Music at the Oscars, Part 7: A Decade Study

Welcome back to our Oscars decade study! Today's post will be centered around years 51-60 of the Best Original Song category at the Academy Awards, which is years 67-76 for the ceremony itself. As a reminder, the Best Original Song Award is presented to the songwriters who have written an original song specifically for a feature film.

1995

The 67th Annual Academy Awards were held March 27th, 1995 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by television host David Letterman, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 1994.

Best Original Song - Can You Feel the Love Tonight by Joseph Williams, Sally Dworsky, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, & Kristine Edwards (written by E. John, T. Rice)

Can You Feel the Love Tonight, with music by Sir Elton John and lyrics by Sir Tim Rice, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 1995, beating out Circle of Life from The Lion King; Hakuna Matata from The Lion King; Look What Love Has Done from Junior; and Make Up Your Mind from The Paper. The song was featured in Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff's 1994 Disney film The Lion King, which is inspired by the Shakespearian play Hamlet as well as the Biblical Old Testament stories of Joseph and Moses. Starring Matthew Broderick and Jeremy Irons, Best Original Song was one of two wins out of four total nominations for the film that night (the other win being for Best Original Score). Other notable recordings of this song include those by Elton John, S Club, Sara Paxton, Elliott Yamin, Beyoncé & Donald Glover, and Christina Aguilera. Everyone knows The Lion King is one of Disney's greatest movies of all time, and the fact that it had three of the five slots for Best Original Song taken up tells us everything we need to know about how popular the music was and still is to this day. Elton and Tim did not have to go quite that hard for us on this soundtrack, but they did, and for that we thank them profusely.

I can see what's happening/What/And they don't have a clue/Who/They'll fall in love and here's the bottom line/Our trio's down to two/Oh/The sweet caress of twilight/There's magic everywhere/And with all this romantic atmosphere/Disaster's in the air/Can you feel the love tonight/The peace the evening brings/The world for once in perfect harmony/With all its living things

1996

The 68th Annual Academy Awards were held March 25th, 1996 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by actor Whoopi Goldberg, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 1995.

Best Original Song - Colors of the Wind by Judy Kuhn (written by A. Menken, S. Schwartz)

Colors of the Wind, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 1996, beating out Dead Man Walkin' from Dead Man Walking; Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman from Don Juan DeMarco; Moonlight from Sabrina; and You've Got a Friend in Me from Toy Story. The song was featured in Mike Gabriel & Eric Goldberg's 1995 Disney film Pocahontas, which is loosely based on the life of Pocahontas of the Powhatan Tribe. Starring Irene Bedard and Mel Gibson, Best Original Song was one of two wins out of two total nominations for the film that night (the other win being for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score). Other notable recordings of this song include those by Vanessa Williams, Ashanti, Christy Carlson Romano, Vanessa Hudgens, Brian Wilson, Tori Kelly, and Postmodern Jukebox. While its historical accuracy leaves a lot to be desired, I still love Pocahontas and firmly believe that Colors of the Wind is one of the greatest Disney songs ever written. Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken proved themselves to be a truly phenomenal songwriting team for this movie, and I absolutely think they deserved this award.

You think I'm an ignorant savage/And you've been so many places, I guess it must be so/But still I cannot see if the savage one is me/How can there be so much that you don't know/You don't know/You think you own whatever land you land on/The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim/But I know every rock and tree and creature/Has a life, has a spirit, has a name/You think the only people who are people/Are the people who look and think like you/But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger/You'll learn things you never knew, you never knew/Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon/Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned/Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain/Can you paint with all the colors of the wind/Can you paint with all the colors of the wind

1997

The 69th Annual Academy Awards were held March 24th, 1997 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by actor Billy Crystal, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 1996.

Best Original Song - You Must Love Me by Madonna (written by A. Lloyd Webber, T. Rice)

You Must Love Me, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 1997, beating out I Finally Found Someone from The Mirror Has Two Faces; For the First Time from One Fine Day; That Thing You Do! from That Thing You Do!; and Because You Loved Me from Up Close and Personal. The song was featured in Alan Parker's 1996 film Evita, which is based on the 1978 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical of the same name that is based on the life of Eva Perón. Starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas, Best Original Song was the only win out of five total nominations for the film. Other notable recordings of this song include that by Lana Del Rey. While I'm a big Lloyd Webber fan, I've never seen Evita either on stage or on screen so I know next to nothing about the soundtrack. What I can say is that the Lloyd Webber-Rice writing team did definitely create a beautiful song for this film and that while I'm pretty blah towards Madonna most of the time, I think she did a beautiful job on this number.

Where do we go from here/This isn't where we intended to be/We had it all, you believed in me/I believed in you/Certainties disappear/What do we do for our dream to survive/How do we keep all our passions alive/As we used to do/Deep in my heart, I'm concealing/Things that I'm longing to say/Scared to confess what I'm feeling/Frightened you'll slip away/You must love me/You must love me

1998

The 70th Annual Academy Awards were held March 23rd, 1998 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by actor Billy Crystal, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 1997.

