When it comes to Oscar categories, usually one of the most slight is Best Original Song. It’s often either fairly obvious what the winner is going to be, or simply a handful of songs most people have never heard of. Back in the 80s and 90s, original songs were a pretty typical part of the moviemaking process—rememberThe Bodyguard? Films had memorable soundtracks to boost their profiles, usually with a famous pop star front and center. But today, that’s a thing of the past. Academy rules are such that a film can only be under consideration for Best Original Song if the song actually plays during the movie itself, not only over the credits. And soundtracking scenes of your movie to a new song by a famous recording artist just feels kind of old fashioned.
So, yeah, Best Original Song isn’t usually one of the most exciting categories on Oscar night, but that’s definitely not the case this year. In fact, 2016 may offer the category’s most competitive year yet, as a number of fantastic original songs are vying for contention, with some serious talent to boot.
The obvious frontrunner isLin-Manuel Miranda, who’s poised to EGOT if he wins this category for his work on the Disney animated featureMoana. There are two songs in the film that are eligible, “We Know the Way” and “How Far I’ll Go”, the latter of which appears to be Disney’s best bet as the studio is pushing it quite hard. Disney has a long history with Best Original Song, winning as recently as 2013 forFrozen’s “Let It Go”, and indeed it’s certainly more organic to include an original piece of music in an animated musical than a traditional live-action film. Plus, Miranda’s starpower isinsaneright now as theHamiltoncreator is one of the most beloved artists working today.
But this is also a good time to remind you that when Academy members are voting for Best Original Song, they don’t see who’s responsible for writing the song. The ballots are laid out so that for this category, the nominees only appear as the song title and the movie. This explains how a song like “Writing’s on the Wall” fromSpectrebeat outLady Gaga’s “’Til It Happens to You” fromThe Hunting Ground. That said,Moana’s a pretty recognizable title and Miranda is omnipresent, so one imagines voters won’t have too much trouble remembering this particular contender.
And then we haveLa La Land, the current frontrunner for Best Picture, which also happens to be a musical. Lionsgate/Summit is playing this onereallysmart, only submitting two songs for consideration from the film even though the movie features a bevy of original music. “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)”, sung byEmma Stone, is the film’s best bet and indeed a serious contender in this category at the moment, but the other song the studio is pushing—“City of Stars”—is basically the film’s main theme, so it’s got a solid shot as well. Support forLa La Landwill no doubt be huge on Oscar night, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility to think that’ll extend to the Best Original Song category.
Although this year isn’t without its starpower elsewhere. You’d be hard-pressed to find a voter whohasn’theardJustin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling” fromTrolls, as the song is not only an Oscar contender but also a major pop hit. And the music-centric animated featureSinghas a formidable entry in the form of “Faith,” performed byStevie WonderandAriana Grandeand written by hit-makerRyan Tedder, whileZootopiahasShakira’s “Try Everything” in the mix andPharrell Williamscould find himself a nominee for hisHidden Figurestrack “Runnin.”
There’s also “I’m Still Here” to consider from the documentaryMiss Sharon Jones, which could find a groundswell of support in the wake of the doc subject’s sad passing last month. Also contending as a documentary song isTori Amos’ “Flicker”, from the tactful and moving sexual assault documentaryAudrie & Daisy.
And the category is even more competitive when you throw inSing Street, a film whose release was positively botched this spring by The Weinstein Company, but managed a Best Picture – Musical or Comedy nomination from the Golden Globes this week. The musical hails fromOncefilmmakerJohn Carney, and if there were any justice in this category he’d be a contender for Oscar-eligible songs “Go Now” and “Drive It Like You Stole It.”
So as you may see, Best Original Song is positively stacked this year. And that’s without even mentioningCommon’s “A Letter to the Free” from13th,Sia’s “Never Give Up” fromLion, orAlan Menken’s “The Great Beyond” fromSausage Party, which is being pushed much harder than one might assume. In reality, any one of the songs mentioned here could land a nomination, and the competition to actually win isfierce. Things will become clearer in the coming weeks, but as it stands right now, Best Original Song is one of the year’s most exciting Oscar categories.
For more Oscar Beatclick here, or peruse the links to my other early predictions below.
