1966 Best Original Song - Dionne Warwick Did It Better

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WON: "Born Free," Born Free

SHOULD'VE WON: "Alfie," Alfie

The legendary Dionne Warwick's 1967 rendition of "Alfie" is among my all-time favorite records. Warwick had such a sterling way with Burt Bacharach and Hal David - she so beautifully captured the spirit of their music and lyrics, and "Alfie" found the duo very much operating at the top of their game. "Alfie," "Anyone Who Had a Heart," "Don't Make Me Over" - all unimpeachable classics, a dazzling teaming of just the right vocalist and composers.

Alas, Warwick's was not the original "Alfie," included in the '66 Michael Caine film - that honor went to Cilla Black, in the UK release, and Cher, on the US side. I'm afraid neither Black nor Cher quite capture the magic Warwick did the following year - Black's vocal is something of an acquired taste (I have a tough time loving it) and Cher sounds quite splendid, but the production on her version, conducted by then-husband Sonny Bono, is a loud and distracting Phil Spector imitation that ultimately overwhelms her fine vocal. The Warwick cover has a romantic nuance and subtlety that is sorely missing in the previous versions.

With that said, even taking into account my criticisms of the Black/Cher originals, I still rather handily give "Alfie" the prize here. The Bacharach/David music and lyrics can't be beat and it's a rather unremarkable year otherwise.

John Barry and Don Black, the team behind several fine James Bond themes, prevailed here for "Born Free," from the picture of the same name. The tune wants to be a soaring, inspirational experience, and with a boffo vocal performance by Matt Monro, it comes reasonably close, but ultimately I think is more cheesy than anything else. Still, there have been far worse winners here.

I enjoy The Seekers' "Georgy Girl," from the eponymous film that put Lynn Redgrave on the map as leading lady material. Much like "Town Without Pity" reeked (in a good way, of course) of early '60s pop-rock, "Georgy Girl," more than any other song that has played thus far, very much brings to mind the more folksy pop-rock from later in the decade.

Less notable are "My Wishing Doll," performed by Julie Andrews for a hot second in George Roy Hill's overblown Hawaii, and "A Time for Love," performed by Jackie Ward (dubbing for Janet Leigh) in the massive box office and critical disaster An American Dream - the latter is pretty much the epitome of elevator music.

As for the snubbed this year, an instrumental version of "Strangers in the Night," later performed to immense success by Frank Sinatra, was actually first showcased in the obscure James Garner comedy A Man Could Get Killed, winning the Golden Globe that year for Best Original Song. I think it's very nice but surely not as memorable without the Sinatra vocal.

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. "High Hopes," A Hole in the Head (1959)
  4. "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
  5. "Mona Lisa," Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
  6. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  7. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  8. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
  9. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin')," High Noon (1952)
  10. "Secret Love," Calamity Jane (1953)
  11. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  12. "Moon River," Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
  13. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  14. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  15. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  16. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
  17. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  18. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  19. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  20. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  21. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  22. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  23. "Born Free," Born Free (1966)
  24. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  25. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  26. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
  27. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
  28. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  29. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  30. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  31. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  32. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)
  33. "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper (1965)

1965 Best Original Song - Nat King Cole's Swan Song

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WON: "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper

SHOULD'VE WON: "The Ballad of Cat Ballou," Cat Ballou

On February 15, 1965, at the mere age of 45, Nat King Cole, unimpeachably one of the all-time great vocalists and jazz pianists, died of lung cancer. Cole tunes were nominated on three occasions at the Oscars - in 1950 (for the winning "Mona Lisa"), in 1953 (for "My Flaming Heart," which I argued should have won that year) and finally posthumously, in 1965, for Cat Ballou's "The Ballad of Cat Ballou."

"The Ballad of Cat Ballou" is not quite in the same league as the other two Oscar-recognized Cole songs - it's a giddy, enjoyable tune for sure, but a tad silly and isn't the greatest showcase for Cole's legendary voice - but nonetheless, on account of some truly lackluster competition, it is rather easily my pick for the win in '65.

In fact, the winner in '65, "The Shadow of Your Smile," from the atrocious Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton yarn The Sandpiper, is the worst Oscar-winner in this category I've encountered thus far. The track was later covered to slightly better effect by a wide array of artists, including Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra and, most notably, Tony Bennett, whose version won the Song of the Year Grammy in '66 (inexplicably, over The Beatles' "Yesterday"). The film's version, however, is a real snooze - it's tough to even pay attention to the lyrics, as the vocals and production are so uninspired.

Henry Mancini's "The Sweetheart Tree," performed by Natalie Wood in Blake Edwards' egregiously overlong The Great Race, features some reliably moving Mancini instrumentals but is otherwise pretty fleeting and forgettable stuff. Johnny Mathis later did a cover that was a bit more interesting. As for "What's New, Pussycat," the first (and far from last) Burt Bacharach-Hal David tune to make an appearance in Best Original Song, I've long considered it among my least favorites from the Bacharach-David catalogue. (I do, however, look greatly forward to "Alfie" next year.)

