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| Scene from Toy Story 3 |
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 2010 and The Academy is celebrating its 83rd year. Director Tom Hooper won Best Picture with the period piece The King's Speech. Toy Story 3 became the third animated film to be nominated for Best Picture. True Grit became one of the few films to lose all 10 of its nominations. Best Actor nominee James Franco became the first nominee to also host the same ceremony since 1987's host Paul Hogan. He was also the first actor to achieve this since Michael Caine at the 1973 Oscars. Best Supporting Actor winner Christian Bale and Best Supporting Actress winner Melissa Leo made The Fighter the first film to win both supporting Oscars since Hannah and Her Sisters. Meanwhile, Toy Story 3 sang a unifying theme of "We Belong Together" as Randy Newman won Best Original Song.
The Nominees
Song: "Coming Home"
Film: Country Strong
Performers: Gwyneth Paltrow
I'm sure that this song is fine, but coming off of Crazy Heart, it's hard not to just think of this as the female version of Jeff Bridges' character. I think that the song has that clear eyed optimism that makes it somewhat tolerable. The lyrics aren't that bad either. It's just so passionless and generic that I cannot find much opinion beyond "Sway back and forth with your lighter in the air." It's good, but it never has a moment where it rises above its decent production and hits the listener with a powerful moment. It could just be that Gwyneth Paltrow doesn't have the vocal chops to pull it off, but it needed an extra oomph to make coming home feel like it meant something.
Song: "I See the Light"
Film: Tangled
Performers: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi
To summarize a point that I could easily spend a thousand words on: Tangled is better than Frozen. In part, it's because it had the good old reliable Alan Menken composing the music - which easily should've filled up some of this year's weak spots. As it stands, "I See the Light" is one of the best that he has done in a long, long time. It's perfectly melodic and captures the earnest core of what Disney princess movies should have. Even with the upgrade CGI animation, the music still feels vintage in ways that makes you believe that good family musicals are possible. The only disappointment is that there's not more of them on here.
Song: "If I Rise"
Film: 127 Hours
Performers: Dido, A.R. Rahman
For starters, I do like Dido and think that she does that adult contemporary style oh so well. It makes sense for her to pair up with A.R. Rahman for one of my favorite films of the decade so far. Of course, I just wonder why Rahman has been absent in the few years since. He is probably one of the more exciting and ambitious composers currently in cinema. While I do think that this is secondary material to Slumdog Millionaire, it still manages to capture a mood and essence that I like. The child choir also helps. If nothing else, this really makes me want to revisit 127 Hours again. That was a good movie.
The Winner
Song: "We Belong Together"
Film: Toy Story 3
Performers: Randy Newman
We have been through thick and thin with Randy Newman over the decades, and this win has always baffled me. This is the composer of far superior songs from the first two Toy Story movies, and THIS is the only song among them that wins? It's fine and gets to the point in traditional Newman fashion. It's just that of a career packed with exciting, original music; Newman wins two Oscars for the most pedestrian tunes in his career. I think that this won solely because of the buzz (no pun intended) that Toy Story 3 had in 2010 as being Pixar's greatest achievement. I really like Toy Story 3, but what it needed was better music and not just this mediocre tune over the credits. Oh well. We're onto the most recent decade, and I argue it's among my least favorite next to the 1980's.
