Academy Award for Best Original Song: Difference between revisions
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** "[[I'll Walk Alone]]" — ''[[Follow the Boys]]'' • Music: [[Jule Styne]] • Lyrics: [[Sammy Cahn]] |
** "[[I'll Walk Alone]]" — ''[[Follow the Boys]]'' • Music: [[Jule Styne]] • Lyrics: [[Sammy Cahn]] |
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** "[[I'm Making Believe]]" — ''[[Sweet and Low-Down]]'' • Music: [[James V. Monaco]] • Lyrics: [[Mack Gordon]] |
** "[[I'm Making Believe]]" — ''[[Sweet and Low-Down]]'' • Music: [[James V. Monaco]] • Lyrics: [[Mack Gordon]] |
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** "[[Long Ago (and Far Away)]]" — ''[[Cover Girl ( |
** "[[Long Ago (and Far Away)]]" — ''[[Cover Girl (film)|Cover Girl]]'' • Music: [[Jerome Kern]] • Lyrics: [[Ira Gershwin]] |
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** "[[Now I Know]]" — ''[[Up in Arms]]'' • Music: [[Harold Arlen]] • Lyrics: [[Ted Koehler]] |
** "[[Now I Know]]" — ''[[Up in Arms]]'' • Music: [[Harold Arlen]] • Lyrics: [[Ted Koehler]] |
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** "[[Remember Me to Carolina]]" — ''[[Minstrel Man (film)|Minstrel Man]]'' • Music: [[Harry Revel]] • Lyrics: [[Paul Francis Webster|Paul Webster]] |
** "[[Remember Me to Carolina]]" — ''[[Minstrel Man (film)|Minstrel Man]]'' • Music: [[Harry Revel]] • Lyrics: [[Paul Francis Webster|Paul Webster]] |
Revision as of 16:06, 29 April 2015
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2010) |
Academy Award for Best Original Song | |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Presented by | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |
Currently held by | John Legend and Common, "Glory" (2014) |
Website | http://www.oscars.org |
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film. The performers of a song are not credited with the Academy Award unless they contributed either to music, lyrics or both in their own right.
The award category was introduced at the 7th Academy Awards, the ceremony honoring the best in film for 1934. Nominations are made by Academy members who are songwriters and composers, and the winners are chosen by the Academy membership as a whole.
Requirement for nomination
The original requirement was only that the nominated song appear in a motion picture during the previous year. This rule was changed after the 1941 Academy Awards, when "The Last Time I Saw Paris", from the film Lady Be Good, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, won. Kern was upset that his song won because it had been published and recorded before it was used in the film. The song was actually written in 1940, after the Germans occupied Paris at the start of World War II. It was recorded by Kate Smith and peaked at #8 on the best seller list before it was used in the film Lady Be Good. Kern got the Academy to change the rule so that only songs that are "original and written specifically for the motion picture" are eligible to win.[1][2]
Songs that were published prior to a film's production having nothing to do with the film, such as "Unchained Melody" in the 1990 film Ghost and "I Will Always Love You" in the 1992 film The Bodyguard, cannot qualify (although "Unchained Melody" was nominated when first released for the 1955 film Unchained). In addition, songs that rely on sampled or reworked material, such as "Gangsta's Paradise" in the 1995 film Dangerous Minds, are also ineligible.
When a film is adapted from a previously-written stage musical, none of the songs from the stage version of the musical (and other sources) are eligible. As a result, many recent film adaptations of stage musicals have included original songs which could be nominated, such as "You Must Love Me" in the 1996 film Evita, and "Listen", "Love You I Do", "Patience" in the 2006 film Dreamgirls and "Suddenly" in the 2012 film Les Misérables.
