Music at the Oscars, Part 3: A Decade Study

Part Three of our Decade Study on music at the Academy Awards will be centered around years 21-30 of the Best Original Song category, which is years 27-36 for the ceremony itself. As a reminder, Best Original Song is presented to the songwriters who have written an original song specifically for a feature film.

1955

The 27th Annual Academy Awards were held March 30th, 1955 in Hollywood, California and New York City, New York. Hosted by comedian Bob Hope and actress Thelma Ritter, this awards ceremony celebrated film achievements from 1954.

Best Original Song - Three Coins in the Fountain by Frank Sinatra (written by J. Styne, S. Cahn)

Three Coins in the Fountain, with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Sammy Cahn, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 1955, beating out Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep from White Christmas; The High and the Mighty from The High and the Mighty; Hold My Hand from Susan Slept Here; and The Man That Got Away from A Star Is Born. The song was featured in Jean Negulesco's 1954 film Three Coins in the Fountain, which was based on John H. Secondari's 1952 novel Coins in the Fountain. Starring Clifton Webb and Dorothy McGuirre, Best Original Song was one of the film's two Oscar wins that night out of three total nominations (the other win being for Best Cinematography, Color). Other notable recordings of this song include those by Dinah Shore and Vince Guaraldi. This song is known for being an unexpected upset win at the Oscars that year, with everyone fully believing that The Man That Got Away would take home the trophy. Personally, my favorite song on this list is Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep, but it is hard to be disappointed by a Sinatra song.

Three coins in the fountain/Each one seeking happiness/Thrown by three hopeful lovers/Which one will the fountain bless/Three hearts in the fountain/Each heart longing for its home/There they lie in the fountain/Somewhere in the heart of Rome

1956

The 28th Annual Academy Awards were held March 21st, 1956 in Hollywood, California and New York City, New York. Hosted by comedian Jerry Lewis, actress Claudette Colbert, and director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, this awards ceremony celebrated film achievements from 1955.

Best Original Song - Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing by The Four Aces (written by P. Webster, S. Fain)

Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Paul Webster, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 1956, beating out I'll Never Stop Loving You from Love Me or Leave Me; Something's Gotta Give from Daddy Long Legs; The Tender Trap from The Tender Trap; and Unchained Melody from Unchained. The song was featured in Henry King's 1955 film Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, which was based on Han Suyin's 1952 novel A Many-Splendored Thing. Starring Jennifer Jones and William Holden, Best Original Song was one of the film's three Oscar wins out of eight total nominations (the other wins including Best Costume Design, Color and Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture). Other notable recordings of this song include those by Bing Crosby, Ringo Starr, Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, Nat King Cole, Barry Manilow, and Neil Sedaka. My introduction to this song was honestly the opening scene of Grease, and that's only one of multiple pop culture references for that song today.

Love is a many splendored thing/It’s the April rose that only grows in the early spring/Love is nature’s way of giving a reason to be living/The golden crown that makes a man a king/Once on a high and windy hill/In the morning mist, two lovers kissed and the world stood still/Then your fingers touched my silent heart and taught it how to sing/Yes, true love’s a many splendored thing

1957

The 29th Annual Academy Awards were held March 27th, 1957 in Hollywood, California and New York City, New York. Hosted by comedian Jerry Lewis and actress Celeste Holm, this televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 1956.

Best Original Song - Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) by Doris Day (written by J. Livingston, R. Evans)

Que Sera, Sera, with music by Jay Livingston and lyrics by Ray Evans, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 1957, beating out Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love) from Friendly Persuasion; Julie from Julie; True Love from High Society; and Written on the Wind from Written on the Wind. The song was featured in Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 film The Man Who Knew Too Much. Starring James Stewart and Doris Day, Best Original Song was the only nomination and subsequent win for the film. Other notable recordings of this song include those by Normie Rowe and Sly & The Family Stone. The Sly & The Family Stone cover is my absolute favorite version after hearing it in Take the Lead - it's way slowed down and is just absolutely beautiful.

When I was just a little girl/I asked my mother, "What will I be/Will I be pretty, will I be rich"/Here’s what she said to me/Que sera, sera/Whatever will be will be/The future’s not ours to see/Que sera, sera/Whatever will be will be

1958

The 30th Annual Academy Awards were held March 26th, 1958 in Hollywood, California. Hosted by comedian Bob Hope, actress Rosalind Russell, actor David Niven, actor James Stewart, actor Jack Lemmon, and Disney icon Donald Duck (no, that's not a joke and it's freaking awesome), this televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 1957.

Best Original Song - All the Way by Frank Sinatra (written by J. Van Heusen, S. Cahn)

All the Way, with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Sammy Cahn, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 1958, beating out An Affair to Remember from An Affair to Remember; April Love from April Love; Tammy from Tammy and the Bachelor; and Wild Is the Wind from Wild Is the Wind. The song was featured in Charles Vidor's 1957 film The Joker Is Wild, based on Art Cohn's biography Life of Joe E. Lewis. Starring Frank Sinatra and Mitzi Gaynor, Best Original Song was the only nomination and subsequent win for the film. Other notable recordings of this song include those by Etta James, Sam Cooke, Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Neil Sedaka, James Brown & The Dee Felice Trio, Glen Campbell, Céline Dion, Harry Connick Jr., Bobby Darin, Bob Dylan, Katharine McPhee, and Trisha Yearwood. This is another Sinatra classic that's definitely worth listening to.