Best Original Song - My Heart Will Go On by Céline Dion (written by J. Horner, W. Jennings)

My Heart Will Go On, with music by James Horner and lyrics by Will Jennings, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 1998, beating out Go the Distance from Hercules; Journey to the Past from Anastasia; How Do I Live from Con Air; and Miss Misery from Good Will Hunting. The song was featured in James Cameron's 1997 film Titanic, which is based on accounts from the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, Best Original Song was one of eleven wins out of a whopping fourteen total nominations for the film (the others being Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Original Score). This was an incredibly stacked year for this category; I myself know every single word to every nominee except Miss Misery. While I would've personally gone with Journey to the Past, this song (despite its meme status for being literally inescapable for the last quarter of a century) really is a beautiful piece of music, and it wouldn't be what it is in musical history without the iconic vocals of Céline Dion.

Every night in my dreams, I see you, I feel you/That is how I know you go on/Far across the distance and spaces between us/You have come to show you go on/Near, far, wherever you are/I believe that the heart does go on/Once more, you open the door/And you're here in my heart and my heart will go on and on

1999

The 71st Annual Academy Awards were held March 21st, 1999 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by actor Whoopi Goldberg, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 1998.

Best Original Song - When You Believe by Michelle Pfeiffer & Sally Dworksy (written by S. Schwartz)

When You Believe, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 1999, beating out I Don't Want to Miss a Thing from Armageddon; That'll Do from Babe: Pig in the City; A Soft Place to Fall from The Horse Whisperer; and The Prayer from Quest for Camelot. The song was featured in Brenda Cameron, Steve Hickner, & Simon Wells's 1998 DreamWorks film The Prince of Egypt, which is based on the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament of the Bible. Starring Val Kilmer and Ralph Fiennes, Best Original Song was the only win out of two total nominations for the film. Notable covers of this song include those by Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston, Leon Jackson, Maren Morris & Pentatonix, Celtic Women, and Cynthia Erivo & Shoshana Bean. This movie and its soundtrack were an absolutely enormous part of and influence on my childhood, and every time I hear it I tend to get a little emotional. Stephen Schwartz is an absolute gift to music, and if you still need proof I'll refer you not only to the soundtracks for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt but also Wicked, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Enchanted.

Many nights we've prayed with no proof anyone could hear/In our hearts, a hopeful song we barely understood/Now we are not afraid, although we know there's much to fear/We were moving mountains long before we knew we could/There can be miracles when you believe/Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill/Who knows what miracles you can achieve/When you believe, somehow you will/You will when you believe

2000

The 72nd Annual Academy Awards were held March 26th, 2000 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by actor Billy Crystal, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 1999.

Best Original Song - You'll Be in My Heart by Glenn Close & Phil Collins (written by P. Close)

You'll Be in My Heart, with music and lyrics by Phil Collins, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 2000, beating out Blame Canada from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut; Music of My Heart from Music of the Heart; Save Me from Magnolia; and When She Loved Me from Toy Story 2. The song was featured in Kevin Lima & Chris Buck's 1999 Disney film Tarzan, which is based on the 1912 Edgar Rice Burroughs story Tarzan and the Apes. Starring Tony Goldwyn and Minnie Driver, Best Original Song was the only nomination and subsequent win for the film. Notable covers of this song include those by Phil Collins (as a solo artist) & Kenny Loggins. While Tarzan isn't my favorite Disney movie, the soundtrack is undeniably great thanks in large part to Phil Collins. While I may have personally gone with When She Loved Me, this is still a beautiful and iconic Disney song and is perfect for either a Mother's Day or Father's Day playlist as well.

Come stop your crying, it will be alright/Just take my hand, hold it tight/I will protect you from all around you/I will be here, don't you cry/For one so small, you seem so strong/My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm/This bond between us can't be broken/I will be here ,don't you cry/‘Cause you'll be in my heart/Yes, you'll be in my heart/From this day on, now and forever more/You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say/You'll be here in my heart, always

2001

The 73rd Annual Academy Awards were held March 25th, 2001 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by actor Steve Martin, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 2000.

Best Original Song - Things Have Changed by Bob Dylan (written by B. Dylan)

Things Have Changed, with music and lyrics by Bob Dylan, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 2001, beating out A Fool In Love from Meet the Parents; I've Seen It All from Dancer in the Dark; A Love Before Time from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; and My Funny Friend and Me from The Emperor's New Groove. The song was featured in Curtis Hanson's 2000 film Wonder Boys, which is based on the 1995 Michael Chabon novel of the same name. Starring Michael Douglas and Tobey Maguire, Best Original Song was the only win out of three total nominations for the film. Notable covers of this song include that by Waylon Jennings. Bob Dylan is, of course, a staple of all music and has been throughout his long and colorful career. I didn't know this song before this week, but I definitely have an appreciation for it now.