There was a debate as to whether or not Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, who were awarded the Oscar in 2008 for "Falling Slowly", were in fact eligible. "Falling Slowly" has been released on two other albums — The Swell Season, Hansard and Irglova's duo project and The Cost, by Hansard's band The Frames. The Swell Season was released in August 2006, and The Cost in February 2007, before the release of Once. However, the AMPAS music committee determined that, in the course of the film's protracted production, the composers had "played the song in some venues that were deemed inconsequential enough to not change the song's eligibility".[3] The same issue arose two years earlier with "In the Deep" from Crash, which appeared on Kathleen "Bird" York's 2003 album The Velvet Hour after being written for Crash, but before the film was released. The current Academy rule says an eligible song "must be recorded for use in the motion picture prior to any other usage", so recordings released prior to the film will not disqualify a song as long as the film version was "recorded" before then.[2]
Rules and number of nominations
Until the Academy Awards for 1944 (awarded in 1945) any number of songs could be nominated for the award. For the 1944 awards, 14 songs were nominated. Since then only five are nominated each year, except for 2011 when only two were nominated; 1988, 2005, and 2008, when only three were nominated; and 2010 and 2013 when only four were nominated.[4][5]
In recent years, the number of nominations varied from two to five. This was due to the rules set by the Academy, which stipulated that each member of the Music Branch of the Academy was asked to vote for their favorite songs, using a special points system using 10, 9.5, 9, 8.5, 8, 7.5, 7, 6.5 or 6 points. Only those songs that received an average score of 8.25 or more were eligible for nomination. If no song received an average of 8.25 or more, there would be no nominees. And if only one song achieved that score, it and the song receiving the next highest score would be the two nominees (this was the case in the 2011 Oscars, awarded in 2012).[citation needed]
Following the two song competition in 2011, however, a rule change was made by the committee. Instead of the math system that was set in place the number of nominations is now contingent upon the number of submissions. Depending on the amount received by the Academy there would be a minimum of five, three or none for any given year. The number of submissions for the award in 2011 doubled the necessary minimum for five indicating it unlikely that the category would have fewer than five nominees in the future.[6]
Not every song used in a film is eligible for this category. According to Academy rules, a song should be "original and specifically written for a motion picture. There must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyrics and melody, used in the body of the motion picture or as the first music cue in the end credits." [7]
Though this is one of the few Oscar categories where one film can receive multiple nominations, the first to do so was Fame in 1980. Only four films have featured three nominated songs: Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Dreamgirls, and Enchanted. Dreamgirls and Enchanted lost on every nomination: An Inconvenient Truth original song "I Need to Wake Up" defeated all three of the nominated songs from Dreamgirls, while "Falling Slowly" from Once defeated all three of Enchanted's nominations. After these two consecutive defeats, a new rule was instated in June 2008 that a film could have no more than two songs nominated in the Best Original Song category in one year.[8]
Performances at the awards ceremony
Nominated songs are usually performed live at the televised Academy Awards ceremonies. Although pre-televised ceremonies were broadcast on the radio, the tradition of performing the nominated songs did not begin until 18th Academy Awards in 1946, in which performers included Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Dinah Shore and Dick Haymes.
In the early years, the songs were usually not performed by the original artists as in the film. For example, in 1965, Robert Goulet performed all the nominated songs at the ceremony. (Ironically, in the case of "The Look Of Love", sung by Dusty Springfield in Casino Royale, the positive reaction to the performance by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 on the 1968 telecast led to their version being released as a single and eventually becoming the bigger hit.) In 1970, this was reversed and only the people who had performed the piece in the film were permitted to perform the song on the live telecast, even if a hit version was performed by another act.
However, since Oscar nominees for 1970, 1971 and 1972 had all been major hit records by other artists, in 1973 the rule was amended again and it became standard to first offer either the original artist or artists who performed the song in the film a chance to perform it at the ceremony, followed by the artist or artists who had the hit record with it.
When neither of those are able to do so (or in rare cases where the telecast producers decide to go with someone else), the Academy chooses more well-known entertainers to perform the song at the ceremony. For example, Robin Williams performed "Blame Canada" at the 72nd Academy Awards instead of the South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut voice actors, Trey Parker and Mary Kay Bergman (Bergman actually died a few months before the show). Beyoncé Knowles sang three nominated songs (one of which was a duet with Josh Groban) during the 77th Academy Awards even though she had not performed these songs in any of the respective films.
That same year, the song "Al otro lado del río" (On The Other Side Of The River), which was featured in the film The Motorcycle Diaries, won the award, becoming the first song in Spanish and the second in a foreign language to receive such an honor (the first winner being the title tune to Never on Sunday, which was sung in Greek in the film by its star, Melina Mercouri). It was written by Uruguayan composer Jorge Drexler, but the producers would not let Drexler perform the song during the show for fear of losing ratings. Instead, the song was performed by Carlos Santana and Antonio Banderas. Drexler's acceptance speech for the award consisted of him singing a few lines a cappella and closed by simply saying "thank you."
At the 80th Academy Awards, "That's How You Know" from the film Enchanted was performed by Kristin Chenoweth, rather than the film's star, Amy Adams. However, Adams performed "Happy Working Song" which was nominated from the same film.[9]
In 1985, Phil Collins was passed over to perform his nominated composition "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)". According to representatives of both Collins' record company and Columbia Pictures, this was because the producers of the telecast were not familiar with his work. Ann Reinking performed the song instead, with Collins sitting in the audience.[10] In 2009, Peter Gabriel, who was originally scheduled to perform his nominated song "Down to Earth" during the live broadcast, declined to perform after learning that he would be allowed to sing only 65 seconds of the song during the ceremony's Best Original Song nominee performance medley.[11] Gabriel still attended the ceremony, with John Legend performing the song in his place, backed by the Soweto Gospel Choir.
The 84th Academy Awards did not feature performances from either nominated song ("Man or Muppet" from The Muppets and "Real in Rio" from Rio).[12] No reason for this was given by Oscar producers. This was only the third time that Best Original Song nominees were not performed (the others: 1989 and 2010). At the 2013 Oscars, only three of the five nominees were performed, with the eventual winner, the theme from Skyfall, being the only one performed separately on its own as opposed to being part of a musical montage sequence.
