive beats accentuate the horror. The frantic strings flicking their way through the portions of the score are undeniably impressive as well, though they feel ripped almost straight from Apollo 13. The piece The Sinking is an outright violent piece, with explosive bursts of percussion and brass. It feels extremely militaristic in nature. Mixes of synthetic choir and cymbal crashes further the feel. It's intense stuff, and more importantly, extremely apt. The following Death of Titanic is a monster of a piece with some truly painful moments to endure. Brief reprisals of the love theme, with many uses of the panic motif, appear. Finally, at the conclusion of the mayhem, all cohesiveness disappears to be replaced with synthetic choral dissonance. Perhaps it represents the screaming of the victims as they are engulfed in water. The brass bursts and plucking strings are outright terrifying, and it all ends with a dramatic cymbal crash.
The themes truly are some impressive work, and all of them brilliantly capture the moments in the score. While some of the filler work feels ripped from many of Horner's previous works, it still works in context.
One thing to note about Horner's work in Titanic is the use of synth. Underneath many pieces, such as Southampton, you have a quiet but constant synth effect. It's not entirely clear why; the piece would have worked nearly perfectly on its own, and while the synth doesn't detract, it's a little odd seeing as it is made to represent a huge boat as opposed, to, say, the Matrix.
The narrative flow of the score is also highly impressive, with the pleasant portions of the score dominating the first third, the horror dominating the second third, and the reflective portions taking over the final bit. By the end of one listen to the score, one feels emotionally exhausted, and also quite sad. However, the important thing is that the score can tell the story almost on its own, and that is a feat few composers accomplish. The longing feel of the ship's theme, as seen in Hymn to the Sea and Never An Absolution, are amazing. The beauty of the love theme is incredible. The sinking theme is outright horrific, and the reflective nature of the older Rose theme is also quite wonderful.
It's clear that discussion of the album and the score would be incomplete without discussion of Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On as well. Her piece is well-sung, obviously, and while the lyrics may be painfully cheesy and simplistic, they aren't too bad either. Ultimately, score enthusiasts will be drawn to the piece as an extension of the love theme, while others may head straight for the piece for the lyrics alone. It isn't bad, but it definitely isn't as great as many might say.
The Good:
- Outstanding themes
- Great filler work
- Decent motifs
- Emotionally captivating
- Rose
- Never An Absolution
- Death of Titanic
- Hymn to the Sea
The Bad:
- Some themes may be too simple
- Some instrumental quirks
- Sinking theme is very difficult to sit through, as the entire portion featuring sinking lasts for a good 20 minutes or so
Overall, the score is a c-lassic. There is nothing else you can call it; it's just so utterly brilliant. While some points are painful to listen to, and some of the instrumentation (bagpipes and synth are a little overkill), Horner avoids most of his usual issues (4 note motif) and provides an emotionally captivating, completely engrossing score filled with gorgeous themes and painfully realized emotion. When Horner ends his incredible career, the score people are most likely to point at and call his crowning achievement will be this one - the most popular soundtrack album ever written, and also one of his best.
Overall: 10/10
Never An Absolution: *****
Distant Memories: *****
Southampton: *****/****
Rose: *****
Leaving Port: *****
Take Her to Sea, Mr. Murdoch: *****
Hard to Starboard: *****/****
Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave: *****/****
The Sinking: *****
Death of Titanic: *****
A Promise Kept: ****
A Life So Changed: *****
An Ocean of Memories: *****
My Heart Will Go On: *****
Hymn to the Sea: *****