Welcome back to our Oscars decade study! Today's post will be centered around years 71-80 of the Best Original Song category at the Academy Awards, which is years 87-96 for the ceremony itself. As a reminder, since it's been a while (over 18 months if you can believe it!), the Best Original Song Award is presented to the songwriters who have written an original song specifically for a feature film. This will be the last Oscar update for a while as we bank up more songs, so let's dive in an have some fun!
2015
The 87th Annual Academy Awards were held February 22nd, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by actor Neil Patrick Harris, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 2014.
Best Original Song - Glory by Common & John Legend (written by C. Smith, J. Stephens, L. Lynn)
Glory, with music and lyrics by John Legend, Common, & Rhymefest, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 2015, beating out Everything Is Awesome from The Lego Movie; Grateful from Beyond the Lights; I'm Not Gonna Miss You from Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me; and Lost Stars from Begin Again. The song was featured in Ava DuVernay's 2014 film Selma, which is inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Civil Rights march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Starring David Oyelowo and Tom Wilkinson, Best Original Song was the only win out of two total nominations for the film that night. I just recently covered this song in my Golden Globes series, so it still feels pretty fresh. This is a good song for sure, uplifting and triumphant, and I'm still just so glad Everything Is Awesome didn't win because yikes did that song get on my nerves.
One day, when the glory comes/It will be ours, it will be ours/Oh, one day when the war is won/We will be sure, we will be sure/Oh, glory/Oh, glory, glory)/Hands to the Heavens, no man, no weapon/Formed against, yes glory is destined/Every day women and men become legends/Sins that go against our skin become blessings/The movement is a rhythm to us/Freedom is like religion to us/Justice is juxtapositionin' us/Justice for all just ain't specific enough/One son died, his spirit is revisitin' us/Truant livin' livin' in us, resistance is us/That's why Rosa sat on the bus/That's why we walk through Ferguson with our hands up/When it go down we woman and man up/They say, "Stay down", and we stand up/Shots, we on the ground, the camera panned up/King pointed to the mountain top and we ran up
2016
The 88th Annual Academy Awards were held February 28th, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by comedian Chris Rock, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 2015.
Best Original Song - Writing's on the Wall by Sam Smith (written by S. Smith, J. Napes)
Writing's on the Wall, with music and lyrics by Sam Smith & Jimmy Napes, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 2016, beating out Earned It from Fifty Shades of Grey; Manta Ray from Racing Extinction; Simple Song #3 from Youth; and Til It Happens to You from The Hunting Ground. The song was featured in Sam Mendes's 2015 film Spectre, which is based on Sir Ian Fleming's James Bond universe. Starring Daniel Craig and Christoph Waltz, Best Original Song was the only nomination and subsequent win for the film that night. I recently covered this song in my Golden Globes series as well, and while it's a decent song, it's not the best Bond theme nor the best song nominated here in my opinion. I would've gone with Til It Happens to You or Earned It on this one.
I've been here before/But always hit the floor/I’ve spent a lifetime running, and I always get away/But with you, I'm feeling something that makes me want to stay/I’m prepared for this/I never shoot to miss/But I feel like a storm is coming, if I'm gonna make it through the day/Then there's no more use in running, this is something I gotta face/If I risk it all, could you break my fall/How do I live, how do I breathe, when you're not here, I'm suffocating/I want to feel love run through my blood/Tell me is this where I give it all up/For you, I have to risk it all/‘Cause the writing's on the wall
2017
The 89th Annual Academy Awards were held February 26th, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by television host Jimmy Kimmel, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 2016.
Best Original Song - City of Stars by Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone (written by J. Hurwitz, B. Pasek, J. Paul)
City of Stars, with music by Justin Hurwitz and lyrics by Benji Pasek & Justin Paul, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 2017, beating out Audition (The Fools Who Dream) from La La Land; Can't Stop the Feeling! from Trolls; The Empty Chair from Jim: The James Foley Story; and How Far I'll Go from Moana. The song was featured in Damien Chazelle's 2016 film La La Land. Starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, Best Original Song was one of six wins out of fourteen total nominations for the film that night (the other wins being for Best Director (Chazelle), Best Actress (Stone), Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design). This song is cute, but if a La La Land song had to win I absolutely would've gone with the simply beautiful Audition. However, I think we all know it's a borderline crime How Far I'll Go went home without the win here.
City of stars, are you shining just for me/City of stars, there's so much that I can't see/Who knows, I felt it from the first embrace I shared with you/That now our dreams may finally come true/City of stars, just one thing everybody wants/There in the bars and through the smokescreen of the crowded restauurants/It's love, yes, all we're looking for is love from someone else
2018
The 90th Annual Academy Awards were held March 4th, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by television host Jimmy Kimmel, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 2017.
