2015 Best Original Song - Someday, Diane Warren, You'll Get This

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WON: "Writing's on the Wall," Spectre

SHOULD'VE WON: "'Til It Happens to You," The Hunting Ground

Last year's race in the category of Best Original Song began on a rather disheartening note for me, on the day the Academy released the full list of tunes eligible for consideration in the category. Notably absent from the list, in spite of rave reviews and a Golden Globe nomination, was Brian Wilson's "One Kind of Love," from the superb, supremely underrated Wilson biopic Love & Mercy. With the marvelous Wilson track deemed ineligible, I admittedly lost a fair amount of interest in the horse race for this one.

With that said, even with Wilson out of the running, 2015 Best Original Song ultimately turned out to be a respectable affair, even if I don't quite agree with the Academy's selection for the winner.

To the surprise of many, the Academy sided with Sam Smith's "Writing's on the Wall," from the Bond underwhelmer Spectre, over Lady Gaga and Diane Warren's "'Til It Happens to You," from The Hunting Ground, which was deemed such an important nominee that Vice President Joe Biden attended the ceremony to introduce Gaga's performance of the number. That Warren was viewed as long-overdue for an Oscar victory made its front-runner status all the more (seemingly) commanding.

I know a lot of folks flat-out loathed the Smith win, especially on account of his egregiously incorrect suggestion that he was the first openly gay Oscar-winner, but I don't think "Writing's on the Wall" is all that less deserving of an Oscar than "Skyfall." Neither tune, I would argue, is among the best Bond themes, nor quite among the worst. Both are nicely performed and orchestrated but lack the punch of a "Goldfinger" or "Nobody Does It Better."

"'Til It Happens to You," on the other hand, is perhaps the most substantial piece of music Warren's ever composed, and it's pitch-perfectly performed by Gaga. Not sure I would've sided with it over the Wilson tune but of this fivesome, it deserved its front-runner status.

My runner-up here, and a close one at that, would be David Lang's sweeping, gorgeously performed "Simple Song #3" from Youth. Trailing way back, even behind the Smith winner, are Racing Extinction's "Manta Ray," an intriguing number that nonetheless leaves me a bit restless, given its length, and Fifty Shades of Grey's "Earned It," which has the misfortune of automatically coming off cheesy, on account of the film it's featured in. (Also, "Love Me Like You Do" was the more deserving track.)

All 82 Oscar-winners ranked...

  1. "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)
  2. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
  3. "Streets of Philadelphia," Philadelphia (1993)
  4. "Lose Yourself," 8 Mile (2002)
  5. "High Hopes," A Hole in the Head (1959)
  6. "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
  7. "Mona Lisa," Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
  8. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
  9. "(I've Had) the Time of My Life," Dirty Dancing (1987)
  10. "The Windmills of Your Mind," The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
  11. "The Way We Were," The Way We Were (1973)
  12. "Let the River Run," Working Girl (1988)
  13. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  14. "Under the Sea," The Little Mermaid (1989)
  15. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin')," High Noon (1952)
  16. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," The Lion King (1994)
  17. "Beauty and the Beast," Beauty and the Beast (1991)
  18. "I'm Easy," Nashville (1975)
  19. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  20. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  21. "Fame," Fame (1980)
  22. "Theme from Shaft," Shaft (1971)
  23. "Secret Love," Calamity Jane (1953)
  24. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  25. "Moon River," Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
  26. "Take My Breath Away," Top Gun (1986)
  27. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  28. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  29. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  30. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
  31. "A Whole New World," Aladdin (1992)
  32. "My Heart Will Go On," Titanic (1997)
  33. "Let It Go," Frozen (2013)
  34. "Flashdance...What a Feeling," Flashdance (1983)
  35. "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," Arthur (1981)
  36. "I Need to Wake Up," An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
  37. "Last Dance," Thank God It's Friday (1978)
  38. "Colors of the Wind," Pocahontas (1995)
  39. "Falling Slowly," Once (2007)
  40. "You Must Love Me," Evita (1996)
  41. "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)," Dick Tracy (1990)
  42. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  43. "For All We Know," Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)
  44. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  45. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  46. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  47. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  48. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  49. "Skyfall," Skyfall (2012)
  50. "The Weary Kind," Crazy Heart (2009)
  51. "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," Hustle & Flow (2005)
  52. "It Goes Like It Goes," Norma Rae (1979)
  53. "Born Free," Born Free (1966)
  54. "Writing's on the Wall," Spectre (2015)
  55. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  56. "I Just Called to Say I Love You," The Woman in Red (1984)
  57. "Up Where We Belong," An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
  58. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  59. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
  60. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
  61. "Evergreen (Theme from A Star Is Born)," A Star Is Born (1976)
  62. "Al otro lado del río," The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
  63. "Things Have Changed," Wonder Boys (2000)
  64. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  65. "Into the West," The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
  66. "Glory," Selma (2014)
  67. "Man or Muppet," The Muppets (2011)
  68. "We Belong Together," Toy Story 3 (2010)
  69. "Jai Ho," Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
  70. "If I Didn't Have You," Monsters, Inc. (2001)
  71. "You'll Be in My Heart," Tarzan (1999)
  72. "You Light Up My Life," You Light Up My Life (1977)
  73. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  74. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  75. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  76. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)
  77. "Talk to the Animals," Doctor Dolittle (1967)
  78. "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper (1965)
  79. "When You Believe," The Prince of Egypt (1998)
  80. "Say You, Say Me," White Nights (1985)
  81. "The Morning After," The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
  82. "We May Never Love Like This Again," The Towering Inferno (1974)

