1980 Best Original Song - Don't Mess with Dolly

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WON: "Fame," Fame

SHOULD'VE WON: "9 to 5," 9 to 5

1980 marks a refreshingly sensational year for Best Original Song at the Oscars - and that's even in spite of the Academy not recognizing the memorable likes of Blondie's "Call Me" (from American Gigolo), Kenny Loggins' "I'm Alright" (from Caddyshack), Olivia Newton-John's "Magic" (from Xanadu) and Neil Diamond's "America" (from The Jazz Singer). My hunch, of course, is the Academy had scant interest in recognizing the likes of American Gigolo, Caddyshack, Xanadu or The Jazz Singer.

What the Academy did offer us this year were five terrific songs, arguably marking the first time ever that every nominee was richly deserving of honor.

The Academy's pick for the win here, "Fame", from the eponymous film, is an irresistibly infectious toe-tapper, performed pitch-perfectly by leading lady Irene Cara, who also delivers a fine turn on the nominated "Out Here on My Own." Both songs were composed by Michael Gore, who went on to score the Oscar-winning Terms of Endearment before his work on Broadway's infamous Carrie: The Musical unfortunately tarnished his career. His sister Lesley, the '60s icon who'd scored a big Billboard hit with "It's My Party," was responsible for the lyrics on "Out Here on My Own." Both Fame tracks are marvelous - I really can't knock its win here at all, except to say I prefer...

...Dolly Parton's supremely delightful "9 to 5," again from the eponymous film, which clocked in at #78 on AFI's list of "100 Years...100 Songs." (For what it's worth, "Fame" did rank a tad higher on that list, at #51.) I may be a bit biased here, as 9 to 5 is among my all-time favorite comedies. Even as a young lad in elementary school, I got a huge kick out of the picture, and particularly at the sight of Parton, Lily Tomlin (robbed of an Oscar nomination this year) and Jane Fonda getting their long-overdue revenge on Dabney Coleman. Two decades later, and I adore the film (and the title song) more than ever.

The remaining two nominees here are terrific too. Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" is among the all-time great road trip tunes, a superb country-adult contemporary piece that found its artist operating at the very top of his game. "People Alone," composed by Lalo Schifrin and performed by the wonderful R&B vocalist Randy Crawford (who was something of a one-hit wonder with "Street Life"), is also prime stuff from the soft rock genre, a fine piece featured in the unfairly forgotten Richard Dreyfuss vehicle The Competition.

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. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
  7. "The Windmills of Your Mind," The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
  8. "The Way We Were," The Way We Were (1973)
  9. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  10. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin')," High Noon (1952)
  11. "I'm Easy," Nashville (1975)
  12. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  13. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  14. "Fame," Fame (1980)
  15. "Theme from Shaft," Shaft (1971)
  16. "Secret Love," Calamity Jane (1953)
  17. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  18. "Moon River," Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
  19. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  20. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  21. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  22. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
  23. "Last Dance," Thank God It's Friday (1978)
  24. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  25. "For All We Know," Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)
  26. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  27. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  28. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  29. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  30. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  31. "It Goes Like It Goes," Norma Rae (1979)
  32. "Born Free," Born Free (1966)
  33. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  34. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  35. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
  36. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
  37. "Evergreen (Theme from A Star Is Born)," A Star Is Born (1976)
  38. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  39. "You Light Up My Life," You Light Up My Life (1977)
  40. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  41. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  42. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  43. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)
  44. "Talk to the Animals," Doctor Dolittle (1967)
  45. "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper (1965)
  46. "The Morning After," The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
  47. "We May Never Love Like This Again," The Towering Inferno (1974)

1979 Best Original Song - That Time Norma Rae Squashed Kermit

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WON: "It Goes Like It Goes," Norma Rae

SHOULD'VE WON: "The Rainbow Connection," The Muppet Movie

A cloud of eligibility confusion hovers over 1979 Best Original Song, a category that presumably would have been dominated by "The Rose" (from the eponymous Bette Midler film) - which won the Golden Globe for Original Song - if only the Academy hadn't deemed it ineligible for consideration.