Best Original Song - Remember Me (Lullaby) by Gael García Bernal, Gabriella Flores, & Liberta (written by K. Anderson-Lopez, R. Lopez)
Remember Me (Lullaby), with music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 2018, beating out Mighty River from Mudbound; Mystery of Love from Call Me by Your Name; Stand Up for Something from Marshall; and This Is Me from The Greatest Showman. The song was featured in Lee Unkrich's 2017 Pixar film Coco. Starring Anthony Gonzalez and Gael García Bernal, Best Original Song was one of two total nominations for the film that night, winning both (the other being for Best Animated Feature). Notable covers inclue those by Benjamin Bratt, Christina Aguilera & Miguel, and Mayday Parade. I love this song and this movie, especially since I saw the film not long before my own grandmother passed from Alzheimer's disease. As good a song as This Is Me is, I'm so happy this went home with the win.
Remember me, though I have to say goodbye/Remember me, don't let it make you cry/For even if I'm far away, I hold you in my heart/I sing a secret song to you each night we are apart
2019
The 91st Annual Academy Awards were held February 24th, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. With no official host, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 2018.
Best Original Song - Shallow by Bradley Cooper & Lady Gaga (written by S. Germanotta, A. Wyatt, A. Rossomando, M. Ronson)
Shallow, with music and lyrics by Lady Gaga, Andrew Wyatt, Anthony Rossomando, & Mark Ronson, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 2019, beating out All the Stars from Black Panther; I'll Fight from RBG; The Place Where Lost Things Go from Mary Poppins Returns; and When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. The song was featured in Bradley Cooper's 2018 film A Star Is Born, which is the fourth adaptation of this particular story following the films in 1937 by David O. Selznick, 1954 by George Cukor, and 1976 by Frank Pierson. Starring Cooper and Lady Gaga, Best Original Song was the only win out of eight total nominations for the film that night. Notable covers inclue those by Lea Michele & Darren Criss, Lewis Capaldi, Billy Porter, Alicia Keys, and Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood. This song has been so severely played into the ground these last six years that I'm just sick of hearing it and of writing about it. It's a fine song, but honestly nothing more than that, and I wish The Place Where Lost Things Go had won.
Tell me somethin', girl/Are you happy in this modern world/Or do you need more/Is there somethin' else you're searchin' for/I’m fallin’/In all the good times, I find myself longin' for change/And in the bad times, I fear myself/Tell me something, boy/Aren't you tired tryin' to fill that void/Or do you need more/Ain't it hard keepin' it so hardcore/I’m falling/In all the good times, I find myself longing for change/And in the bad times, I fear myself/I’m off the deep end, watch as I dive in/I’ll never meet the ground/Crash through the surface, where they can't hurt us/We're far from the shallow now/In the sha-ha-sha-ha-low/In the sha-ha-sha-la-la-la-low/In the sha-ha-sha-ha-ha-low/We're far from the shallow now
2020
The 92nd Annual Academy Awards were held February 9th, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. With no official host, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 2019.
Best Original Song - (I'm Gonna) Love Me Again by Elton John & Taron Egerton (written by E. John, B. Taupin)
(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again, with music by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 2020, beating out I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away from Toy Story 4; I'm Standing with You from Breakthrough; Into the Unknown from Frozen II; and Stand Up from Harriet. The song was featured in Dexter Fletcher's 2019 film Rocketman, which is based on the life and career of Sir Elton John. Starring Taron Egerton and Jamie Bell, Best Original Song was the only nomination and subsequent win for the film that night. Like I said in the Golden Globes post, I like Elton John as much as the next guy, but this beating out Into the Unknown is mind-boggling to me. It's still fun to listen to though, whether I agree with the choice or not.
Oh, the joke was never hard to tell/Threw my spare change in the wishing well/The dream alone is always in your hands/If that don't fill the boy and build the man/A heart has many secrets, so I'm told/Through the years, a theory can grow cold/I’m up to be the king, it's gotten clear/The voice inside my head is the one I hear/Singing, I'm gonna love me again/Check in on my very best friend/Find the wind to fill my sails/Rise above the broken rails/Unbound by any ties that break or bend/I’m free, and don't you know/No clown to claim he used to know me then/I’m free, and don't you know/And oh-oh-oh, I'm gonna love me again
2021
The 93rd Annual Academy Awards were held April 25th, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. With no official host, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 2020.
Best Original Song - Fight for You by H.E.R. (written by G. Wilson, D. Emile, T. Thomas)
Fight for You, with music by H.E.R. & D'Mile and lyrics by H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 2021, beating out Hear My Voice from The Trial of the Chicago 7; Husavik from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga; Io sì (Seen) from The Life Ahead; and Speak Now from One Night in Miami.... The song was featured in Shaka King's 2020 film Judas and the Black Messiah, which is based on the 1960's betrayal of Fred Hampton by William O'Neal. Starring Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield, Best Original Song was the one of two wins out of six total nominations for the film that night (the other being for Kaluuya as Best Supporting Actor). H.E.R. is so freaking talented, and this song is just one of many examples as to why. It's got a great groove, and I love the horn section.