 

2014 Best Original Song - Everything Is Awesome at the Oscars!

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WON: "Glory," Selma

SHOULD'VE WON: "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me

At last, a year without a clunker of a nominee!

2014 Best Original Song is actually a pretty remarkable affair, a year in which R&B A-listers John Legend and Common scored Selma its sole Oscar victory; Diane Warren garnered her 7th (!) nomination in the category for Beyond the Lights; country legend Glen Campbell won a nod for his swan song; All in the Family alumnus/child star Danielle Brisebois nabbed a nomination for composing a tune for Begin Again; and, well, the fifth nominee was The Lego Movie, which is just awesome.

With that said, I actually consider Selma's "Glory" one of the lesser efforts of this fivesome, despite the unimpeachable talents of its composers. Legend's vocal is, as always, very nice and I dig the chorus, but the record veers a tad on the bombastic side and lacks the nuance that made Selma such a powerful experience. This was, of course, the Academy's one opportunity to give the picture a consolation prize (unless it could somehow upset in Best Picture - credit Paramount's miserably inept awards campaign for the film's absence on Oscar nominations morning), so it was hardly a stunner when "Glory" triumphed.

My favorite of the five nominees is actually Glen Campbell's "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," a poignant song that is full of immense subtlety. This in fact marked the country superstar's second appearance in Best Original Song, after having performed True Grit's title song, nominated at the 1969 Oscars. While that tune was fine but fleeting, "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" leaves an enormous impact.

I'm not quite as enamored with the remaining three nominees, though all at least have a little something to write home about.

Begin Again's "Lost Stars" is about on-par with most Adam Levine efforts, which is to say it's an agreeable piece of pop-rock that I wouldn't protest hearing on the car radio but otherwise isn't something that blows me away. Likewise, Beyond the Stars' "Grateful" has a rather generic sound - this isn't one of Warren's stronger efforts - though it's lifted a bit by Rita Ora's strong vocal work. And The Lego Movie's "Everything Is Awesome" is a pitch-perfect fit for its film but isn't nearly as fun to just listen to, sans the film's extraordinary visuals.

The Oscar-winners ranked (thus far)...

