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| Scene from Slumdog Millionaire |
Welcome to Best Song, a new weekly column released on Sunday dedicated to chronicling the Best Original Song category over the course of its many decades. The goal is to listen to and critique every song that has ever been nominated in the category as well as find the Best Best Song and the Best Loser. By the end, we'll have a comprehensive list of this music category and will hopefully have a better understanding not only of the evolution, but what it takes to receive a nomination here. It may seem easy now, but wait until the bad years.
The Preface
The year is 2008 and The Academy is celebrating its 81st year. Director Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire wins Best Picture and is the 11th film to do so without any acting nominations. For his Best Actor win for Milk, Sean Penn becomes the ninth actor to win two Best Actor statues. Heath Ledger's Best Supporting Actor win for The Dark Knight marked him as only the second posthumous actor to win, following Network's Peter Finch. He is also the only superhero-based performance to win an Oscar. With six nominations, WALL-E tied with Beauty and the Beast as the most nominated animated film. Meanwhile, Slumdog Millionaire decided to sing "Jai Ho" as it won Best Original Song.
The Nominee
Song: "Down to Earth"
Film: WALL-E
Performers: Peter Gabriel
Well, it's nice that the other big name from Genesis finally got an Oscar nomination. In all honesty, this isn't a bad song. My only concern is why it needed to be six minutes. It has plenty of top notch production and its build to the chorus is pretty great. I simply think that once it hits the sweet spot, it still has two minutes to go, and it peters out after that. I think that it manages to work in spite of that, but I felt myself growing impatient by the end, as the voices sang in unison in a fashion that felt a little chaotic. Still, it's a pretty good song with a nice message. I hope this isn't the last time that we see Gabriel in the circles.
Song: "O... Saya"
Film: Slumdog Millionaire
Performers: A.R. Rahman, M.I.A.
To be totally honest, I would love if the modern Oscars had more diverse goodies like this. I'm not simply talking about world music. I'm talking about more than nominating documentary songs that nobody cares about. I want to know the modern interpretation of pop through movies. Slumdog Millionaire may have a mixed reputation, but I definitely think that its soundtrack has plenty going for it. While I scoff at those who ask "Is this Bollywood?" I think that having this in a soundtrack of a major Oscar-winning film is key. It makes film so much more exciting. I admit that this is the lesser of the two tracks, and it does get redundant. Still, it's a lot more fun than some of these other songs that I've listened to for Best Song.
The Winner
Song: "Jai Ho"
Film: Slumdog Millionaire
Performers: Sukhvinder Singh, Mahalaxmi Iyer and Vijay Prakash
I definitely like how this song is infusing of cultures. It's not quite Bollywood, but it's also not quite American. It's somewhere in the middle, and emphasizes what makes A.R. Rahman a great musician. Even if I don't understand the lyrics, it's so full of life and passion that you cannot help but get up and dance. I wish that more music that showed up in these categories had an ambition to be more creative and cutting edge in some respects. While this isn't my favorite song, it's definitely a whole lot of fun - and The Oscars could definitely use more of that in this category.
Best Loser
A comprehensive list and ranking of the songs that were nominated but did not win. This is a list predicated on which song that was nominated I liked the best.
