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Listen: Leona Lewis's 'Avatar' theme, 'I See You'

Published on Friday, Dec 4, 2009 2:51 PM Melinda Newman

Listen: Leona Lewis's 'Avatar' theme, 'I See You'

 Leona Lewis

Credit: Joel Ryan/AP

So will “I See You,” the theme song to “Avatar” be Leona Lewis’s equivalent of Celine Dion’s “Titanic” hit, “My Heart Will Go On?”

The song has all the right ingredients: it’s the theme song to “Titanic” director James Cameron’s “Avatar,” which is slated to be the holiday season’s major blockbuster, it was co-written by James Horner, who penned “My Heart Will Go On” and it’s delivered in a beautifully nuanced performance by Leona Lewis that builds to a satisfying crescendo. Think Celine Dion crossed with Enya. Hear it here. Or listen to the embed below.
 
“I See You”  even sounds like “Heart” in a number of ways, although it has a more interesting “otherworldly” feel in its production (completely appropriate given “Avatar’s” plot):  The two share a mid-tempo feel, classic love song lyrics of yearning, and some strikingly similar chord changes that give “I See You” an instantly familiar feel.
Those are the plusses: Now the negatives: It’s a radically different scene at radio these days than it was for “Heart” in 1997. Top 40 will not be inclined to play something this ethereal sounding without a heavy beat. It could be even a tough sell at Adult Contemporary radio, although that will be where it finds its biggest success.  What will propel is up Billboard’s Hot 100 will be digital single sales, not airplay. “Avatar” is also skewing more towards males than “Titanic,” which was, when it comes down to it,” a total chick flick on a boat. Then there’s Lewis. After her tremendously successful debut CD, “Spirit” spawned one of the decade’s biggest hits, “Bleeding Love,” her second CD, “Echo,” arrive two weeks ago with a whimper, not a bang. It debuted at No. 13 and sank to No. 45 this week.
Will “I See You” garner an Oscar nod for best song. Sure… will it win? I don’t know. It’s going to face some fierce competition this year, so it’s far from a lock. Plus, it’s not really fair to compare it to “My Heart Will Go On,” which was one of the biggest –selling singles ever worldwide. It went on to capture not only the Oscar, but the Grammy for song and record of the year. However, we’ll see if Cameron and Horner can make lightning strike twice.

What do you think of 'I See You'? Share your thoughts below.
 
 

 

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  • Default-avatar

    stormshadow4life it's gonna be a flop (unless someone remixes it)

    December 4, 2009 at 4:52PM EST Reply to Comment
  • Dp_talkback_profile

    lazygarfield Just heard the song.... and no, it doesn't reach the levels of "My Hear Will Go On" and certainly won't reach its popularity.

    Lets face it, listening to a romantic ballad after a tragic love story comes to an end.... is one thing, but listening to a romantic ballad after an action-packed conclusion to hard sci-film....? AWKWARD!

    December 4, 2009 at 5:13PM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    dustin Beautiful, surely fits Avatar new age sound, and a beautiful voice.

    December 5, 2009 at 1:11PM EST Reply to Comment

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About The Beat Goes On

  • Melinda Newman is the former West Coast Bureau Chief for Billboard Magazine with more than 15 years of experience in the music industry. She covers music and entertainment for the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, Associated Press, MSN, AOL and other outlets. Recent interviews include Taylor Swift, Pink, Brad Paisley, Foo Fighters, Jonas Bros. and Snow Patrol.

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