  1. "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)
  2. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
  3. "Streets of Philadelphia," Philadelphia (1993)
  4. "Lose Yourself," 8 Mile (2002)
  5. "High Hopes," A Hole in the Head (1959)
  6. "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
  7. "Mona Lisa," Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
  8. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
  9. "(I've Had) the Time of My Life," Dirty Dancing (1987)
  10. "The Windmills of Your Mind," The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
  11. "The Way We Were," The Way We Were (1973)
  12. "Let the River Run," Working Girl (1988)
  13. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  14. "Under the Sea," The Little Mermaid (1989)
  15. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin')," High Noon (1952)
  16. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," The Lion King (1994)
  17. "Beauty and the Beast," Beauty and the Beast (1991)
  18. "I'm Easy," Nashville (1975)
  19. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  20. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  21. "Fame," Fame (1980)
  22. "Theme from Shaft," Shaft (1971)
  23. "Secret Love," Calamity Jane (1953)
  24. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  25. "Moon River," Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
  26. "Take My Breath Away," Top Gun (1986)
  27. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  28. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  29. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  30. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
  31. "A Whole New World," Aladdin (1992)
  32. "My Heart Will Go On," Titanic (1997)
  33. "Let It Go," Frozen (2013)
  34. "Flashdance...What a Feeling," Flashdance (1983)
  35. "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," Arthur (1981)
  36. "I Need to Wake Up," An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
  37. "Last Dance," Thank God It's Friday (1978)
  38. "Colors of the Wind," Pocahontas (1995)
  39. "Falling Slowly," Once (2007)
  40. "You Must Love Me," Evita (1996)
  41. "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)," Dick Tracy (1990)
  42. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  43. "For All We Know," Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)
  44. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  45. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  46. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  47. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  48. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  49. "Skyfall," Skyfall (2012)
  50. "The Weary Kind," Crazy Heart (2009)
  51. "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," Hustle & Flow (2005)
  52. "It Goes Like It Goes," Norma Rae (1979)
  53. "Born Free," Born Free (1966)
  54. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  55. "I Just Called to Say I Love You," The Woman in Red (1984)
  56. "Up Where We Belong," An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
  57. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  58. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
  59. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
  60. "Evergreen (Theme from A Star Is Born)," A Star Is Born (1976)
  61. "Al otro lado del río," The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
  62. "Things Have Changed," Wonder Boys (2000)
  63. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  64. "Into the West," The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
  65. "Glory," Selma (2014)
  66. "Man or Muppet," The Muppets (2011)
  67. "We Belong Together," Toy Story 3 (2010)
  68. "Jai Ho," Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
  69. "If I Didn't Have You," Monsters, Inc. (2001)
  70. "You'll Be in My Heart," Tarzan (1999)
  71. "You Light Up My Life," You Light Up My Life (1977)
  72. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  73. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  74. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  75. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)
  76. "Talk to the Animals," Doctor Dolittle (1967)
  77. "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper (1965)
  78. "When You Believe," The Prince of Egypt (1998)
  79. "Say You, Say Me," White Nights (1985)
  80. "The Morning After," The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
  81. "We May Never Love Like This Again," The Towering Inferno (1974)

2013 Best Original Song - Sorry Bono, Idina's Got This

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WON AND SHOULD'VE WON: "Let It Go," Frozen

Right on the heels of nominations morning, the 2013 Oscars got off to a bit of an eyebrow-raising start, and all on account of the category of Best Original Song.

Among the five nominated tunes was a real oddball by the name of "Alone Yet Not Alone," from an eponymous Christian film that never expanded beyond 103 theaters nationally. Performed by Evangelical author Joni Eareckson Tada, the song was co-written by Bruce Broughton, a former governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Upon discovering Broughton had used that status to lobby the track to a nomination, newly elected AMPAS President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced the song's recognition would be rescinded, resulting in a four-nominee Best Original Song category.

This development marked the first time in Oscar history that a nomination was revoked on ethical grounds.

For what it's worth, "Alone Yet Not Alone" is a bit of a snooze and it's a real shame a terrific song like Inside Llewyn Davis' "Please Mr. Kennedy" was overlooked in favor of a track that would merely serve as a temporary nominee. (Perhaps the Academy ought to revise their rules to more closely mirror the Emmys, where, just this year, an acting nominee - Peter MacNicol on Veep - was revoked his nomination and then replaced with the sixth-place finisher, Peter Scolari on Girls.)

As for the four surviving 2013 Best Original Song nominees, Pharrell Williams' "Happy," from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack, might well edge-out "My Heart Will Go On" as the most oversaturated record to ever grace the category - the difference being, the Celine Dion song was actually good. I wasn't enamored with "Happy" to begin with and I'm hardly more impressed 100 or so listens later. I'm also not terribly fond of Karen O and Spike Jonze's fleeting "The Moon Song," though I would at least concede it's a perfectly appropriate fit for Her. It just doesn't pack the same punch as say, their Where the Wild Things Are work.

More interesting is U2's moving "Ordinary Love," which, alongside Idris Elba's commanding performance, was one of the few great parts of the otherwise-underwhelming Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.

But I think the Academy got this one right - Frozen's "Let It Go" may have been more than a tad overplayed as well but there's no denying the exhilarating power of Idina Menzel's vocal performance or the soaring music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, which come awfully close to rivaling the near-untouchable work of Disney juggernauts Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.

The Oscar-winners ranked (thus far)...