The beautiful, haunting tune, written by Amanda McBroom, had never been formally recorded prior to The Rose but when questioned by the Academy, McBroom stated honestly that she hadn't composed the track specifically for the film. Instead, she'd written the song a couple of years prior and had performed it in a few clubs along the way. Given McBroom's answer, the Academy quickly disqualified it for consideration, even though the Academy on at least half a dozen prior occasions through the years had nominated songs not necessarily written for their films.

"The Rose," which I would argue is probably among the 25 or so all-time greatest songs associated with a motion picture, is vastly superior to all of the Academy's selections in '79, a mostly middling grab bag of forgettable adult contemporary.

The Academy ultimately sided with the only contender from a Best Picture nominee, "It Goes Like It Goes" from the great Sally Field starrer Norma Rae. Performed by Jennifer Warnes, who would go on to headline or co-headline several more Original Song nominees (including two winners) over the coming decade, it's a listenable piece of soft rock with some fine instrumental work (the music is by the great David Shire of The Conversation and All the President's Men) but nothing terribly memorable, especially in comparison to something like "The Rose."

The winner is, however, vastly preferable to the likes of "Through the Eyes of Love" and "I'll Never Say Goodbye," two supremely dreary tracks performed by the artist with initials MM - in this case not the dreadful Maureen McGovern but the comparably syrupy Melissa Manchester. Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager (who composed the Ice Castles song) and Shire and Alan and Marilyn Bergman (on The Promise), typically brilliant musicians, were all asleep at the wheel here.

For me, this one's a somewhat close call between "It's Easy to Say," from the iconic Blake Edwards midlife crisis comedy 10, and "The Rainbow Connection," the opening number from the classic The Muppet Movie. Despite being composed by Oscar-winners Henry Mancini and Paul Williams respectively, neither is a spectacular piece of music but both are charmingly performed, by Dudley Moore and Julie Andrews on the former, and Jim Henson (as Kermit the Frog) on the latter. "It's Easy to Say" is respectable but it doesn't tug on my heartstrings like "The Rainbow Connection" does, so edge to Kermit here.

In terms of the snubbed, beyond "The Rose," it would've been pretty sweet to see The Ramones' "Rock 'n Roll High School" nominated here, not that it stood a prayer with the old geezers in the Academy.

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. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
  7. "The Windmills of Your Mind," The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
  8. "The Way We Were," The Way We Were (1973)
  9. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  10. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin')," High Noon (1952)
  11. "I'm Easy," Nashville (1975)
  12. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  13. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  14. "Theme from Shaft," Shaft (1971)
  15. "Secret Love," Calamity Jane (1953)
  16. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  17. "Moon River," Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
  18. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  19. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  20. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  21. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
  22. "Last Dance," Thank God It's Friday (1978)
  23. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  24. "For All We Know," Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)
  25. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  26. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  27. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  28. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  29. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  30. "It Goes Like It Goes," Norma Rae (1979)
  31. "Born Free," Born Free (1966)
  32. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  33. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  34. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
  35. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
  36. "Evergreen (Theme from A Star Is Born)," A Star Is Born (1976)
  37. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  38. "You Light Up My Life," You Light Up My Life (1977)
  39. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  40. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  41. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  42. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)
  43. "Talk to the Animals," Doctor Dolittle (1967)
  44. "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper (1965)
  45. "The Morning After," The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
  46. "We May Never Love Like This Again," The Towering Inferno (1974)

1978 Best Original Song - Disco Dominates the Oscars

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WON: "Last Dance," Thank God It's Friday

SHOULD'VE WON: "Ready to Take a Chance Again," Foul Play

After the hohumness of 1976 and 1977, it's nice to come upon a Best Original Song line-up with not just one or two listenable nominees. In fact, 45 years of Original Song in, 1978 marks one of the stronger categories I've reviewed.

