Will You Remember Me?

"I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLachlan is widely considered one of the most powerful "farewell" ballads of the 1990s. 

Its minimalist, piano-led arrangement has made it a staple for graduations, memorials, and "In Memoriam" segments globally.

📜 The Backstory

The song’s history is a fascinating example of how a hidden folk melody can be transformed into a global pop hit:

• The Original Folk Roots: The song wasn't originally written as a pop ballad. 

It began as an instrumental titled "Weep Not for the Memories" by the Irish-American musician Séamus Egan, which appeared on his 1990 album A Week in January.

• The Collaboration: Sarah McLachlan and her co-writer Dave Merenda were inspired by Egan’s melody. 

They added the poignant lyrics and adjusted the structure to create the song we know today.

• The Film Connection: It was originally written for the soundtrack of the 1995 independent film The Brothers McMullen. 

At the time, it was a modest success, reaching #65 on the Billboard Hot 100.

• The Live Rebirth: The version most people recognize is the live recording from her 1999 album Mirrorball. 

This version became a massive Top 20 hit and cemented the song's legacy.

✨ Notable Fun Facts

• The Grammy Win: Sarah McLachlan won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2000 specifically for the live version of this song.

It’s rare for a live recording to win a Grammy over its studio counterpart.

• The Missing Verse: If you listen to the original 1995 studio version, there are three verses. 

However, in almost every live performance (including the famous Mirrorball version), Sarah omits the first verse ("Remember the good times that we had..."). 

She usually starts straight with "I'm so tired, but I can't sleep."

• A "Memorable" Performance: One of its most famous uses was during the "In Memoriam" tribute at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009, where Sarah performed it live as a tribute to those the industry had lost.

• The Animal Welfare Paradox: While Sarah is famously associated with "Angel" for the heart-wrenching BC SPCA commercials, "I Will Remember You" is often the song people expect to hear because of its similarly mournful tone.

🎹 The Piano: Technical Details

The piano is the "heartbeat" of this song, especially in the live version where it provides a sense of momentum against the heavy lyrics.

• Original Key: The song is written and performed in A Major.

  • Note: You will often find sheet music transposed to C Major for beginners because A Major (with its three sharps: $F\sharp, C\sharp, G\sharp$) can be tricky for some students.

• The "Driving" Pattern: The signature sound of the piano part is a "driving" eighth-note pulse.

Instead of just playing block chords, the right hand often plays a rhythmic, repeating pattern that creates a sense of "moving forward" through time—fitting for a song about memories.

• Harmonic "Color": Sarah is known for using suspended (sus) and added (add9) chords. 

On the piano, this involves adding the 2nd or 4th note of the scale to the chord to give it a "floaty," unresolved, and haunting quality.

• • Example: Instead of a standard A Major chord ($A, C\sharp, E$), she might play an Amaj9 or Asus2, adding that signature "Sarah McLachlan shimmer."

• Difficulty: Most arrangements are rated Late Intermediate (Level 4–5). 

The main challenge is maintaining the steady, delicate rhythm of the right hand while the left hand provides deep, resonant bass octaves.

Would you like me to find a specific tutorial for the piano "driving pattern" used in this song, or perhaps provide a list of the specific chords for the A Major version?