The Late Show’s James Corden and Ariana Grande Perform Epic ‘Titanic’ Pastiche in ‘13 Songs and 1 Incredible Take’

Getty Images | Kevin Winter

Singer Ariana Grande and British television host James Corden teamed up for a reimagining of the Titanic love story for Corden’s “The Late Late Show,” and millions of people are raving about it.

Corden, famous for his “Carpool Karaoke” segment, teamed up with the international singing star for a song-filled voyage into 90s nostalgia aboard James Cameron’s Titanic. Their innovative, pastiche soundtrack saw Grande and Corden speed through 13 carefully choreographed pop song/movie scene pairings and the spectrum of emotions portrayed in scenes from the love epic in a five-minute performance.

They included nine iconic scenes from the 1997 blockbuster, moved through nine different sets, and completed their performance in just one take. Since footage was shared on YouTube and The Late Late Show’s Facebook page, “A Soundtrack to ‘Titanic’ with Ariana Grande” has reached millions of viewers.

Corden introduced the segment on his Monday night show on Aug. 13, 2018, declaring: “Tonight we’ve got 13 songs, nine sets, one take, and zero pressure!”

He and Grande, dressed in period costumes, took on the lead roles of forbidden lovers Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater. Emulating Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet’s emotional performances in the Oscar-winning film, Corden and Grande paid homage to the lovers’ star-crossed journey on board the luxury ship on its ill-fated maiden voyage in 1912.

Grande kicks off the performance walking onstage singing the classic rock ballad, “Come Sail Away” by Styx. As Rose meets Jack, he serenades Grande with “Rich Girl” by Hall & Oates.

The pair sing Foo Fighters’ “Learn to Fly” as Rose spreads her arms in the famous “I’m flying!” scene at the prow of the ship. As the iceberg looms out in the distance, Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” provides the soundtrack.

The sinking of the ship is accompanied by the optimistic ditty “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley, before Jack says farewell to his beloved via NSYNC’s year 2000 hit “Bye Bye Bye.”

A heartbroken Rose then slips effortlessly into a full-bodied, pitch-perfect rendition of Céline Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” from the film’s official soundtrack. Then the audience is treated to a surprise, as Corden joins in, back from a watery grave.

Dion’s original track dominated the music charts for over a year, selling over 15 million copies worldwide and winning an Oscar for Best Original Song.

Corden and Grande’s harmonies fill the studio before the performance comes to an end and the audience breaks into applause.

Reflecting on the experience of performing with Grande, Corden took to Twitter to share a clip from the show. He praised his co-star for being “insanely talented,” saying, “I feel honored to have got to do this with Ariana.”

Grande responded on Twitter, “Nothing makes me happier than your run on, ‘come sail away w me-eee’ love u.”

Both Grande and Corden are Broadway veterans. Grande began her career in 2008 as a teenager in the Broadway musical “13.” In 2011, Corden played the lead role in the comedy play “One Man, Two Guvnors” on Broadway and won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.