1983 Best Original Song - The Great Barbra Streisand-Jennifer Beals Duel

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WON: "Flashdance...What a Feeling," Flashdance

SHOULD'VE WON: "The Way He Makes Me Feel," Yentl

Now this is a toughie.

In 1983 Best Original Song, a category dominated by Flashdance and Yentl, I could really make a solid case for four of the nominees. (The fifth, "Over You," from the Oscar-winning Robert Duvall vehicle Tender Mercies, is a sloppy piece of adult contemporary, performed by the usually great Betty Buckley yet sounding more like the Oscar-winning dreck from Maureen McGovern in the early '70s.)

Flashdance is not a great picture. It's a supremely silly one, though it does work on at least two levels - as a star-making debut vehicle for the charming Jennifer Beals and as the bearer of a plenty memorable soundtrack.

Indeed, while "Flashdance...What a Feeling" is not my personal pick in '83, I cannot knock its victory too much. Performed and written by the reliable Irene Cara, with a moving and iconic Giorgio Moroder production, it's a record that begins as a slow, steady ballad for Cara before morphing into an irresistible dance number that recalls the best of '80s pop. I'm also quite fond of the other Flashdance nominee, "Maniac," which, like the Cara-Moroder tune, is instantly recognizable from the get-go. "Maniac," which marked a collaboration between writer-performer Michael Sembello and the legendary producer Phil Ramone, was (to my great delight) inspired by the 1980 slasher cult classic of the same name.

Alas, much as I enjoy the Flashdance tracks, I think I'm ever-so-slightly more enamored with the two nominees here from Yentl, Barbra Streisand's directional debut which, really ever since its release, has gotten its fair share of shit from film critics but I would argue is an impressive, even exemplary piece of cinema, one of the last great, ambitious original musicals on the big screen.

What's interesting is the Academy didn't even nominate my favorite song from Yentl here, the sublime finale "A Piece of Sky." Instead, they went for arguably the picture's two most recognizable tunes, "Papa, Can You Hear Me" and "The Way He Makes Me Feel." Both are stunningly performed by Streisand, with incredible music and lyrics from Michel Legrand and Alan & Marilyn Bergman - all four artists are completely operating at the tops of their game here. I do think "Papa" is perhaps tad too...let's say, on the nose, lyrically speaking. "The Way He Makes Me Feel" is the more intriguing and affecting song, particularly within the context of the picture.

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. "Flashdance...What a Feeling," Flashdance (1983)
  24. "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," Arthur (1981)
  25. "Last Dance," Thank God It's Friday (1978)
  26. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  27. "For All We Know," Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)
  28. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  29. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  30. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  31. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  32. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  33. "It Goes Like It Goes," Norma Rae (1979)
  34. "Born Free," Born Free (1966)
  35. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  36. "Up Where We Belong," An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
  37. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  38. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
  39. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
  40. "Evergreen (Theme from A Star Is Born)," A Star Is Born (1976)
  41. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  42. "You Light Up My Life," You Light Up My Life (1977)
  43. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  44. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  45. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  46. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)
  47. "Talk to the Animals," Doctor Dolittle (1967)
  48. "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper (1965)
  49. "The Morning After," The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
  50. "We May Never Love Like This Again," The Towering Inferno (1974)

1982 Best Original Song - I Love You, Dorothy Michaels

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WON: "Up Where We Belong," An Officer and a Gentleman

SHOULD'VE WON: "It Might Be You," Tootsie

For some time growing up, my movie-loving immediate family could not afford to make weekly trips to the local Blockbuster. (In hindsight, much I adored and still miss Blockbuster, weren't their prices absolutely absurd?) Instead, we'd venture over to the town library and pick out flicks from their slim VHS collection.

The two pictures I'd rent out most from the library actually happen to both be Best Original Song nominees - '80s comedy classics Tootsie and Ghostbusters. Much as I enjoyed Ghostbusters, though, I didn't love it nearly as much as I completely ate up Tootsie. Even in elementary school, I couldn't get enough of the Dustin Hoffman comedy. When my friends sang the praises of Mrs. Doubtfire, I, the eight-year-old film snob, would of course note how Tootsie was the vastly superior cross-dressing picture, I imagine leaving my pals confused as to why they hadn't heard of a film about, presumably, Tootsie Rolls.

Alas, in 1982, the Academy didn't quite share my intense affection for the Sydney Pollack film. While it was showered with nominations, including surprise nods for Teri Garr and the film's sound, Tootsie was clobbered by Richard Attenborough's exhausting Gandhi on Oscar night, leaving the Pollack picture in the dust in all categories, sans Supporting Actress, where Jessica Lange picked up a consolation prize for not winning in Lead Actress for her superior work in Frances.

Among the Oscar categories Tootsie came up short in was indeed Original Song, where the picture's lovely "It Might Be You," performed by Stephen Bishop and composed by Dave Grusin and Alan & Marilyn Bergman, was shown the exit by "Up Where We Belong," the number-one Billboard hit from An Officer and a Gentleman.

Performed by Joe Cocker and Oscar favorite Jennifer Warnes (whose comparably mellow "It Goes Like It Goes" had prevailed just a few years prior), "Up Where We Belong" is a listenable but awfully sappy piece of adult contemporary, one of the lesser efforts for sure of composer Jack Nitzsche, who did exciting, innovative work on records with the likes of Phil Spector and the Rolling Stones in the '60s before moving his focus to film music in the '70s and onward, where his output, I'm afraid, wasn't quite as exceptional.