List of winners and nominees
1930s
- 1934 (7th) "The Continental" — The Gay Divorcee • Music: Con Conrad • Lyrics: Herb Magidson
- "Carioca" — Flying Down to Rio • Music: Vincent Youmans • Lyrics: Edward Eliscu and Gus Kahn
- "Love in Bloom" — She Loves Me Not • Music: Ralph Rainger • Lyrics: Leo Robin
- 1935 (8th) "Lullaby of Broadway" — Gold Diggers of 1935 • Music: Harry Warren • Lyrics: Al Dubin
- "Lovely to Look at" — Roberta • Music: Jerome Kern • Lyrics: Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh
- "Cheek to Cheek" — Top Hat • Music and lyrics: Irving Berlin
- 1936 (9th) "The Way You Look Tonight" — Swing Time • Music: Jerome Kern • Lyrics: Dorothy Fields
- "I've Got You Under My Skin" — Born to Dance • Music and lyrics: Cole Porter
- "Pennies from Heaven" — Pennies from Heaven • Music: Arthur Johnston • Lyrics: Johnny Burke
- "When Did You Leave Heaven" — Sing, Baby, Sing • Music: Richard A. Whiting • Lyrics: Walter Bullock
- "Did I Remember" — Suzy • Music: Walter Donaldson • Lyrics: Harold Adamson
- "A Melody from the Sky" — The Trail of the Lonesome Pine • Music: Louis Alter • Lyrics: Sidney D. Mitchell
- 1937 (10th) "Sweet Leilani" — Waikiki Wedding • Music and lyrics: Harry Owens
- "Whispers in the Dark" — Artists and Models • Music: Friedrich Hollaender • Lyrics: Leo Robin
- "Remember Me" — Mr. Dodd Takes the Air • Music: Harry Warren • Lyrics: Al Dubin
- "They Can't Take That Away from Me" — Shall We Dance • Music: George Gershwin (posthumous nomination) • Lyrics: Ira Gershwin
- "That Old Feeling" — Vogues of 1938 • Music: Sammy Fain • Lyrics: Lew Brown
- 1938 (11th) "Thanks for the Memory" — The Big Broadcast of 1938 • Music: Ralph Rainger • Lyrics: Leo Robin
- "Always and Always" — Mannequin • Music: Edward Ward • Lyrics: Chet Forrest and Bob Wright
- "Change Partners" — Carefree • Music and lyrics: Irving Berlin
- "The Cowboy and the Lady" — The Cowboy and the Lady • Music: Lionel Newman • Lyrics: Arthur Quenzer
- "Dust" — Under Western Stars • Music and lyrics: Johnny Marvin
- "Jeepers Creepers" — Going Places • Music: Harry Warren • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
- "Merrily We Live" — Merrily We Live • Music: Phil Craig • Lyrics: Arthur Quenzer
- "A Mist over the Moon" — The Lady Objects • Music: Ben Oakland • Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II
- "My Own" — That Certain Age • Music: Jimmy McHugh • Lyrics: Harold Adamson
- "Now It Can Be Told" — Alexander's Ragtime Band • Music and lyrics: Irving Berlin
- 1939 (12th) "Over the Rainbow" — The Wizard of Oz • Music: Harold Arlen • Lyrics: Yip Harburg
- "Faithful Forever" — Gulliver's Travels • Music: Ralph Rainger • Lyrics: Leo Robin
- "I Poured My Heart into a Song" — Second Fiddle • Music and Lyrics: Irving Berlin
- "Wishing" — Love Affair • Music and lyrics: Buddy DeSylva
1940s
- 1940 (13th) "When You Wish Upon a Star" — Pinocchio • Music: Leigh Harline • Lyrics: Ned Washington
- "Down Argentine Way" — Down Argentine Way • Music: Harry Warren • Lyrics: Mack Gordon
- "I'd Know You Anywhere" — You'll Find Out • Music: Jimmy McHugh • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
- "It's a Blue World" — Music in My Heart • Music and Lyrics: Chet Forrest and Bob Wright
- "Love of My Life" — Second Chorus • Music: Artie Shaw • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
- "Only Forever" — Rhythm on the River • Music: James V. Monaco • Lyrics: Johnny Burke
- "Our Love Affair" — Strike Up the Band • Music and Lyrics: Roger Edens and Georgie Stoll
- "Waltzing in the Clouds" — Spring Parade • Music: Robert Stolz • Lyrics: Gus Kahn
- "Who Am I?" — Hit Parade of 194] • Music: Jule Styne • Lyrics: Walter Bullock
- 1941 (14th) "The Last Time I Saw Paris" — Lady Be Good • Music: Jerome Kern • Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II
- "Baby Mine" — Dumbo • Music: Frank Churchill • Lyrics: Ned Washington
- "Be Honest With Me" — Ridin' on a Rainbow • Music and Lyrics: Gene Autry and Fred Rose
- "Blues in the Night" — Blues in the Night • Music: Harold Arlen • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
- "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" — Buck Privates • Music: Hugh Prince • Lyrics: Don Raye
- "Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Sun Valley Serenade • Music: Harry Warren • Lyrics: Mack Gordon
- "Dolores" — Las Vegas Nights • Music: Louis Alter • Lyrics: Frank Loesser
- "Out of the Silence" — All-American Co-Ed • Music and Lyrics: Lloyd B. Norlin
- "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" — You'll Never Get Rich • Music and Lyrics: Cole Porter
- 1942 (15th) "White Christmas" — Holiday Inn • Music and Lyrics: Irving Berlin