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. "I See the Light" - Tangled (2010)
26. "Eye of the Tiger" - Rocky III (1982)
27. "Gonna Fly Now" - Rocky (1976)
28. "Charade" - Charade (1963)
29. "Pieces of Dreams" - Pieces of Dreams (1970)
30. "Wild is the Wind" - Wild is the Wind (1957)
31. "(Love is) The Tender Trap" - The Tender Trap (1955)
32. "Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" -Mahogany (1975)
33. "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" - Yentl (1983)
34. "Pass That Peace Pipe" - Good News (1947)
35. "They're Either Too Young Or Too Old" - Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
36. "Cheek to Cheek" - Top Hat (1935)
37. "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" - Orchestra Wives (1942)
38. "Georgy Girl" - Georgy Girl (1966)
39. "The Trolley Song" - Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
40. "Ac-Cent-U-Ate the Positive" - Here Comes the Wave (1945)
41. "Again" - Poetic Justice (1993)
42. "Come Saturday Morning" - The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)
43. "Cry Freedom" - Cry Freedom (1987)
44. "Live and Let Die" - Live and Let Die (1973)
45. "That'll Do" - Babe: Pig in the City (1998)
46. "Blazing Saddles" - Blazing Saddles (1974)
47. "Listen" - Dreamgirls (2006)
48. "Life is What You Make It" - Koch (1971)
49. "Thoroughly Modern Millie" - Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
50. "Down in New Orleans" - The Princess and the Frog (2009)
51. "Where Love Has Gone" - Where Love Has Gone (1964)
52. "Zing a Little Zong" - Just For You (1952)
53. "Ready to Take a Chance Again" - Foul Play (1978)
54. "Look to Your Path" - The Chorus (2004)
55. "The Hands That Built America" - Gangs of New York (2002)
56. "That Thing You Do" - That Thing You Do (1996)
57. "O... Saya" - Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
58. "Walk on the Wild Side" - Walk on the Wild Side (1962)
59. "Almost in Your Arms (Love Song from Houseboat)" - Houseboat (1958)
60. "Build Me a Kiss to Dream On" - The Strip (1951)
61. "Separate Lives" - White Night (1985)
62. "Star!" - Star! (1968)
63. "Two Hearts" - Buster (1988)
64. "Wilhemina" - Wabash Avenue (1950)
65. "Travellin' Thru" - Transamerica (2005)
66. "Vanilla Sky" - Vanilla Sky (2001)
67. "Through a Long and Sleepless Night" - Come to the Stable (1949)
68. "Waltzing in the Clouds" - Spring Parade (1940)
69. "Endless Love" - Endless Love (1981)
70. "Strange Are the Ways of Love" - The Young Land (1959)
71. "Ole Buttermilk Sky" - Canyon Passage (1946)
72. "Julie" - Julie (1956)
73. "Dust" - Under Western Stars (1938)
74. "The Woody Woodpecker Song" - Wet Blanket Policy (1948)
75. "I Poured My Heart Into a Song" - Second Fiddle (1939)
76. "Remember Me" - Mr. Dodd Takes the Air (1937)
77. "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. "I See the Light" - Tangled (2010)
26. "Eye of the Tiger" - Rocky III (1982)
27. "Gonna Fly Now" - Rocky (1976)
28. "Charade" - Charade (1963)
29. "Pieces of Dreams" - Pieces of Dreams (1970)
30. "Wild is the Wind" - Wild is the Wind (1957)
31. "(Love is) The Tender Trap" - The Tender Trap (1955)
32. "Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" -Mahogany (1975)
33. "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" - Yentl (1983)
34. "Pass That Peace Pipe" - Good News (1947)
35. "They're Either Too Young Or Too Old" - Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
36. "Cheek to Cheek" - Top Hat (1935)
37. "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" - Orchestra Wives (1942)
38. "Georgy Girl" - Georgy Girl (1966)
39. "The Trolley Song" - Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
40. "Ac-Cent-U-Ate the Positive" - Here Comes the Wave (1945)
41. "Again" - Poetic Justice (1993)
42. "Come Saturday Morning" - The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)
43. "Cry Freedom" - Cry Freedom (1987)
44. "Live and Let Die" - Live and Let Die (1973)
45. "That'll Do" - Babe: Pig in the City (1998)
46. "Blazing Saddles" - Blazing Saddles (1974)
47. "Listen" - Dreamgirls (2006)
48. "Life is What You Make It" - Koch (1971)
49. "Thoroughly Modern Millie" - Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
50. "Down in New Orleans" - The Princess and the Frog (2009)
51. "Where Love Has Gone" - Where Love Has Gone (1964)
52. "Zing a Little Zong" - Just For You (1952)
53. "Ready to Take a Chance Again" - Foul Play (1978)
54. "Look to Your Path" - The Chorus (2004)
55. "The Hands That Built America" - Gangs of New York (2002)
56. "That Thing You Do" - That Thing You Do (1996)
57. "O... Saya" - Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
58. "Walk on the Wild Side" - Walk on the Wild Side (1962)
59. "Almost in Your Arms (Love Song from Houseboat)" - Houseboat (1958)
60. "Build Me a Kiss to Dream On" - The Strip (1951)
61. "Separate Lives" - White Night (1985)
62. "Star!" - Star! (1968)
63. "Two Hearts" - Buster (1988)
64. "Wilhemina" - Wabash Avenue (1950)
65. "Travellin' Thru" - Transamerica (2005)
66. "Vanilla Sky" - Vanilla Sky (2001)
67. "Through a Long and Sleepless Night" - Come to the Stable (1949)