All the smoke in the air, feel the hate when they stare/All the pain that we bear, oh, you better beware/Their guns don't play fair, all we got is a prayer/It was all in their plans, wash the blood from your hands/Freedom for my brothers, freedom 'cause they judge us/Freedom from the others, freedom from the leaders, they keepin' us/Freedom gon' keep us strong, freedom if you just hold on/Freedom ain't free at all/I'm gon' see it through/There's no one, there's no one like you/Long as I'm standing, we could never lose/I'ma always, always fight for you/I'ma always, always fight for you
2022
The 94th Annual Academy Awards were held March 27th, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by actress Regina Hall, stand-up comedian Amy Schumer, and stand-up comedian Wanda Sykes, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 2021.
Best Original Song - No Time To Die by Billie Eilish (written by B. O'Connell, F. O'Connell)
No Time To Die, with music and lyrics by Billie Eilish & Finneas, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 2022, beating out Be Alive from King Richard; Dos Oruguitas from Encanto; Down to Joy from Belfast; and Somehow You Do from Four Good Days. The song was featured in Cary Joji Fukunaga's 2021 film No Time To Die, which is based on the James Bond universe created by Sir Ian Fleming. Starring Daniel Craig and Rami Maleek, Best Original Song was the only win out of three total nominations for the film that night. This song is honestly great, and one of the top Bond themes along with Skyfall and Goldfinger to me. Billie and Finneas understood the assignment, but I would've been happy with a win for Dos Oruguitas as well.
I should've known I’d leave alone/Just goes to show that the blood you bleed is just the blood you owe/We were a pair, but I saw you there/Too much to bear, you were my life, but life is far away from fair/Was I stupid to love you, was I reckless to help/Was it obvious to everybody else/That I'd fallen for a lie/You were never on my side/Fool me once, fool me twice, are you death or paradise/Now you'll never see me cry, there's just no time to die
2023
The 95th Annual Academy Awards were held March 12th, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by television host Jimmy Kimmel, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 2022.
Best Original Song - Naatu Naatu by Rahul Sipligunj, Kaala Bhairava & M.M. Keeravani (written by M. Keeravani, K. Chandrabose)
Naatu Naatu, with music by M. M. Keeravani and lyrics by Chandrabose, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 2023, beating out Applause from Tell It Like a Woman; Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick; Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; and This Is a Life from Everything Everywhere At Once. The song was featured in S. S. Rajamouli's 2022 film RRR, which is a fictionalized tribute to revolutionaries Alluri Sitarama Raja and Komaram Bheem. Starring N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan, Best Original Song was the only nomination and subsequent win for the film that night. While I initially was rooting for Hold My Hand or Lift Me Up, this song is a certified banger. I remember watching them perform this at this Oscars ceremony and it was incredible and so much fun. A very rough English translation of the lyrics is below.
Polangattu is like fighting and jumping in the dust/Potaraju swayed in the Poleramma fair/As if the kirru has been lifted and the carrasamu has been cut/In the shadow of the marrissettu, like a kurragumpu/Red sorghum bread, mixed with chili powder/My song is Sudu/My song is Sudu/My song is Sudu/Natu Natu Natu, Natu Natu Natu Veera Natu/Natu Natu Natu, Natu Natu Natu Ura Natu/Natu Natu Natu, green chillies and green chillies/Natu natu natu, crazy like a throwing knife
2024
The 96th Annual Academy Awards were held March 10th, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by television host Jimmy Kimmel, the televised ceremony celebrated film achievements from 2023.
Best Original Song - What Was I Made For? by Billie Eilish (written by B. O'Connell, F. O'Connell)
What Was I Made For?, with music and lyrics by Billie Eilish & Finneas, was one of five nominees for Best Original Song 2024, beating out The Fire Inside from Flamin' Hot; I'm Just Ken from Barbie; It Never Went Away from American Symphony; and Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People) from Killers of the Flower Moon. The song was featured in Greta Gerwig's 2023 film Barbie, which is based on the famous fashion dolls produced by Mattel. Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, Best Original Song was the only win out of eight total nominations for the film that night. I do love this beautiful song, but I'd be straight up lying if I said I wasn't rooting for I'm Just Ken with every fiber of my being. Regardless, this song just hits as a woman, even if it's dangerously close to being overplayed at this point.
I used to float, now I just fall down/I used to know, but I'm not sure now/What I was made for/What was I made for/Takin' a drive, I was an ideal/Looked so alive, turns out I'm not real/Just something you paid for/What was I made for/‘Cause I, I/I don't know how to feel/But I wanna try/I don't know how to feel/But someday, I might/Someday, I might
It'll be a long while before we have another Oscars post, so thanks again for joining me in this flashback to the last ten years. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!
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