1. "When She Loved Me" Toy Story 2 (1999)
2. "The Green Leaves of Summer" - The Alamo (1960)
3. "That's Amore" - The Caddy (1953)
4. "A Town Without Pity" - A Town Without Pity (1961)
5. "The Rainbow Connection" - The Muppet Movie (1979)
6. "Somewhere Out There" - An American Tail (1986)
7. "The Circle of Life" - The Lion King (1994)
8. "The Man That Got Away" - A Star is Born (1954)
9. "Ben" - Ben (1972)
10. "You've Got a Friend in Me" - Toy Story (1995)
11. "Somewhere in My Memory" - Home Alone (1990)
12. "I Love to See You Smile" - Parenthood (1989)
13. "The Sweetheart Tree" - The Great Race (1965)
14. "Carioca" - Flying Down to Rio (1934)
15. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" - Buck Privates (1941)
16. "Nobody Does it Better" - The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
17. "That's How You Know" - Enchanted (2007)
18. "Belleville Rendez-vous" - The Triplets of Belleville (2003)
19. "Out Here on My Own" - Fame (1980)
20. "Journey Into the Past" - Anastasia (1997)
21. "Belle" - Beauty and the Beast (1991)
22. "I've Seen it All" - Dancer in the Dark (2000)
23. "Ghostbusters" - Ghostbusters (1984)
24. "Friend Like Me" - Aladdin (1992)
25. "Eye of the Tiger" - Rocky III (1982)
26. "Gonna Fly Now" - Rocky (1976)
27. "Charade" - Charade (1963)
28. "Pieces of Dreams" - Pieces of Dreams (1970)
29. "Wild is the Wind" - Wild is the Wind (1957)
30. "(Love is) The Tender Trap" - The Tender Trap (1955)
31. "Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" -Mahogany (1975)
32. "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" - Yentl (1983)
33. "Pass That Peace Pipe" - Good News (1947)
34. "They're Either Too Young Or Too Old" - Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
35. "Cheek to Cheek" - Top Hat (1935)
36. "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" - Orchestra Wives (1942)
37. "Georgy Girl" - Georgy Girl (1966)
38. "The Trolley Song" - Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
39. "Ac-Cent-U-Ate the Positive" - Here Comes the Wave (1945)
40. "Again" - Poetic Justice (1993)
41. "Come Saturday Morning" - The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)
42. "Cry Freedom" - Cry Freedom (1987)
43. "Live and Let Die" - Live and Let Die (1973)
44. "That'll Do" - Babe: Pig in the City (1998)
45. "Blazing Saddles" - Blazing Saddles (1974)
46. "Listen" - Dreamgirls (2006)
47. "Life is What You Make It" - Koch (1971)
48. "Thoroughly Modern Millie" - Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
49. "Where Love Has Gone" - Where Love Has Gone (1964)
50. "Zing a Little Zong" - Just For You (1952)
51. "Ready to Take a Chance Again" - Foul Play (1978)
52. "Look to Your Path" - The Chorus (2004)
53. "The Hands That Built America" - Gangs of New York (2002)
54. "That Thing You Do" - That Thing You Do (1996)
55. "O... Saya" - Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
56. "Walk on the Wild Side" - Walk on the Wild Side (1962)
57. "Almost in Your Arms (Love Song from Houseboat)" - Houseboat (1958)
58. "Build Me a Kiss to Dream On" - The Strip (1951)
59. "Separate Lives" - White Night (1985)
60. "Star!" - Star! (1968)
61. "Two Hearts" - Buster (1988)
62. "Wilhemina" - Wabash Avenue (1950)
63. "Travellin' Thru" - Transamerica (2005)
64. "Vanilla Sky" - Vanilla Sky (2001)
65. "Through a Long and Sleepless Night" - Come to the Stable (1949)
66. "Waltzing in the Clouds" - Spring Parade (1940)
67. "Endless Love" - Endless Love (1981)
68. "Strange Are the Ways of Love" - The Young Land (1959)
69. "Ole Buttermilk Sky" - Canyon Passage (1946)
70. "Julie" - Julie (1956)
71. "Dust" - Under Western Stars (1938)
72. "The Woody Woodpecker Song" - Wet Blanket Policy (1948)
73. "I Poured My Heart Into a Song" - Second Fiddle (1939)
74. "Remember Me" - Mr. Dodd Takes the Air (1937)
75. "I've Got You Under My Skin" - Born to Dance (1936)