68. "Waltzing in the Clouds" - Spring Parade (1940)
69. "Endless Love" - Endless Love (1981)
70. "Strange Are the Ways of Love" - The Young Land (1959)
71. "Ole Buttermilk Sky" - Canyon Passage (1946)
72. "Julie" - Julie (1956)
73. "Dust" - Under Western Stars (1938)
74. "The Woody Woodpecker Song" - Wet Blanket Policy (1948)
75. "I Poured My Heart Into a Song" - Second Fiddle (1939)
76. "Remember Me" - Mr. Dodd Takes the Air (1937)
77. "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. "We Belong Together" - Toy Story 3 (2010)
43. "The Streets of Philadelphia" - Philadelphia (1993)
44. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" - Dirty Dancing (1987)
45. "You Light Up My Life" - You Light Up My Life (1977)
46. "The Weary Kind" - Crazy Heart (2009)
47. "The Days of Wine and Roses" - The Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
48. "Up Where We Belong" - An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
49. "The Shadow of Your Heart" - The Sandpiper (1965)
50. "Take My Breath Away" - Top Gun (1986)
51. "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)" - Dick Tracy (1990)
52. "Buttons and Bows" - The Paleface (1948)
53. "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" - Song of the South (1947)
54. "When You Wish Upon a Star" - Pinocchio (1940)
55. "Al otra lado del rio" - The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
56. "The Windmills of Your Mind" - The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
57. "You Must Love Me" - Evita (1996)
58. "Falling Slowly" - Once (2007)
59. "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" - Hustle & Flow (2005)
60. "Last Dance" - Thank God It's Friday (1978)
61. "Secret Love" - Calamity Jane (1953)
62. "Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do)" - Arthur (1981)
63. "If I Didn't Have You" - Monsters Inc. (2001)
64. "When You Believe" - The Prince of Egypt (1998)
65. "Say You Say Me" - White Night (1985)
66. "Evergreen (Theme From A Star is Born)" - A Star is Born (1976)
67. "Call Me Irresponsible" - Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
68. "You'll Never Know" - Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
69. "On the Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe" - Harvey Girls (1946)
70. "The Continental" - The Gay Divorcee (1934)
71. "Let the River Run" - Working Girl (1988)
72. "I Need to Wake Up" - An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
73. "The Lullaby of Broadway" - Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
74. "Flashdance... What a Feeling" - Flashdance (1983)
75. "We May Never Love Like This Again" - The Towering Inferno (1974)
76. "Sweet Leiulani" - Waikiki Wedding (1937)
77. "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. "We Belong Together" - Toy Story 3 (2010)
43. "The Streets of Philadelphia" - Philadelphia (1993)
44. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" - Dirty Dancing (1987)
45. "You Light Up My Life" - You Light Up My Life (1977)
46. "The Weary Kind" - Crazy Heart (2009)
47. "The Days of Wine and Roses" - The Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
48. "Up Where We Belong" - An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
49. "The Shadow of Your Heart" - The Sandpiper (1965)
50. "Take My Breath Away" - Top Gun (1986)
51. "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)" - Dick Tracy (1990)
52. "Buttons and Bows" - The Paleface (1948)
53. "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" - Song of the South (1947)
54. "When You Wish Upon a Star" - Pinocchio (1940)
55. "Al otra lado del rio" - The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
56. "The Windmills of Your Mind" - The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
57. "You Must Love Me" - Evita (1996)
58. "Falling Slowly" - Once (2007)
59. "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" - Hustle & Flow (2005)
60. "Last Dance" - Thank God It's Friday (1978)
61. "Secret Love" - Calamity Jane (1953)
62. "Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do)" - Arthur (1981)
63. "If I Didn't Have You" - Monsters Inc. (2001)
64. "When You Believe" - The Prince of Egypt (1998)
65. "Say You Say Me" - White Night (1985)
66. "Evergreen (Theme From A Star is Born)" - A Star is Born (1976)
67. "Call Me Irresponsible" - Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
68. "You'll Never Know" - Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
69. "On the Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe" - Harvey Girls (1946)
70. "The Continental" - The Gay Divorcee (1934)
71. "Let the River Run" - Working Girl (1988)
72. "I Need to Wake Up" - An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
73. "The Lullaby of Broadway" - Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
74. "Flashdance... What a Feeling" - Flashdance (1983)
75. "We May Never Love Like This Again" - The Towering Inferno (1974)
76. "Sweet Leiulani" - Waikiki Wedding (1937)
77. "I Just Called to Say I Love You" - The Woman in Red (1984)
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