- "Always in My Heart" — Always in My Heart • Music: Ernesto Lecuona • Lyrics: Kim Gannon
- "Dearly Beloved" — You Were Never Lovelier • Music: Jerome Kern • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
- "How About You?"– Babes on Broadway • Music: Burton Lane • Lyrics: Ralph Freed
- "I've Heard That Song Before" — Youth on Parade • Music: Jule Styne • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "(I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo" — Orchestra Wives • Music: Harry Warren • Lyrics: Mack Gordon
- "Love Is a Song" — Bambi • Music: Frank Churchill (posthumous nomination) • Lyrics: Larry Morey
- "Pennies for Peppino" — Flying with Music • Music: Edward Ward • Lyrics: Chet Forrest and Bob Wright
- "Pig Foot Pete" — Hellzapoppin' • Music: Gene de Paul • Lyrics: Don Raye
- "There's a Breeze on Lake Louise" — The Mayor of 44th Street • Music: Harry Revel • Lyrics: Mort Greene
- 1943 (16th) "You'll Never Know" — Hello, Frisco, Hello • Music: Harry Warren • Lyrics: Mack Gordon
- "Change of Heart" — Hit Parade of 1943 • Music: Jule Styne • Lyrics: Harold Adamson
- "Happiness is a Thing Called Joe" — Cabin in the Sky • Music: Harold Arlen • Lyrics: Yip Harburg
- "My Shining Hour" — The Sky's the Limit • Music: Harold Arlen • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
- "Saludos Amigos" — Saludos Amigos • Music: Charles Wolcott • Lyrics: Ned Washington
- "Say a Prayer for the Boys Over There" — Hers to Hold • Music: Jimmy McHugh • Lyrics: Herb Magidson
- "That Old Black Magic" — Star Spangled Rhythm • Music: Harold Arlen • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
- "They're Either Too Young or Too Old" — Thank Your Lucky Stars • Music: Arthur Schwartz • Lyrics: Frank Loesser
- "We Mustn't Say Good Bye" — Stage Door Canteen • Music: James V. Monaco • Lyrics: Al Dubin
- "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" — Something to Shout About • Music and Lyrics: Cole Porter
- 1944 (17th) "Swinging on a Star" — Going My Way • Music: James Van Heusen • Lyrics: Johnny Burke
- "I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night" — Higher and Higher • Music: Jimmy McHugh • Lyrics: Harold Adamson
- "I'll Walk Alone" — Follow the Boys • Music: Jule Styne • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "I'm Making Believe" — Sweet and Low-Down • Music: James V. Monaco • Lyrics: Mack Gordon
- "Long Ago (and Far Away)" — Cover Girl • Music: Jerome Kern • Lyrics: Ira Gershwin
- "Now I Know" — Up in Arms • Music: Harold Arlen • Lyrics: Ted Koehler
- "Remember Me to Carolina" — Minstrel Man • Music: Harry Revel • Lyrics: Paul Webster
- "Rio de Janeiro" — Brazil • Music: Ary Barroso • Lyrics: Ned Washington
- "Silver Shadows and Golden Dreams" — Lady, Let's Dance • Music: Lew Pollack • Lyrics: Charles Newman
- "Too Much in Love" — Song of the Open Road • Music: Walter Kent • Lyrics: Kim Gannon
- "The Trolley Song" — Meet Me in St. Louis • Music and Lyrics: Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin
- 1945 (18th) "It Might as Well Be Spring" — State Fair • Music: Richard Rodgers • Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II
- "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" — Here Come the Waves • Music: Harold Arlen • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
- "Anywhere" — Tonight and Every Night • Music: Jule Styne • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "Aren't You Glad You're You?" — The Bells of St. Mary's • Music: James Van Heusen • Lyrics: Johnny Burke
- "The Cat and the Canary" — Why Girls Leave Home • Music: Jay Livingston • Lyrics: Ray Evans
- "Endlessly" — Earl Carroll Vanities • Music: Walter Kent • Lyrics: Kim Gannon
- "I Fall in Love Too Easily" — Anchors Aweigh • Music:Jule Styne • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "I'll Buy That Dream" — Sing Your Way Home • Music: Allie Wrubel • Lyrics: Herb Magidson
- "Linda" — The Story of G.I. Joe • Music and Lyrics: Ann Ronell
- "Love Letters" — Love Letters • Music: Victor Young • Lyrics: Edward Heyman
- "More and More" — Can't Help Singing • Music: Jerome Kern (posthumous nomination) • Lyrics: Yip Harburg
- "Sleighride in July" — Belle of the Yukon • Music: James Van Heusen • Lyrics:Johnny Burke
- "So in Love" — Wonder Man • Music: David Rose • Lyrics: Leo Robin
- "Some Sunday Morning" — San Antonio • Music: Ray Heindorf and M.K. Jerome • Lyrics: Ted Koehler
- 1946 (19th) "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" — The Harvey Girls • Music: Harry Warren • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
- "All Through the Day" — Centennial Summer • Music: Jerome Kern (posthumous nomination) • Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II