2. "The Green Leaves of Summer" - The Alamo (1960)
3. "That's Amore" - The Caddy (1953)
4. "A Town Without Pity" - A Town Without Pity (1961)
5. "The Rainbow Connection" - The Muppet Movie (1979)
6. "Somewhere Out There" - An American Tail (1986)
7. "The Circle of Life" - The Lion King (1994)
8. "The Man That Got Away" - A Star is Born (1954)
9. "Ben" - Ben (1972)
10. "You've Got a Friend in Me" - Toy Story (1995)
11. "Somewhere in My Memory" - Home Alone (1990)
12. "I Love to See You Smile" - Parenthood (1989)
13. "The Sweetheart Tree" - The Great Race (1965)
14. "Carioca" - Flying Down to Rio (1934)
15. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" - Buck Privates (1941)
16. "Nobody Does it Better" - The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
17. "That's How You Know" - Enchanted (2007)
18. "Belleville Rendez-vous" - The Triplets of Belleville (2003)
19. "Out Here on My Own" - Fame (1980)
20. "Journey Into the Past" - Anastasia (1997)
21. "Belle" - Beauty and the Beast (1991)
22. "I've Seen it All" - Dancer in the Dark (2000)
23. "Ghostbusters" - Ghostbusters (1984)
24. "Friend Like Me" - Aladdin (1992)
25. "Eye of the Tiger" - Rocky III (1982)
26. "Gonna Fly Now" - Rocky (1976)
27. "Charade" - Charade (1963)
28. "Pieces of Dreams" - Pieces of Dreams (1970)
29. "Wild is the Wind" - Wild is the Wind (1957)
30. "(Love is) The Tender Trap" - The Tender Trap (1955)
31. "Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" -Mahogany (1975)
32. "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" - Yentl (1983)
33. "Pass That Peace Pipe" - Good News (1947)
34. "They're Either Too Young Or Too Old" - Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
35. "Cheek to Cheek" - Top Hat (1935)
36. "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" - Orchestra Wives (1942)
37. "Georgy Girl" - Georgy Girl (1966)
38. "The Trolley Song" - Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
39. "Ac-Cent-U-Ate the Positive" - Here Comes the Wave (1945)
40. "Again" - Poetic Justice (1993)
41. "Come Saturday Morning" - The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)
42. "Cry Freedom" - Cry Freedom (1987)
43. "Live and Let Die" - Live and Let Die (1973)
44. "That'll Do" - Babe: Pig in the City (1998)
45. "Blazing Saddles" - Blazing Saddles (1974)
46. "Listen" - Dreamgirls (2006)
47. "Life is What You Make It" - Koch (1971)
48. "Thoroughly Modern Millie" - Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
49. "Where Love Has Gone" - Where Love Has Gone (1964)
50. "Zing a Little Zong" - Just For You (1952)
51. "Ready to Take a Chance Again" - Foul Play (1978)
52. "Look to Your Path" - The Chorus (2004)
53. "The Hands That Built America" - Gangs of New York (2002)
54. "That Thing You Do" - That Thing You Do (1996)
55. "O... Saya" - Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
56. "Walk on the Wild Side" - Walk on the Wild Side (1962)
57. "Almost in Your Arms (Love Song from Houseboat)" - Houseboat (1958)
58. "Build Me a Kiss to Dream On" - The Strip (1951)
59. "Separate Lives" - White Night (1985)
60. "Star!" - Star! (1968)
61. "Two Hearts" - Buster (1988)
62. "Wilhemina" - Wabash Avenue (1950)
63. "Travellin' Thru" - Transamerica (2005)
64. "Vanilla Sky" - Vanilla Sky (2001)
65. "Through a Long and Sleepless Night" - Come to the Stable (1949)
66. "Waltzing in the Clouds" - Spring Parade (1940)
67. "Endless Love" - Endless Love (1981)
68. "Strange Are the Ways of Love" - The Young Land (1959)
69. "Ole Buttermilk Sky" - Canyon Passage (1946)
70. "Julie" - Julie (1956)
71. "Dust" - Under Western Stars (1938)
72. "The Woody Woodpecker Song" - Wet Blanket Policy (1948)
73. "I Poured My Heart Into a Song" - Second Fiddle (1939)
74. "Remember Me" - Mr. Dodd Takes the Air (1937)
75. "I've Got You Under My Skin" - Born to Dance (1936)
Best Best Song
A comprehensive list and ranking of the songs that won this category.