  1. "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)
  2. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
  3. "Streets of Philadelphia," Philadelphia (1993)
  4. "Lose Yourself," 8 Mile (2002)
  5. "High Hopes," A Hole in the Head (1959)
  6. "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
  7. "Mona Lisa," Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
  8. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
  9. "(I've Had) the Time of My Life," Dirty Dancing (1987)
  10. "The Windmills of Your Mind," The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
  11. "The Way We Were," The Way We Were (1973)
  12. "Let the River Run," Working Girl (1988)
  13. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  14. "Under the Sea," The Little Mermaid (1989)
  15. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin')," High Noon (1952)
  16. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," The Lion King (1994)
  17. "Beauty and the Beast," Beauty and the Beast (1991)
  18. "I'm Easy," Nashville (1975)
  19. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  20. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  21. "Fame," Fame (1980)
  22. "Theme from Shaft," Shaft (1971)
  23. "Secret Love," Calamity Jane (1953)
  24. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  25. "Moon River," Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
  26. "Take My Breath Away," Top Gun (1986)
  27. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  28. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  29. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  30. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
  31. "A Whole New World," Aladdin (1992)
  32. "My Heart Will Go On," Titanic (1997)
  33. "Let It Go," Frozen (2013)
  34. "Flashdance...What a Feeling," Flashdance (1983)
  35. "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," Arthur (1981)
  36. "I Need to Wake Up," An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
  37. "Last Dance," Thank God It's Friday (1978)
  38. "Colors of the Wind," Pocahontas (1995)
  39. "Falling Slowly," Once (2007)
  40. "You Must Love Me," Evita (1996)
  41. "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)," Dick Tracy (1990)
  42. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  43. "For All We Know," Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)
  44. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  45. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  46. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  47. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  48. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  49. "Skyfall," Skyfall (2012)
  50. "The Weary Kind," Crazy Heart (2009)
  51. "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," Hustle & Flow (2005)
  52. "It Goes Like It Goes," Norma Rae (1979)
  53. "Born Free," Born Free (1966)
  54. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  55. "I Just Called to Say I Love You," The Woman in Red (1984)
  56. "Up Where We Belong," An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
  57. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  58. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
  59. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
  60. "Evergreen (Theme from A Star Is Born)," A Star Is Born (1976)
  61. "Al otro lado del río," The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
  62. "Things Have Changed," Wonder Boys (2000)
  63. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  64. "Into the West," The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
  65. "Man or Muppet," The Muppets (2011)
  66. "We Belong Together," Toy Story 3 (2010)
  67. "Jai Ho," Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
  68. "If I Didn't Have You," Monsters, Inc. (2001)
  69. "You'll Be in My Heart," Tarzan (1999)
  70. "You Light Up My Life," You Light Up My Life (1977)
  71. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  72. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  73. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  74. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)
  75. "Talk to the Animals," Doctor Dolittle (1967)
  76. "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper (1965)
  77. "When You Believe," The Prince of Egypt (1998)
  78. "Say You, Say Me," White Nights (1985)
  79. "The Morning After," The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
  80. "We May Never Love Like This Again," The Towering Inferno (1974)

2012 Best Original Song - Adele Heals 007's Oscar Wounds

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WON AND SHOULD'VE WON: "Skyfall," Skyfall

Prior to the 2012 Oscar ceremony, the James Bond film franchise had never received much in the way of affection from the Academy.

In terms of actual wins, only Goldfinger and Thunderball had scored prizes - in Best Sound Effects and Best Visual Effects, respectively, over nominal competition. Diamonds Are Forever received a nomination for its sound effects and Moonraker nabbed a nod for its visual effects. The most well-received Bond flick was actually The Spy Who Loved Me, which managed three nominations in 1977 - Best Art Direction, Best Original Score and yes, Best Original Song.

The Spy Who Loved Me's "Nobody Does It Better" (perhaps the all-time greatest Bond song) was one of three Bond pictures to show up in Best Original Song, the other two being the eponymous themes to Live and Let Die (fun) and For Your Eyes Only (dreadful adult contemporary).

Come 2012, more than three decades since the last 007 appearance in Best Original Song, the Academy was at last ready to embrace a Bond theme for victory, though, to be fair, I'm not so sure "Skyfall" would have triumphed (or even been nominated) without the beloved juggernaut of a performer that is Adele.

I don't quite consider "Skyfall" one of the strongest Bond themes - looking back over all of them, I'd rank it right around #10 - but it is nicely orchestrated, of course gorgeously performed and has the good fortune of headlining one of the best non-Connery films in the franchise. It is also a lot more entertaining than its Best Original Song company in 2012, an otherwise pretty forgettable foursome of tunes that didn't even much resonate at their time of release.