My runner-up here would have to be "I Will Wait for You," from the truly glorious The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, though it's admittedly more on account of Michel Legrand's lovely music than the rather so-so vocals.

In terms of tunes that were snubbed this year, I suppose I would have nominated "Thunderball" (from the Bond flick of the same name), even though I've never really counted it among my favorites from the series. It's just such a ho-hum year for Original Song.

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. "High Hopes," A Hole in the Head (1959)
  4. "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
  5. "Mona Lisa," Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
  6. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  7. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  8. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
  9. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin')," High Noon (1952)
  10. "Secret Love," Calamity Jane (1953)
  11. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  12. "Moon River," Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
  13. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  14. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  15. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  16. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
  17. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  18. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  19. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  20. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  21. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  22. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  23. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  24. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  25. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
  26. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
  27. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  28. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  29. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  30. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  31. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)
  32. "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper (1965)

1964 Best Original Song - When the Oscars Snubbed Bond and the Beatles

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WON: "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins

SHOULD'VE WON: "Dear Heart," Dear Heart

1964 is among the most aggravating years at the Oscars - it's the one where the dull-as-dishwater My Fair Lady crushed the brilliant likes of Becket and Dr. Strangelove just about across-the-board. Rex Harrison defeated Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole and Peter Sellers, while George Cukor outpaced Peter Glenville and Stanley Kubrick - the bottom line being I'm not the happiest camper when it comes to diving into this year.

The state of Best Original Song in '64 is not much more uplifting - in fact, it's kind of worse, not because the Academy's nominees are bad (they're actually decent, for the most part), but because of what was omitted. Somehow, the Oscars managed to ignore both Shirley Bassey's incredible theme to Goldfinger - arguably the greatest Bond song of all - and every wonderful track from The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night. Imagine if this category were instead...

"Goldfinger," Goldfinger
"Can't Buy Me Love," A Hard Day's Night
"A Hard Day's Night," A Hard Day's Night
"And I Love Her," A Hard Day's Night
"If I Fell," A Hard Day's Night

That would've pretty much been the greatest Best Original Song line-up ever. Alas, in spite of Goldfinger winning the Best Sound Effects category this year, and A Hard Day's Night garnering noms in Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Score (losing to the lackluster Father Goose and My Fair Lady, respectively), there was inexplicably no love in this particular category.

Instead, what we're left with is a respectable but largely unexciting batch of nominees.

"Chim Chim Cher-ee," performed by the great Dick Van Dyke in Disney's Mary Poppins, is, I suppose, a memorable tune, but is it really even among the best songs from the film? I would count "A Spoonful of Sugar," "I Love to Laugh," "A Man Has Dreams," "Let's Go Fly a Kite" and especially "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" as quite superior to the Academy's favorite. Perhaps Disney randomly went all-in with an Oscar campaign for this one song at the time? It just strikes me as rather odd.

"Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte," from the marvelous Bette Davis-Olivia De Havilland horror-drama of the same name, and "Where Love Has Gone," from the not-so-marvelous Bette Davis-Susan Hayward melodrama of the same name, are capably performed by Al Martino and Jack Jones, respectively, albeit a bit on the mushy side. Soon after the film's release, Patti Page did a cover of "Hush...Hush" that has a bit more life to it than the Martino original.

My two favorites of the group are "Dear Heart," a gorgeous Henry Mancini piece, beautifully delivered by Andy Williams, and "My Kind of Town," Frank Sinatra's memorable ode to the City of Chicago. The Sinatra tune is nicely staged in Robin and the 7 Hoods and, over the years, emerged one of his reliable standbys in concert, but my heart is definitely with the Williams record here, particularly given it's showcased in filmmaker Delbert Mann's picture of the same name, which I absolutely adore (it features one of Geraldine Page's finest performances and has a lot of the same nuanced romance as Mann's Oscar-winning Marty).

With that said, "Goldfinger" or "A Hard Day's Night" would've triumphed here for me rather handily, had the Academy bothered to nominate them.

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. "High Hopes," A Hole in the Head (1959)
  4. "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
  5. "Mona Lisa," Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
  6. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  7. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  8. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
  9. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin')," High Noon (1952)
  10. "Secret Love," Calamity Jane (1953)
  11. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  12. "Moon River," Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
  13. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  14. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  15. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  16. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
  17. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  18. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  19. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  20. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  21. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  22. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  23. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  24. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  25. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
  26. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
  27. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  28. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  29. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  30. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  31. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)

1963 Best Original Song - It's a Meh, Meh, Meh, Meh Category

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WON: "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition

SHOULD'VE WON: "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

"Call Me Irresponsible," composed by the same legendary Sammy Cahn-Jimmy Van Heusen team that also scored Oscars for "All the Way" and "High Hopes," is an unimpeachably iconic tune, a piece that emerged a standard through fine covers by the likes of Judy Garland, Dinah Washington and, perhaps most notably, Frank Sinatra. There was a fascinating debate between Van Heusen and Cahn over just who exactly the song was originally written for - the former has said Garland, as a sort of parody of her diva reputation, while the latter claimed Fred Astaire, the initially cast leading man of the picture Papa's Delicate Condition.