A worried man with a worried mind/No one in front of me and nothing behind/There's a woman on my lap and she's drinking champagne/Got white skin, got assassin's eyes/I’m looking up into the sapphire tinted skies/I’m well dressed, waiting on the last train/Standing on the gallows with my head in a noose/Any minute now I'm expecting all hell to break loose/People are crazy and times are strange/I’m locked in tight, I'm out of range/I used to care, but things have changed

2002

The 74th Annual Academy Awards were held March 24th, 2002 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by actor Whoopi Goldberg, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 2001.

Best Original Song - If I Didn't Have You by Billy Crystal & John Goodman (written by R. Newman)

If I Didn't Have You, with music and lyrics by Randy Newman, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 2002, beating out May It Be from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; There You'll Be from Pearl Harbor; Until... from Kate & Leopold; and Vanilla Sky from Vanilla Sky. The song was featured in Pete Docter's 2001 Pixar film Monsters, Inc. Starring John Goodman and Billy Crystal, Best Original Song was the only win out of four total nominations for the film. Notable covers of this song include those by Randy Newman, Riders in the Sky, and Mitchel Musso & Emily Osment. Randy Newman, another absolute icon both in Disney music as well as just music in general, has done the music for so many popular movies now that it's hard to believe this was the first one he won an Oscar for. Goodman and Crystal staying completely in character as Sully and Mike is so great (it's the film's credit role song, so they could've sang it straight if they wanted), and I feel like this movie's music doesn't quite get as much love as it deserves.

If I were a rich man with a million or two/I’d live in a penthouse in a room with a view/And if I were handsome/No way/It could happen/Those dreams do come true/I wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have you/Wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have/Wouldn't have nothing if I didn't have/Wouldn't have nothing

2003

The 75th Annual Academy Awards were held March 23rd, 2003 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by actor Steve Martin, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 2002.

Best Original Song - Lose Yourself by Eminem (written by M. Mathers, J. Bass, L. Resto)

Lose Yourself, with music by Marshall Mathers, Jeff Bass, & Luis Resto and lyrics also by Mathers, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 2003, beating out I Move On from Chicago; Burn It Blue from Frida; The Hands That Built America from Gangs of New York; and Father and Daughter from The Wild Thornberrys Movie. The song was featured in Curtis Hanson's 2002 film 8 Mile, which is loosely based on the life of rap icon Eminem. Starring Eminem and Brittany Murphy, Best Original Song was the only nomination and subsequent win for the film. This song, even still being popular today, was HUGE in the early 00s. This was the first rap song ever to win Best Original Song, opening the Academy's eyes up to a whole new genre of music that could (and would) help shape films for years to come.

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy/There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti/He’s nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready/To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgetting/What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud/He opens his mouth, but the words won’t come out/He’s choking, how, everybody’s joking now/The clock’s run out, time’s up, over, blaow/Snap back to reality, ope, there goes gravity, ope/There goes Rabbit, he choked, he’s so mad but he won’t/Give up that easy, no, he won’t have it, he knows/His whole back’s to these ropes, it don’t matter, he’s dope/He knows that but he's broke, he's so stagnant, he knows/When he goes back to his mobile home, that’s when it’s/Back to the lab again, yo, this old rhapsody/Better go capture this moment and hope it don’t pass him, and/You better lose yourself in the music/The moment, you own it, you better never let it go/You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow/This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo/You better lose yourself in the music/The moment, you own it, you better never let it go/You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow/This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo/You better

2004

The 76th Annual Academy Awards were held February 29th, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by actor Billy Crystal, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 2003.

Best Original Song - Into the West by Annie Lennox (written by A. Lennox, H. Shore, P. Boyens)

Into the West, with music and lyrics by Annie Lennox, Howard Shore, & Philippa Boyens, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 2004, beating out Belleville Rendezvous from The Triplets of Belleville; A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow from A Mighty Wind; Scarlet Tide from Cold Mountain; and You Will Be My Ain True Love from Cold Mountain. The song was featured in Peter Jackson's 2003 film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which is based on the 1955 J.R.R. Tolkien novel The Return of the King. Starring Elijah Wood and Sir Ian McKellen, Best Original Song was one of eleven nominations and subsequent wins for the film (the other wins being for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup, Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects). Being a lifelong Potterhead who thought it was a live or die competition between the HP and LOTR fandoms during this time, I can vividly remember being furious that Return of the King won every single award it was nominated for, but as a mature adult (who married a huge LOTR fan) I now have a much more refined appreciation for how great this whole series really was. This is a beautiful song that encapsulates the haunting beauty of Tolkien's magical world, and so much of that relies on Howard Shore's musicality and Annie Lennox's gorgeous vocals.

Lay down your sweet and weary head/The night is falling, you have come to journey's end/Sleep now and dream of the ones who came before/They are calling from across the distant shore/Why do you weep, what are these tears upon your face/Soon you will see all of your fears will pass away/Safe in my arms, you're only sleeping/What can you see on the horizon/Why do the white gulls call across the sea/A pale moon rises, the ships have come to carry you home/And all will turn to silver glass/A light on the water, all Souls pass

Hopefully, as always, you found or remembered some wonderful music that helped shape the movies of the late 90s and early 00s. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!