I would argue there are basically three tiers in quality in this category - "Skyfall," then the Life of Pi and Ted tracks and then way behind them, the Chasing Ice and Les Miz tunes.

Mychael Danna's music to Life of Pi is truly sumptuous stuff, a whole-heartedly worthy winner in Best Original Score. "Pi's Lullaby" pairs Danna's composition with lyrics by Bombay Jayashri and, while the track is certainly affecting, I'm not sure Jayashri's contribution brings a whole lot to the table - the tune doesn't soar any higher than anything else on the soundtrack.

Ted's "Everybody Needs a Best Friend" is amiable-enough, composed by Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane and Walter Murphy and performed by Norah Jones, but I almost wish MacFarlane had gone the South Park route and given his original song some raunchy bite. For being included in such a raw, side-splitting film, this is pretty light, generic stuff.

I won't spend much time on the other two nominees, other than to say Les Miserables' "Suddenly" is yet another stage-to-screen adaptation original song that pales completely in comparison to the original stage music, and Chasing Ice's "Before My Time" is a lifeless sleeping pill.

The Oscar-winners ranked (thus far)...

  1. "Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)
  2. "The Way You Look Tonight," Swing Time (1936)
  3. "Streets of Philadelphia," Philadelphia (1993)
  4. "Lose Yourself," 8 Mile (2002)
  5. "High Hopes," A Hole in the Head (1959)
  6. "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
  7. "Mona Lisa," Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
  8. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
  9. "(I've Had) the Time of My Life," Dirty Dancing (1987)
  10. "The Windmills of Your Mind," The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
  11. "The Way We Were," The Way We Were (1973)
  12. "Let the River Run," Working Girl (1988)
  13. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  14. "Under the Sea," The Little Mermaid (1989)
  15. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin')," High Noon (1952)
  16. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," The Lion King (1994)
  17. "Beauty and the Beast," Beauty and the Beast (1991)
  18. "I'm Easy," Nashville (1975)
  19. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  20. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  21. "Fame," Fame (1980)
  22. "Theme from Shaft," Shaft (1971)
  23. "Secret Love," Calamity Jane (1953)
  24. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  25. "Moon River," Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
  26. "Take My Breath Away," Top Gun (1986)
  27. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  28. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  29. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  30. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
  31. "A Whole New World," Aladdin (1992)
  32. "My Heart Will Go On," Titanic (1997)
  33. "Flashdance...What a Feeling," Flashdance (1983)
  34. "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," Arthur (1981)
  35. "I Need to Wake Up," An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
  36. "Last Dance," Thank God It's Friday (1978)
  37. "Colors of the Wind," Pocahontas (1995)
  38. "Falling Slowly," Once (2007)
  39. "You Must Love Me," Evita (1996)
  40. "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)," Dick Tracy (1990)
  41. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  42. "For All We Know," Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)
  43. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  44. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  45. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  46. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  47. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  48. "Skyfall," Skyfall (2012)
  49. "The Weary Kind," Crazy Heart (2009)
  50. "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," Hustle & Flow (2005)
  51. "It Goes Like It Goes," Norma Rae (1979)
  52. "Born Free," Born Free (1966)
  53. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  54. "I Just Called to Say I Love You," The Woman in Red (1984)
  55. "Up Where We Belong," An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
  56. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  57. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
  58. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
  59. "Evergreen (Theme from A Star Is Born)," A Star Is Born (1976)
  60. "Al otro lado del río," The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
  61. "Things Have Changed," Wonder Boys (2000)
  62. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  63. "Into the West," The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
  64. "Man or Muppet," The Muppets (2011)
  65. "We Belong Together," Toy Story 3 (2010)
  66. "Jai Ho," Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
  67. "If I Didn't Have You," Monsters, Inc. (2001)
  68. "You'll Be in My Heart," Tarzan (1999)
  69. "You Light Up My Life," You Light Up My Life (1977)
  70. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  71. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  72. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  73. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)
  74. "Talk to the Animals," Doctor Dolittle (1967)
  75. "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper (1965)
  76. "When You Believe," The Prince of Egypt (1998)
  77. "Say You, Say Me," White Nights (1985)
  78. "The Morning After," The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
  79. "We May Never Love Like This Again," The Towering Inferno (1974)