This year, the Academy chose to reward "Last Dance," the plenty enjoyable disco classic, heavenly performed by the late Donna Summer. Sure, the song debuted in a crummy picture, the silly Thank God It's Friday, which marked one of Motown Productions' lesser forays into the world of cinema. The tune is still unimpeachably great, composed by the brilliant Paul Jbara, who delivered this and "It's Raining Men," among other records, before tragically dying from AIDS complications in the early '90s.

It's a testament to this category's strength that I don't give the terrific "Last Dance" the win, though I can't really knock its victory too much.

My favorite here is "Ready to Take a Chance Again," the theme from the criminally underrated suspense-romcom Foul Play, which featured Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase (in a turn comparable to prime Cary Grant) at the very top of their game. Performed by Barry Manilow, whose tunes dominated the airwaves around this time, it's just about the best adult contemporary can be. One, of course, has to have a taste for the somewhat divisive Manilow to go for a tune like this. And while I'm not always head-over-heels for his songs, this one is definitely among his best. (The fellas from Family Guy were also quite fond of this one.)

I'm also awfully fond, however, of "Hopelessly Devoted to You," one of the small handful of original songs from the smash movie adaptation of Grease. Belted out by the irresistible Olivia Newton-John (one of my biggest childhood crushes), it's a real charmer, though I would argue "You're the One That I Want" and Frankie Valli's "Grease" were probably a bit more deserving of honor here (had "Grease" been nominated, it would be my pick for the win here). Still, this is classic stuff.

The remaining two nominees aren't quite in the same league as the aforementioned three, though they aren't half-bad either. "When You're Loved," from The Magic of Lassie, is a pleasant endeavor, striking many of the same notes as "I Feel Love," the theme from another dog flick, Benji, which I actually picked for the win in '74 (a much weaker year). "The Last Time I Felt Like This," from the great Ellen Burstyn-Alan Alda dramedy Same Time, Next Year, pairs the same composers from "The Way We Were" (Hamlisch and the Bergmans) with Johnny Mathis and Jane Olivor. Great artists all-around but they seem be kind of phoning it in here. Still, it's a decent tune.

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. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
  7. "The Windmills of Your Mind," The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
  8. "The Way We Were," The Way We Were (1973)
  9. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  10. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin')," High Noon (1952)
  11. "I'm Easy," Nashville (1975)
  12. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  13. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  14. "Theme from Shaft," Shaft (1971)
  15. "Secret Love," Calamity Jane (1953)
  16. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  17. "Moon River," Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
  18. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  19. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  20. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  21. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
  22. "Last Dance," Thank God It's Friday (1978)
  23. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  24. "For All We Know," Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)
  25. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  26. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  27. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  28. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  29. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  30. "Born Free," Born Free (1966)
  31. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  32. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  33. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
  34. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
  35. "Evergreen (Theme from A Star Is Born)," A Star Is Born (1976)
  36. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  37. "You Light Up My Life," You Light Up My Life (1977)
  38. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  39. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  40. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  41. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)
  42. "Talk to the Animals," Doctor Dolittle (1967)
  43. "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper (1965)
  44. "The Morning After," The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
  45. "We May Never Love Like This Again," The Towering Inferno (1974)

1977 Best Original Song - No Bee Gees, No Liza, No Dice

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WON: "You Light Up My Life," You Light Up My Life

SHOULD'VE WON: "Nobody Does It Better," The Spy Who Loved Me

1977 is a tough year to take very seriously in Best Original Song, and not just because of the winner - the sleepy, cornball "You Light Up My Life." This was the dumbfounding occasion in which the Academy inexplicably ignored both the legendary "Theme from New York, New York" and entire soundtrack from Saturday Night Fever.