- "I Can't Begin to Tell You" — The Dolly Sisters • Music: James V. Monaco (posthumous nomination) • Lyrics: Mack Gordon
- "Ole Buttermilk Sky" — Canyon Passage • Music: Hoagy Carmichael • Lyrics: Jack Brooks
- "You Keep Coming Back Like a Song" — Blue Skies • Music and Lyrics: Irving Berlin
- 1947 (20th) "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" — Song of the South • Music: Allie Wrubel • Lyrics: Ray Gilbert
- "A Gal in Calico" — The Time, the Place and the Girl • Music: Arthur Schwartz • Lyrics: Leo Robin
- "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" — The Perils of Pauline • Music and Lyrics: Frank Loesser
- "Pass That Peace Pipe" — Good News • Music and Lyrics: Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin and Roger Edens
- "You Do" — Mother Wore Tights • Music: Josef Myrow • Lyrics: Mack Gordon
- 1948 (21st) "Buttons and Bows" — The Paleface • Music: Jay Livingston • Lyrics: Ray Evans
- "For Every Man There's a Woman" — Casbah • Music: Harold Arlen • Lyrics: Leo Robin
- "It's Magic" — Romance on the High Seas • Music: Jule Styne • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "This Is the Moment" — That Lady in Ermine • Music: Frederick Hollander • Lyrics: Leo Robin
- "The Woody Woodpecker Song" — Wet Blanket Policy • Music and Lyrics: Ramey Idriss and George Tibbles
- 1949 (22nd) "Baby, It's Cold Outside" — Neptune's Daughter • Music and Lyrics: Frank Loesser
- "It's a Great Feeling" — It's a Great Feeling • Music: Jule Styne • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "Lavender Blue" — So Dear to My Heart • Music: Eliot Daniel • Lyrics: Larry Morey
- "My Foolish Heart" — My Foolish Heart • Music: Victor Young • Lyrics: Ned Washington
- "Through a Long and Sleepless Night" — Come to the Stable • Music: Alfred Newman • Lyrics: Mack Gordon
1950s
- 1950 (23rd) "Mona Lisa" — Captain Carey, U.S.A. • Music and Lyrics: Ray Evans and Jay Livingston
- "Be My Love" — The Toast of New Orleans • Music: Nicholas Brodzsky • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" — Cinderella • Music and lyrics: Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston
- "Mule Train" — Singing Guns • Music and Lyrics: Fred Glickman, Hy Heath and Johnny Lange
- "Wilhelmina" — Wabash Avenue • Music: Josef Myrow • Lyrics: Mack Gordon
- 1951 (24th) "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" — Here Comes the Groom • Music: Hoagy Carmichael • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
- "Never"— Golden Girl • Music: Lionel Newman • Lyrics: Eliot Daniel
- "Wonder Why" — Rich, Young and Pretty • Music: Nicholas Brodszky • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "Too Late Now" — Royal Wedding • Music: Burton Lane • Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner
- "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" — The Strip • Music and lyrics: Burt Kalmar (posthumous nomination), Harry Ruby, and Oscar Hammerstein II
- 1952 (25th) "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')" — High Noon • Music: Dimitri Tiomkin • Lyrics: Ned Washington
- "Am I in Love" — Son of Paleface • Music and lyrics: Jack Brooks
- "Because You're Mine" — Because You're Mine • Music: Nicholas Brodszky • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "Thumbelina" — Hans Christian Andersen • Music and lyrics: Frank Loesser
- "Zing a Little Zong" — Just for You • Music: Harry Warren • Lyrics: Leo Robin
- 1953 (26th) "Secret Love" — Calamity Jane • Music: Sammy Fain • Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster
- "The Moon Is Blue" — The Moon Is Blue • Music: Herschel Burke Gilbert • Lyrics: Sylvia Fine
- "My Flaming Heart" — Small Town Girl • Music: Nicholas Brodszky • Lyrics: Leo Robin
- "Sadie Thompson's Song (Blue Pacific Blues)" — Miss Sadie Thompson • Music: Lester Lee • Lyrics: Ned Washington
- "That's Amore" — The Caddy • Music: Harry Warren • Lyrics: Jack Brooks
- 1954 (27th) "Three Coins in the Fountain" — Three Coins in the Fountain • Music: Jule Styne • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" — White Christmas • Music and lyrics: Irving Berlin
- "The High and the Mighty" — The High and the Mighty • Music: Dimitri Tiomkin • Lyrics: Ned Washington
- "Hold My Hand" — Susan Slept Here • Music and lyrics: Jack Lawrence and Richard Myers
- "The Man that Got Away" — A Star Is Born • Music: Harold Arlen • Lyrics: Ira Gershwin
- 1955 (28th) "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing" — Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing • Music: Sammy Fain • Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster
- "I'll Never Stop Loving You" — Love Me or Leave Me • Music: Nicholas Brodszky • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "Something's Gotta Give" — Daddy Long Legs • Music and lyrics: Johnny Mercer