When somebody loves you, it’s no good unless he loves you/All the way/Happy to be near you when you need someone to cheer you/All the way/Taller than the tallest tree is/That’s how it’s got to feel/Deeper than the deep blue sea is/That’s how deep it goes if it’s real

1959

The 31st Annual Academy Awards were held April 6th, 1959 in Hollywood, California. Hosted by comedian Jerry Lewis, comedian Mort Sahl, actor Tony Randall, comedian Bob Hope, actor David Niven, and actor Laurence Olivier, this televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 1958.

Best Original Song - Gigi by Louis Jourdan (written by A. Lerner, F. Loewe)

Gigi, with music by Frederick Loewe and lyrics by Alan Lerner, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 1959, beating out Almost In Your Arms from Houseboat; A Certain Smile from A Certain Smile; To Love and Be Loved from Some Come Running; and A Very Precious Love from Marjorie Morningstar. The song was featured in Vincente Minnelli's 1958 film Gigi, based on Colette's 1944 novella of the same name. Starring Leslie Caron and Maurice Chevalier, Best Original Song was one of nine nominations for the film, and it won every single one of them (the others including Best Motion Picture; Best Director (Minnelli); Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium; Best Art Direction; Best Cinematography, Color; Best Costume Design; Best Film Editing; and Best Scoring of a Musical Picture). Other notable recordings of this song include those by Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Liberace, and Robert Goulet. Gigi has been one of my favorite musical movies for as long as I can remember, and this scene is so beautifully executed by Louis Jourdan that there's not a question in my mind why it won this award. Seriously, if you've never watched Gigi, go do it now - it's so fun and beautiful and emotional and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

But, but, oh no/There’s sweeter music when she speaks, isn’t there/A different bloom about her cheeks, isn’t there/Could I be wrong, could it be so/Oh where, oh where did Gigi go/Gigi, am I a fool without a mind/Or have I merely been to blind to realize/Oh, Gigi, why, you’ve been growing up before my eyes/Gigi, you’re not at all that funny, awkward little girl I knew/Oh no, overnight there’s been a breathless change in you/Gigi, while you were trembling on the brink/Was I out yonder somewhere blinking at a star/Oh, Gigi, have I been standing up too close or back too far/When did your sparkle turn to fire and your warmth become desire/Oh, what miracle has made you the way you are

1960

The 32nd Annual Academy Awards were held April 4th, 1960 in Hollywood, California. Hosted by comedian Bob Hope, this televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 1959.

Best Original Song - High Hopes by Frank Sinatra (written by J. Van Heusen, S. Cahn)

High Hopes, with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Sammy Cahn, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 1960, beating out The Best of Everything from The Best of Everything; The Five Pennies from The Five Pennies; The Hanging Tree from The Hanging Tree; and Strange Are The Ways of Love from The Young Land. The song was featured in Frank Capra's 1959 film A Hole in the Head, based on Arnold Schulman's 1957 play of the same name. Starring Frank Sinatra and Edward G. Robinson, Best Original Song was the only nomination and subsequent win for the film. Other notable recordings of this song include those by Sammy Davis Jr., Dinah Shore, Doris Day, and Bing Crosby. Don't laugh at me, but my introduction to this song was the scene from A Goofy Movie where Goofy is embarrassing Max by singing this in the car. Another Sinatra staple, it's a cute, motivational song that's good for any age.

Next time you’re found with your chin on the ground/There’s a lot to be learned, so look around/Just what makes that little old ant/Think he’ll move that rubber tree plant/Anyone knows an ant can’t move a rubber tree plant/But he’s got high hopes/He’s got high hopes/He’s got high apple pie in the sky hopes/So any time you’re getting low/‘Stead of letting go, just remember that ant/Oops, there goes another rubber tree plant/Oops, there goes another rubber tree plant

1961

The 33rd Annual Academy Awards were held April 17th, 1961 in Santa Monica, California. Hosted by comedian Bob Hope, this televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 1960.

Best Original Song - Never on Sunday by Melina Mercouri (written by M. Hadjidakis)

Never on Sunday, with music and lyrics by Manos Hadjidakis, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 1961, beating out The Second Time Around from High Time; Faraway Part of Town from Pepe; The Green Leaves of Summer from The Alamo; and The Facts of Life from The Facts of Life. The song was featured in Jules Dassin's 1960 film Never on Sunday. Starring Melina Mercouri and Jules Dassin, Best Original Song was the only win out of five nominations for the film. Other notable recordings of this song include those by Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Andy Williams, The 4 Seasons, Eartha Kitt, and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. This was the first Best Original Song win for a foreign language film (and therefore song), and has since been recorded not only in its original Greek and in English, but also in Italian, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Yiddish, Polish, Czech, Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian, Cantonese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Hindi, Finnish, Sinhala, and Hebrew. The English translation of the original Greek lyrics is below.