"Theme from New York, New York," later ranked #31 on AFI's list of "100 Years...100 Songs," marks some of the finest, most iconic work composers Fred Ebb and John Kander (and performer Liza Minnelli, for that matter) have ever done. The tune, later covered to even greater success by Frank Sinatra, was likely hurt by the middling box office and critical reception to the picture at the time. Now, however, not unlike then-misfires like Sorcerer, Heaven's Gate and They All Laughed, it seems many, if not most have come around to conceding New York, New York is actually one hell of a film, unfairly maligned at a time when audiences and much of the industry balked at idiosyncratic efforts by some of the most groundbreaking directors from the early-to-mid-'70s. And the song has certainly more than stood the test of time.

As for Saturday Night Fever, you could have easily filled the entire Best Original Song category exclusively with songs from the film - "How Deep Is Your Love," "If I Can't Have You," "More Than a Woman," "Night Fever" and of course "Stayin' Alive" were all richly deserving of recognition here. I suppose one could argue these five songs simply canceled one another out in some way but more likely, the Academy, which fell head-over-heels for fluff like "You Light Up My Life," simply wasn't hip enough to get the magic of this soundtrack.

Even the Golden Globes, which more often than not don't quite get it right, had the brains to nominate "Theme from New York, New York" and "How Deep Is Your Love" at their ceremony this year, even though both fell victim to "You Light Up My Life."

So, at last, let's discuss the winning song this year. "You Light Up My Life" isn't quite as stinky as some other winners in this category (coughMaureenMcGoverncough) but it's still pretty turgid stuff. This original version was actually performed by Kasey Cisyk, not Debby Boone, and her pleasant performance keeps the tune reasonably listenable. It's also not quite the worst nominee in this category - that "honor" goes to the waltz from The Slipper and the Rose, the completely forgettable live action Cinderella starring Richard Chamberlain.

Two nominees from second-tier Disney pictures - Pete's Dragon's "Candle on the Water" (performed by the great Helen Reddy) and The Rescuers' "Someone's Waiting for You" - are more moving, nuanced examples of '70s adult contemporary than "You Light Up My Life," which tends to be bombastic in its efforts to tug at the heartstrings. If not for the snubbed songs this year, I wouldn't terribly mind these two having been recognized.

The nominee that clearly should have prevailed here, however, is the best Bond song of all, Carly Simon's riveting "Nobody Does It Better," from the strongest Roger Moore entry in the series, The Spy Who Loved Me. Composed by Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager, this is about as good as soft rock gets. It was understandably a big, fat Billboard hit at the time and holds up infinitely better than something like "You Light Up My Life."

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. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
  7. "The Windmills of Your Mind," The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
  8. "The Way We Were," The Way We Were (1973)
  9. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  10. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin')," High Noon (1952)
  11. "I'm Easy," Nashville (1975)
  12. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  13. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  14. "Theme from Shaft," Shaft (1971)
  15. "Secret Love," Calamity Jane (1953)
  16. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  17. "Moon River," Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
  18. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  19. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  20. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  21. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
  22. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  23. "For All We Know," Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)
  24. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  25. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  26. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  27. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  28. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  29. "Born Free," Born Free (1966)
  30. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  31. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  32. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
  33. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
  34. "Evergreen (Theme from A Star Is Born)," A Star Is Born (1976)
  35. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  36. "You Light Up My Life," You Light Up My Life (1977)
  37. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  38. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  39. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  40. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)
  41. "Talk to the Animals," Doctor Dolittle (1967)
  42. "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper (1965)
  43. "The Morning After," The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
  44. "We May Never Love Like This Again," The Towering Inferno (1974)

1976 Best Original Song - When Barbra Beat Rocky and Satan

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WON: "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)," A Star Is Born

SHOULD'VE WON: "Gonna Fly Now," Rocky

When reviewing 1954 Best Original Song a while back, I made a forceful argument the Oscar that year should have easily gone to "The Man That Got Away," the brilliant and iconic Judy Garland tune from the first remake of A Star Is Born.