- "(Love Is) The Tender Trap" — The Tender Trap • Music: James Van Heusen • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "Unchained Melody" — Unchained • Music: Alex North • Lyrics: Hy Zaret
- 1956 (29th) "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Qué Será, Será)" — The Man Who Knew Too Much • Music and lyrics: Jay Livingston and Ray Evans
- "Friendly Persuasion" — Friendly Persuasion • Music: Dimitri Tiomkin • Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster
- "Julie" — Julie • Music: Leith Stevens • Lyrics: Tom Adair
- "True Love" — High Society • Music and lyrics: Cole Porter
- "Written on the Wind" — Written on the Wind • Music: Victor Young (posthumous nomination) • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- 1957 (30th) "All the Way" — The Joker Is Wild • Music: James Van Heusen • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "An Affair to Remember" — An Affair to Remember • Music: Harry Warren • Lyrics: Harold Adamson and Leo McCarey
- "April Love" — April Love • Music: Sammy Fain • Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster
- "Tammy" — Tammy and the Bachelor • Music and lyrics: Ray Evans and Jay Livingston
- "Wild Is the Wind" — Wild Is the Wind • Music: Dimitri Tiomkin • Lyrics: Ned Washington
- 1958 (31st) "Gigi" — Gigi • Music: Frederick Loewe • Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner
- "Almost in Your Arms (Love Song from Houseboat)" — Houseboat • Music and lyrics: Jay Livingston and Ray Evans
- "A Certain Smile" — A Certain Smile • Music: Sammy Fain • Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster
- "To Love and Be Loved" — Some Came Running • Music: James Van Heusen • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "A Very Precious Love" — Marjorie Morningstar • Music: Sammy Fain • Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster
- 1959 (32nd) "High Hopes" — A Hole in the Head • Music: James Van Heusen • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "The Best of Everything" — The Best of Everything • Music: Alfred Newman • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "The Five Pennies" — The Five Pennies • Music and lyrics: Sylvia Fine
- "The Hanging Tree" — The Hanging Tree • Music: Jerry Livingston • Lyrics: Mack David
- "Strange Are the Ways of Love" — The Young Land • Music: Dimitri Tiomkin • Lyrics: Ned Washington
1960s
- 1960 (33rd) "Never on Sunday" — Never on Sunday • Music and lyrics: Manos Hadjidakis
- "The Facts of Life" — The Facts of Life • Music and lyrics: Johnny Mercer
- "Faraway Part of Town" — Pepe • Music: André Previn • Lyrics: Dory Langdon
- "The Green Leaves of Summer" — The Alamo • Music: Dimitri Tiomkin • Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster
- "The Second Time Around" — High Time • Music: James Van Heusen • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- 1961 (34th) "Moon River" — Breakfast at Tiffany's • Music: Henry Mancini • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
- "Bachelor in Paradise" — Bachelor in Paradise • Music: Henry Mancini • Lyrics: Mack David
- "Love Theme From El Cid (The Falcon and The Dove)" — El Cid • Music: Miklós Rózsa • Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster
- "Pocketful of Miracles" — Pocketful of Miracles • Music: James Van Heusen • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "Town Without Pity" — Town Without Pity • Music: Dimitri Tiomkin • Lyrics: Ned Washington
- 1962 (35th) "Days of Wine and Roses" — Days of Wine and Roses • Music: Henry Mancini • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
- "Love Song From Mutiny on the Bounty (Follow Me)" — Mutiny on the Bounty • Music: Bronislaw Kaper • Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster
- "Song From Two for the Seesaw (Second Chance)" — Two for the Seesaw • Music: André Previn • Lyrics: Dory Langdon
- "Tender Is the Night" — Tender Is the Night • Music: Sammy Fain • Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster
- "Walk on the Wild Side" — Walk on the Wild Side • Music: Elmer Bernstein • Lyrics: Mack David
- 1963 (36th) "Call Me Irresponsible" — Papa's Delicate Condition • Music: James Van Heusen • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "Charade" — Charade • Music: Henry Mancini • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
- "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" — It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World • Music: Ernest Gold • Lyrics: Mack David
- "More" — Mondo Cane • Music: Riz Ortolani and Nino Oliviero • Lyrics: Norman Newell
- "So Little Time" — 55 Days at Peking • Music: Dimitri Tiomkin • Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster
- 1964 (37th) "Chim Chim Cher-ee" — Mary Poppins • Music and lyrics: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
- "Dear Heart" — Dear Heart • Music: Henry Mancini • Lyrics: Jay Livingston and Ray Evans
- "Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte" — Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte • Music: Frank De Vol • Lyrics: Mack David
- "My Kind of Town" — Robin and the 7 Hoods • Music: James Van Heusen • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- "Where Love Has Gone" — Where Love Has Gone • Music: James Van Heusen • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- 1965 (38th) "The Shadow of Your Smile" — The Sandpiper • Music: Johnny Mandel • Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster
- "The Ballad of Cat Ballou" — Cat Ballou • Music: Jerry Livingston • Lyrics: Mack David
- "I Will Wait for You" — The Umbrellas of Cherbourg • Music: Michel Legrand • Lyrics: Jacques Demy • English lyrics: Norman Gimbel
- "The Sweetheart Tree" — The Great Race • Music: Henry Mancini • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
- "What's New Pussycat?" — What's New Pussycat? • Music: Burt Bacharach • Lyrics: Hal David
- 1966 (39th) "Born Free" — Born Free • Music: John Barry • Lyrics: Don Black
- "Alfie" — Alfie • Music: Burt Bacharach • Lyrics: Hal David
- "Georgy Girl" — Georgy Girl • Music: Tom Springfield • Lyrics: Jim Dale
- "My Wishing Doll" — Hawaii • Music: Elmer Bernstein • Lyrics: Mack David
- "A Time for Love" — An American Dream • Music: Johnny Mandel • Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster
- 1967 (40th) "Talk to the Animals" — Doctor Dolittle • Music and lyrics: Leslie Bricusse
- "The Bare Necessities" — The Jungle Book • Music and lyrics: Terry Gilkyson
- "The Eyes of Love" — Banning • Music: Quincy Jones • Lyrics: Bob Russell
- "The Look of Love" — Casino Royale • Music: Burt Bacharach • Lyrics: Hal David
- "Thoroughly Modern Millie" — Thoroughly Modern Millie • Music and lyrics: James Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn
- 1968 (41st) "The Windmills of Your Mind" — The Thomas Crown Affair • Music: Michel Legrand • Lyrics: Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
- "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" — Chitty Chitty Bang Bang • Music and lyrics: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
- "For Love of Ivy" — For Love of Ivy • Music: Quincy Jones • Lyrics: Bob Russell
- "Funny Girl" — Funny Girl • Music: Jule Styne • Lyrics: Bob Merrill
- "Star!" — Star! • Music: Jimmy Van Heusen • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn
- 1969 (42nd) "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" — Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid • Music: Burt Bacharach • Lyrics: Hal David
- "Come Saturday Morning" — The Sterile Cuckoo • Music: Fred Karlin • Lyrics: Dory Previn
- "Jean" — The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie • Music and lyrics: Rod McKuen
- "True Grit" — True Grit • Music: Elmer Bernstein • Lyrics: Don Black
- "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" — The Happy Ending • Music: Michel Legrand • Lyrics: Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Records
Most awards won
- Number of nominations in parentheses
- 4 : Sammy Cahn (26) (lyricist)
- 4 : Alan Menken (14) (composer)
- 4 : Johnny Mercer (18) (sixteen as lyricist, two as composer and lyricist)
- 4 : Jimmy Van Heusen (14) (composer)
- 3 : Ray Evans (7) (composer and lyricist)
- 3 : Jay Livingston (7) (composer and lyricist)
- 3 : Tim Rice (5) (lyricist)
- 3 : Harry Warren (11) (composer)
- 3 : Paul Francis Webster (16) (lyricist)
- 2 : Howard Ashman (7) (lyricist)
- 2 : Burt Bacharach (5) (composer)
- 2 : Alan Bergman (15) (lyricist)
- 2 : Marilyn Bergman (15) (lyricist)
- 2 : Sammy Fain (10) (composer)
- 2 : Oscar Hammerstein II (5) (lyricist)
- 2 : Joel Hirschhorn (3) (composer and lyricist)
- 2 : Will Jennings (3) (lyricist)
- 2 : Al Kasha (3) (composer and lyricist)
- 2 : Jerome Kern (7) (composer)
- 2 : Henry Mancini (11) (composer)
- 2 : Giorgio Moroder (2) (composer)
- 2 : Randy Newman (12) (composer and lyricist)
- 2 : Stephen Schwartz (5) (four as lyricist, one as composer and lyricist)
- 2 : Ned Washington (11) (lyricist)
Multiple-winning songs
Several songs that won the Academy Award for Best Original Song have also ended up winning the various Award ceremonies, such as the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song; and most notably, the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media, an accolade presented by the Grammy Awards (for the most outstanding achievements in music).