Oh you can kiss me on a Monday, a Monday, a Monday is very, very good/Or you can kiss me on a Tuesday, a Tuesday, a Tuesday, in fact, I wish you would/Or you can kiss me on a Wednesday, a Thursday, a Friday and Saturday is best/But never on a Sunday, a Sunday, a Sunday, ‘cause that’s my day of rest/Most any day, you can be my guest/Any day you say but my day of rest/Just name the day that you like best/Only stay away on my day of rest

1962

The 34th Annual Academy Awards were held April 9th, 1962 in Santa Monica, California. Hosted by comedian Bob Hope, this televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 1961.

Best Original Song - Moon River by Audrey Hepburn (written by H. Mancini, J. Mercer)

Moon River, with music by Henry Mancini and lyrics by Johnny Mercer, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 1962, beating out Bachelor in Paradise from Bachelor in Paradise; The Falcon and the Dove from El Cid; Pocketful of Miracles from Pocketful of Miracles; and Town Without Pity from Town Without Pity. The song was featured in Blake Edwards's 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's, based on Truman Capote's 1958 novella of the same name. Starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard, Best Original Song was one of two wins out of five total nominations for the film (the other win being Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture). Other notable recordings of this song include those by Barry Manilow, Lawrence Welk, Amy Winehouse, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Louis Armstrong, Sarah Brightman, Rod Stewart, Barbra Streisand, Frank Ocean, R.E.M., and The Killers. I've not been shy in the past about my love for this movie, this song, and the absolute angel of a human being who sang it in the film, and I'm so grateful that everyone involved with the movie fought back against the studio executive who suggested cutting it, with Hepburn herself reportedly saying they could remove it over her dead body. I walked down the aisle to a violin cover of this song at my wedding, and it will always have a special place in my heart.

Moon River, wider than a mile/I’m crossing you in style someday/Old dream maker, you heart breaker/Wherever you’re going, I’m going your way/Two drifters off to see the world/There’s such a lot of world to see/We’re after the same rainbows end/Waiting ‘round the bend/My huckleberry friend/Moon River and me

1963

The 35th Annual Academy Awards were held April 8th, 1963 in Santa Monica, California. Hosted by singer Frank Sinatra, this televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 1962.

Best Original Song - Days of Wine and Roses by Henry Mancini (written by H. Mancini, J. Mercer)

Days of Wine and Roses, with music by Henry Mancini and lyrics by Johnny Mercer, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 1963, beating out Follow Me from Mutiny on the Bounty; Second Chance from Two for the Seesaw; Tender Is the Night from Tender Is the Night; and Walk on the Wild Side from Walk on the Wild Side. The song was featured in Blake Edwards's 1962 film Days of Wine and Roses, based on JP Miller's 1958 teleplay of the same name. Starring Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick, Best Original Song was the only win out of five total nominations for the film. Other notable recordings of this song include those by Andy Williams, Vince Guaraldi & Bola Sete, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, and Ella Fitzgerald & Joe Pass. Mancini, Mercer, and Edwards clearly had a perfect storm of talent winning this category two years in a row for their collaborations, but this song just doesn't hit me the same way Moon River does. It's still good, just maybe not quite as good.

The days of wine and roses/Laugh and run away like a child at play/Through the meadowland toward a closing door/A door marked nevermore that wasn’t there before/The lonely night discloses/Just a passing breeze filled with memories/Of the golden smile that introduced me to/The days of wine and roses and you

1964

The 36th Annual Academy Awards were held April 13th, 1964 in Santa Monica, California. Hosted by actor Jack Lemmon, this televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 1963.

Best Original Song - Call Me Irresponsible by Jackie Gleason (written by J. Van Heusen, S. Cahn)

Call Me Irresponsible, with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Sammy Cahn, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 1964, beating out Charade from Charade; It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World from It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World; More from Mondo Cane; and So Little Time from 55 Days at Peking. The song was featured in George Marshall's 1963 film Papa's Delicate Condition. Starring Jackie Gleason and Glynis Jones, Best Original Song was the only nomination and subsequent win for the film. Other notable recordings of this song include those by Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Bobby Darin. I won't lie, I was shocked to learn that Frank Sinatra didn't originate this song since it's such a huge staple in his repertoire, but the original version is good and still worth a listen.

Call me irresponsible, call me unreliable/Throw in undependable, too/Do my foolish alibis bore you/Well I’m not too clever, I just adore you/Call me unpredictable, tell me I’m impractical/Rainbows I’m inclined to pursue/Call me irresponsible, yes, I’m unreliable/But it’s undeniably true/I’m irresponsibly mad for you

Hopefully this fun trip down memory lane peaked your interest in these classic songs as well as the films they originated from. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!