The second A Star Is Born remake, the soapy and decidedly inferior 1976 version with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, managed to achieve what the Garland-James Mason vehicle couldn't by scoring the Original Song victory. The difference in quality between "The Man That Got Away" and the winning track, "Evergreen," could not, however, be more stark.

For while the Garland number was a true powerhouse, finding its performer at the very top of her game, not only in simply singing the song but also acting out the performance, the Streisand-Kristofferson record is a prime example of the sort of lukewarm adult contemporary cheese that flooded the airwaves around this time. It's not a flat-out bad song, certainly not on the level of one of the Maureen McGovern winners, but it's oh-so syrupy and undistinguished. It's not even a great showcase of Streisand's typically tour-de-force vocal chords.

So no, "Evergreen," which scored Oscars for both Streisand and composer Paul Williams, did not deserve to triumph here, certainly not against one of the all-time great movie themes, Bill Conti's "Gonna Fly Now" from the Best Picture-winning Sylvester Stallone smash Rocky.

With sparse yet perfect lyrics by Carol Connors, perhaps best-known as the lead singer of the '60s pop group The Teddy Bears (which also included a pre-Ronettes Phil Spector), "Gonna Fly Now" sends the John G. Avildsen picture soaring in its memorable training sequence. In light of the success of the Creed, I recently revisited the first Rocky and, while I don't think the film has aged terribly well in many regards, "Gonna Fly Now" still holds up beautifully. I would be awfully surprised if it wasn't runner-up here, given the Academy's admiration for the film.

As for the remaining three nominees, "Ave Santini," the theme from the Gregory Peck-Lee Remick horror flick The Omen, is reasonably eerie stuff, but not quite on the same level as The Exorcist's "Tubular Bells" or even Lalo Schifrin's underrated (and also Oscar-nominated) theme from The Amityville Horror. Henry Mancini's "Come to Me," from The Pink Panther Strikes Again, is a listenable Tom Jones tune but definitely not among the more memorable Mancini pieces. The final nominee, "A World That Never Was," from the uber-obscure Half a House, marked the final Oscar appearance by the Paul Francis Webster-Sammy Fain team, who scored prizes in this category for "Secret Love" and "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing." Much like the Streisand and Jones tracks, it's very much emblematic of the ho-hum soft rock of this era.

In terms of snubbed songs this year, there are two biggies - Rose Royce's delightful "Car Wash," from the eponymous film, and Aretha Franklin's exquisite "Something He Can Feel," the Curtis Mayfield-composed record written for the not-so-exquisite Irene Cara vehicle Sparkle.

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. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)
  7. "The Windmills of Your Mind," The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
  8. "The Way We Were," The Way We Were (1973)
  9. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  10. "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin')," High Noon (1952)
  11. "I'm Easy," Nashville (1975)
  12. "You'll Never Know," Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
  13. "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," The Harvey Girls (1946)
  14. "Theme from Shaft," Shaft (1971)
  15. "Secret Love," Calamity Jane (1953)
  16. "White Christmas," Holiday Inn (1942)
  17. "Moon River," Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
  18. "When You Wish Upon a Star," Pinocchio (1940)
  19. "Thanks for the Memory," The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
  20. "Lullaby of Broadway," Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
  21. "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," Song of the South (1947)
  22. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  23. "For All We Know," Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)
  24. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  25. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  26. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  27. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  28. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  29. "Born Free," Born Free (1966)
  30. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  31. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  32. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
  33. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
  34. "Evergreen (Theme from A Star Is Born)," A Star Is Born (1976)
  35. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  36. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  37. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  38. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  39. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)
  40. "Talk to the Animals," Doctor Dolittle (1967)
  41. "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper (1965)
  42. "The Morning After," The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
  43. "We May Never Love Like This Again," The Towering Inferno (1974)