These songs include, "The Windmills of Your Mind" (1968), "The Way We Were" (1973), "I'm Easy" (1975), "Evergreen" (1976), "You Light Up My Life" (1977), "Last Dance" (1978), "Fame" (1980), "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" (1981), "Up Where We Belong" (1982), "Flashdance... What a Feeling" (1983), "I Just Called to Say I Love You" (1984), "Say You, Say Me" (1985), "Take My Breath Away" (1986), "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" (1987), "Under the Sea" (1989), "A Whole New World" (1992), "Streets of Philadelphia" (1993), "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (1994), "Colors of the Wind" (1995), "You Must Love Me" (1996), "When You Believe" (1998), "You'll Be in My Heart" (1999), "Into the West" (2003), "The Weary Kind" (2009) and "Skyfall" (2012).
"My Heart Will Go On" (1997) is the only Academy Award for Best Original Song to also win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Song Written for Visual Media and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. Another Academy Award for Best Original Song winner "Beauty and the Beast" (1991), was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, but managed to win the Best Song Written for Visual Media as well as Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals aside from winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. Celine Dion sang the lead vocals on both songs. Skyfall (2012) is the only Brit Award winning song to win an Academy Award.
The song "White Christmas" went on to become one of the biggest selling singles of all time.
Female winners
Dorothy Fields was the first female songwriter to win the Best Original Song Oscar. She wrote the lyrics for the 1936 winner "The Way You Look Tonight" (music by Jerome Kern) sung by Fred Astaire in the film Swing Time. It was thirty-two years before a second woman was honored, Marilyn Bergman, who co-wrote with husband Alan the lyrics for "Windmills of Your Mind" (music Michel Legrand) from The Thomas Crown Affair in 1968. Alan & Marilyn Bergman also wrote the lyrics of 1973 winner "The Way We Were" (music Marvin Hamlisch) from the film of the same name (and the lyrics for the film musical Yentl, which won the Oscar in a different category, Best Original Song Score, in 1983).
Female winners since then:
- Barbra Streisand (music) (for "Evergreen" from A Star Is Born in 1976), the first woman to be honored as a composer rather than lyricist.
- Carole Bayer Sager (music) ("Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" from Arthur in 1981), the first woman to be honored as both composer and lyricist.
- Buffy Sainte-Marie (music) ("Up Where We Belong" from An Officer and a Gentleman in 1982)
- Irene Cara (lyrics) ("Flashdance... What a Feeling" from Flashdance in 1983)
- Carly Simon (music and lyrics) ("Let the River Run" from Working Girl in 1988), the first solo female songwriter to be honored.
- Annie Lennox (music and lyrics) ("Into the West" from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003)
- Fran Walsh (music and lyrics) ("Into the West" from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003)
- Melissa Etheridge (music and lyrics) ("I Need to Wake Up" from An Inconvenient Truth in 2006), the second solo female songwriter to be honored.
- Markéta Irglová (music and lyrics) ("Falling Slowly" from Once) in 2007.
- Adele (music and lyrics) ("Skyfall" from Skyfall) in 2012.
- Kristen Anderson-Lopez (music and lyrics) ("Let It Go" from Frozen) in 2013.
Foreign-language song winners
- Manos Hadjidakis was the first to receive this award for a song originally written in a language other than English, in 1960 for "Never on Sunday" (Greek title "Ta Paidia toy Peiraia") from the Greek film Never on Sunday (Greek title Pote tin Kyriaki).
- Jorge Drexler was the second foreign language songwriter to win the Best Original Song Oscar, for "Al otro lado del río" from The Motorcycle Diaries in 2004. That year another foreign language writing pair were nominated, composer Bruno Coulais and lyricist Christophe Barratier for "Vois sur ton chemin (Look to Your Path)" from the French film The Chorus.
- A. R. Rahman and Gulzar are the third and fourth foreign language composer and songwriter respectively to win in the Best Original Song category, which they shared for the Hindi song "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire, at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009. That same year, "O... Saya", another partly Hindi song from the same film by Rahman and M.I.A., was also nominated, making it the first time two foreign language songs from the same film were nominated in the category.
See also
- BAFTA Award for Best Film Music
- Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
- Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media
References
- ^ Susan Sacket, "1941: 'The Last Time I Saw Paris'", Hollywood Sings!, Billboard Books, New York, 1995, pp. 42–43.
- ^ a b Rule Fifteen: Special Rules for the Music Awards | Rules for the 86th Academy Awards | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- ^ ""Once" Again, a Legit Nominee". The New York Times. 2008-01-29.
- ^ Sacket, "Preface", p. xvii.
- ^ BBC2012Noms. "Oscars 2012: Nominees in full". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
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- ^ 2011 Academy Awards rules (PDF)
- ^ Academy press release
- ^ "Oscar Show Participants Revealed" (Press release). Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 2008-02-14. Archived from the original on 18 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
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- ^ UPI.com (2009-02-14). "Gabriel cancels Oscar night performance". United Press International Inc. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
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- ^ Feinberg, Scott (January 29, 2014), "Academy Disqualifies Oscar-Nominated Song 'Alone Yet Not Alone'", The Hollywood Reporter