Regardless of whether it was meant for Garland or Astaire, the latter was ultimately unable to star in Papa's Delicate Condition on account of contractual issues, leaving the debut of "Call Me Irresponsible" to be performed by, of all people...Jackie Gleason.

In a turn that makes the lifeless likes of Marlon Brando in Guys and Dolls and Clint Eastwood in Paint Your Wagon sound like Crosby and Astaire, Gleason drunkenly sleepwalks his way through the song. The unpleasant experience suggests the apparent strengths we've seen in "Call Me Irresponsible" might well stem less from the Cahn-Van Heusen tune itself and more from the amazing performers who've tackled it since Gleason's original.

Unfortunately, the rest of 1963 Best Original Song isn't remarkably better. I suppose I was spoiled by the immense strength of '62 (my favorite year thus far in this category).

The team of Dimitri Tiomkin and Paul Francis Webster have impressed me greatly with their appearances in this category - I even went with their "Town Without Pity" over the uber-legendary "Moon River" two years back - but they did have one nominated clunker ("Strange Are the Ways of Love" in '59) and I'm afraid their song this year, the maudlin "So Little Time" from the Charlton Heston-Ava Gardner bomb 55 Days at Peking, marks their second underwhelmer for me.

Mondo Cane's "More" and Charade's, well, "Charade" are fine, if rather unremarkable instrumental tracks. "Charade" does have a nice Bernard Herrmannesque vibe to it, though I don't think I would ever label it top-tier Henry Mancini.

Ultimately, my pick this year is the only nominee I have any real fun with - the charmingly goofy title theme to the comparably charmingly goofy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. It has a peppy Broadway showtune quality to it, with music and lyrics that no doubt inspired future musical comedies like The Producers and Spamalot. Is it among the most well-performed/composed, interesting or unforgettable tunes to have been nominated for Best Original Song? Not exactly. But at least it gets my toes tapping, which is far more than I can say about Jackie Gleason's "singing."

On a final note, what a shame (and surprise) Judy Garland's "I Could Go on Singing" (from the film of the same name) - the final Garland tune that would've been eligible in Best Original Song, prior to her death in '69 - wasn't recognized here. It's an infinitely more stirring song (written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, the same team from "Over the Rainbow") than all of the Academy's picks this year.

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. "High Hopes," A Hole in the Head (1959)
  4. "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
  5. "Mona Lisa," Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
  6. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  7. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  8. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
  9. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin')," High Noon (1952)
  10. "Secret Love," Calamity Jane (1953)
  11. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  12. "Moon River," Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
  13. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  14. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  15. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  16. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
  17. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  18. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  19. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  20. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  21. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  22. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  23. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  24. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  25. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
  26. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  27. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  28. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  29. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  30. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)

1962 Best Original Song - Walking on the Wild Side

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WON: "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses

SHOULD'VE WON: "Walk on the Wild Side," Walk on the Wild Side

Now THIS is a terrific category. Year after year in reviewing these categories, there is almost always (if not legitimately always, thus far) at least one dud or underwhelmer in Best Original Song. That simply isn't the case with 1962, the year "Days of Wine and Roses," the moving and subtle Henry Mancini piece from the startling Jack Lemmon-Lee Remick picture of the same name, took home the trophy.

And while I have no real qualms with Mancini prevailing here, just as he did the year before with "Moon River," '62 Original Song is so strong that even a terrific piece like "Days of Wine and Roses" can fall short.

For me, the most impressive nominee here comes from the weakest picture, by far - "Walk on the Wild Side," an Elmer Bernstein-Mack David piece from the ludicrous, star-studded (as in, Jane Fonda, Anne Baxter and Barbara Stanwyck, among others) soap of the same name. It's a real knockout, performed with considerable zest by the great R&B vocalist Brook Benton. Benton may be best-known for his duets opposite the equally great Dinah Washington but "Walk on the Wild Side" proves he was a force to be reckoned with on his own terms too.

"Tender Is the Night" and "Second Chance," performed by Tony Bennett and Jackie Cain, respectively, are very powerful vocal showcases - I've actually listened to the Bennett track most over the past couple of days, if exclusively for his powerful performance. In most years, songs like these, "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Days of Wine and Roses" could easily be my winning pick.

The fifth nominee, "Follow Me," from the not-great Marlon Brando Mutiny on the Bounty, is clearly dead last of this line-up but nonetheless a pretty fascinating track - it's often cited as "Love Song from Mutiny on the Bounty," yet it strikes me as more unsettling than it does romantic. I could swear I've heard something near-identical in one of the Exorcist pictures.

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. "High Hopes," A Hole in the Head (1959)
  4. "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
  5. "Mona Lisa," Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
  6. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  7. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  8. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
  9. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin')," High Noon (1952)
  10. "Secret Love," Calamity Jane (1953)
  11. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  12. "Moon River," Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
  13. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  14. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  15. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  16. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
  17. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  18. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  19. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  20. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  21. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  22. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  23. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  24. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  25. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  26. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  27. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  28. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  29. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)