1. "Moon River" - Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
2. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" - The Wizard of Oz (1939)
3. "My Heart Will Go On" - Titanic (1997)
4. "A Whole New World" - Aladdin (1992)
5. "The Way We Were" - The Way We Were (1973)
6. "The Way You Look Tonight" - Swing Time (1936)
7. "The Morning After" - The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
8. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
9. "Swinging on a Star" - Going My Way (1944)
10. "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" - The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
11. "Under the Sea" - The Little Mermaid (1989)
12. "Lose Yourself" - 8 Mile (2002)
13. "It Goes Like It Goes" - Norma Rae (1979)
14. "You'll Be in My Heart" - Tarzan (1999)
15. "Colors of the Wind" - Pocahontas (1995)
16. "Theme From Shaft" - Shaft (1971)
17. "For All We Know" - Love and Other Strangers (1970)
18. "All the Way" - The Joker is Wild (1957)
19. "Never on Sunday" - Never on Sunday (1960)
20. "Chim Chim Cher-ee" - Mary Poppins (1964)
21. "I'm Easy" - Nashville (1975)
22. "Beauty and the Beast" - Beauty and the Beast (1991)
23. "Talk to the Animals" - Dr. Dolittle (1967)
24. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Neptune's Daughter (1949)
25. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" - Here Comes the Groom (1951)
26. "Born Free" - Born Free (1966)
27. "Fame" - Fame (1980)
28. "Three Coins in the Fountain" - Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
29. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')" - High Noon (1952)
30. "Love is A Many Splendored Thing" - Love is a Many Splendored Thing (1955)
31. "It Might as Well Be Spring" - State Fair (1945)
32. "White Christmas" - Holiday Inn (1942)
33. "Thanks for the Memory" - The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
34. "The Last Time I Saw Paris" - Lady Be Good (1941)
35. "Things Have Changed" - Wonder Boys (2000)
36. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" - The Lion King (1994)
37. "High Hopes" - A Hole in the Head (1959)
38. "Jai Ho" - Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
39. "Into the West" - Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
40. "Gigi" - Gigi (1958)
41. "Mona Lisa" - Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
42. "The Streets of Philadelphia" - Philadelphia (1993)
43. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" - Dirty Dancing (1987)
44. "You Light Up My Life" - You Light Up My Life (1977)
45. "The Days of Wine and Roses" - The Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
46. "Up Where We Belong" - An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
47. "The Shadow of Your Heart" - The Sandpiper (1965)
48. "Take My Breath Away" - Top Gun (1986)
49. "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)" - Dick Tracy (1990)
50. "Buttons and Bows" - The Paleface (1948)
51. "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" - Song of the South (1947)
52. "When You Wish Upon a Star" - Pinocchio (1940)
53. "Al otra lado del rio" - The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
54. "The Windmills of Your Mind" - The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
55. "You Must Love Me" - Evita (1996)
56. "Falling Slowly" - Once (2007)
57. "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" - Hustle & Flow (2005)
58. "Last Dance" - Thank God It's Friday (1978)
59. "Secret Love" - Calamity Jane (1953)
60. "Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do)" - Arthur (1981)
61. "If I Didn't Have You" - Monsters Inc. (2001)
62. "When You Believe" - The Prince of Egypt (1998)
63. "Say You Say Me" - White Night (1985)
64. "Evergreen (Theme From A Star is Born)" - A Star is Born (1976)
65. "Call Me Irresponsible" - Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
66. "You'll Never Know" - Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
67. "On the Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe" - Harvey Girls (1946)
68. "The Continental" - The Gay Divorcee (1934)
69. "Let the River Run" - Working Girl (1988)
70. "I Need to Wake Up" - An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
71. "The Lullaby of Broadway" - Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
72. "Flashdance... What a Feeling" - Flashdance (1983)
73. "We May Never Love Like This Again" - The Towering Inferno (1974)
74. "Sweet Leiulani" - Waikiki Wedding (1937)
75. "I Just Called to Say I Love You" - The Woman in Red (1984)
2. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" - The Wizard of Oz (1939)
3. "My Heart Will Go On" - Titanic (1997)
4. "A Whole New World" - Aladdin (1992)
5. "The Way We Were" - The Way We Were (1973)
6. "The Way You Look Tonight" - Swing Time (1936)
7. "The Morning After" - The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
8. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
9. "Swinging on a Star" - Going My Way (1944)
10. "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" - The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
11. "Under the Sea" - The Little Mermaid (1989)
12. "Lose Yourself" - 8 Mile (2002)
13. "It Goes Like It Goes" - Norma Rae (1979)
14. "You'll Be in My Heart" - Tarzan (1999)
15. "Colors of the Wind" - Pocahontas (1995)
16. "Theme From Shaft" - Shaft (1971)
17. "For All We Know" - Love and Other Strangers (1970)
18. "All the Way" - The Joker is Wild (1957)
19. "Never on Sunday" - Never on Sunday (1960)
20. "Chim Chim Cher-ee" - Mary Poppins (1964)
21. "I'm Easy" - Nashville (1975)
22. "Beauty and the Beast" - Beauty and the Beast (1991)
23. "Talk to the Animals" - Dr. Dolittle (1967)
24. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Neptune's Daughter (1949)
25. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" - Here Comes the Groom (1951)
26. "Born Free" - Born Free (1966)
27. "Fame" - Fame (1980)
28. "Three Coins in the Fountain" - Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
29. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')" - High Noon (1952)
30. "Love is A Many Splendored Thing" - Love is a Many Splendored Thing (1955)
31. "It Might as Well Be Spring" - State Fair (1945)
32. "White Christmas" - Holiday Inn (1942)
33. "Thanks for the Memory" - The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
34. "The Last Time I Saw Paris" - Lady Be Good (1941)
35. "Things Have Changed" - Wonder Boys (2000)
36. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" - The Lion King (1994)
37. "High Hopes" - A Hole in the Head (1959)
38. "Jai Ho" - Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
39. "Into the West" - Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
40. "Gigi" - Gigi (1958)
41. "Mona Lisa" - Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
42. "The Streets of Philadelphia" - Philadelphia (1993)
43. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" - Dirty Dancing (1987)
44. "You Light Up My Life" - You Light Up My Life (1977)
45. "The Days of Wine and Roses" - The Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
46. "Up Where We Belong" - An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
47. "The Shadow of Your Heart" - The Sandpiper (1965)
48. "Take My Breath Away" - Top Gun (1986)
49. "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)" - Dick Tracy (1990)
50. "Buttons and Bows" - The Paleface (1948)
51. "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" - Song of the South (1947)
52. "When You Wish Upon a Star" - Pinocchio (1940)
53. "Al otra lado del rio" - The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
54. "The Windmills of Your Mind" - The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
55. "You Must Love Me" - Evita (1996)
56. "Falling Slowly" - Once (2007)
57. "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" - Hustle & Flow (2005)
58. "Last Dance" - Thank God It's Friday (1978)
59. "Secret Love" - Calamity Jane (1953)
60. "Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do)" - Arthur (1981)
61. "If I Didn't Have You" - Monsters Inc. (2001)
62. "When You Believe" - The Prince of Egypt (1998)
63. "Say You Say Me" - White Night (1985)
64. "Evergreen (Theme From A Star is Born)" - A Star is Born (1976)
65. "Call Me Irresponsible" - Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
66. "You'll Never Know" - Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
67. "On the Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe" - Harvey Girls (1946)
68. "The Continental" - The Gay Divorcee (1934)
69. "Let the River Run" - Working Girl (1988)
70. "I Need to Wake Up" - An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
71. "The Lullaby of Broadway" - Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
72. "Flashdance... What a Feeling" - Flashdance (1983)
73. "We May Never Love Like This Again" - The Towering Inferno (1974)
74. "Sweet Leiulani" - Waikiki Wedding (1937)
75. "I Just Called to Say I Love You" - The Woman in Red (1984)
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