Speaking of soft rock, '82 also features "How Do You Keep the Music Playing" (from the Burt Reynolds-Goldie Hawn dramedy Best Friends) and "If We Were in Love" (from the infamous Luciano Pavarotti misfire Yes, Giorgio), both also written by the Bergmans, with Michel Legrand composing on the former and John Williams on the latter. Neither is terribly noteworthy, though I actually think I slightly prefer both to the winner. The former proved a surprise standard over the years to come, with the legendary likes of Sinatra, Bennett and Streisand all giving it a go. And the latter is of course gorgeously performed by Pavarotti, even if it does bring to mind that damn film.

The final nominee, Rocky III's "Eye of the Tiger," marks the biggest Billboard hit of the five, perhaps of the category ever (it spent an incredible six weeks at number one), and probably the only nominee you'd still frequently come across on the airwaves, unless you're listening to '80s Love Songs on Pandora. Performed by Survivor, it's a smashingly successful and iconic rock record, perfectly fitting to the film, albeit not as uplifting as the "Gonna Fly Now" theme from the first Rocky.

It's a pretty close call for me between "It Might Be You" and "Eye of the Tiger," but my head-over-heels affection for Tootsie is veering me over to the former's column.

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. "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," Arthur (1981)
  24. "Last Dance," Thank God It's Friday (1978)
  25. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  26. "For All We Know," Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)
  27. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  28. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  29. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  30. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  31. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  32. "It Goes Like It Goes," Norma Rae (1979)
  33. "Born Free," Born Free (1966)
  34. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  35. "Up Where We Belong," An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
  36. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  37. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
  38. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
  39. "Evergreen (Theme from A Star Is Born)," A Star Is Born (1976)
  40. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  41. "You Light Up My Life," You Light Up My Life (1977)
  42. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  43. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  44. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  45. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)
  46. "Talk to the Animals," Doctor Dolittle (1967)
  47. "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper (1965)
  48. "The Morning After," The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
  49. "We May Never Love Like This Again," The Towering Inferno (1974)

1981 Best Original Song - "Endless Love, from the Endless Movie Endless Love"

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WON AND SHOULD'VE WON: "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," Arthur

The most memorable part of 1981 Best Original Song at the Oscars was not a particular nominee - this is, I'm afraid, a mostly lackluster line-up - but rather the presentation of the award itself.

At the ceremony this year, Bette Midler was selected to present the trophy in original songwriting and what a marvelous move that turned out to be - she delivered a performance more remarkable than anything host Johnny Carson had to offer up. In prime form, bubbly and funny as ever, Midler won over her audience in an instant and garnered big laughs poking fun at each nominee, in particular at "Endless Love," which she rightfully noted hailed from the "endless movie Endless Love, written by the very rich Lionel Richie."

If only today's presenters had the sparkle and enthusiasm of the Divine Miss M's in '81.

As for the category itself, it's unfortunately not a whole lot to write home about. I do think the Academy made the right call here, with "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," composed by the star-studded team of Burt Bacharach, Peter Allen, Carole Bayer Sager and Christopher Cross. It's half a great song, with a marvelous opening verse - prime Bacharach - and a catchy chorus, but the second verse, focused on the Arthur character (portrayed by Oscar nominee Dudley Moore) has always struck me as rather goofy and clumsily written. It's mold on what's otherwise a pretty good piece of soft rock.

Speaking of soft rock, "Endless Love," from the eponymous Razzie-winning piece of garbage, was also a nominee in '81. Composed by (the indeed very rich) Lionel Richie, the tune, performed by Richie and Diana Ross, was a smash hit at the time, breaking Billboard records, and it continues to stand to this day as one of the all-time most successful duets. While an unimpeachably pleasant listen, nicely performed by Richie and Ross, it isn't a song that breaks any new ground whatsoever and I think it actually runs out of steam by about the halfway mark. It's also, let's be honest, very much tainted by the film. Seems fitting that, after three months at number one, "Arthur's Theme" was the tune to knock this from the top of the Billboard charts.

Another Billboard success recognized here was "For Your Eyes Only," marking only the third time a Bond flick showed up in Best Original Song. Performed by Sheena Easton and composed by Rocky's Bill Conti, it isn't among the series' more memorable themes but rather one of the cheesiest. The remaining two nominees, the overlong and curiously dull "The First Time It Happens" (from the somewhat forgotten The Great Muppet Caper) and Randy Newman's lethargic "One More Hour" (from ho-hum Oscar bait Ragtime) aren't any better.

Was anything egregiously snubbed in '81? Not really, though it would've been a hoot to see "Hearts, Not Diamonds" (composed by Marvin Hamlisch and Tim Rice!) from the Lauren Bacall slasher flick The Fan show up.

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. "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," Arthur (1981)
  24. "Last Dance," Thank God It's Friday (1978)
  25. "Days of Wine and Roses," Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
  26. "For All We Know," Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)
  27. "All the Way," The Joker Is Wild (1957)
  28. "It Might As Well Be Spring," State Fair (1945)
  29. "The Last Time I Saw Paris," Lady Be Good (1941)
  30. "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," Here Comes the Groom (1951)
  31. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
  32. "It Goes Like It Goes," Norma Rae (1979)
  33. "Born Free," Born Free (1966)
  34. "Never on Sunday," Never on Sunday (1960)
  35. "Three Coins in the Fountain," Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
  36. "Chim Chim Cher-ee," Mary Poppins (1964)
  37. "Call Me Irresponsible," Papa's Delicate Condition (1963)
  38. "Evergreen (Theme from A Star Is Born)," A Star Is Born (1976)
  39. "Swinging on a Star," Going My Way (1944)
  40. "You Light Up My Life," You Light Up My Life (1977)
  41. "Gigi," Gigi (1958)
  42. "The Continental," The Gay Divorcee (1934)
  43. "Sweet Leilani," Waikiki Wedding (1937)
  44. "Buttons and Bows," The Paleface (1948)
  45. "Talk to the Animals," Doctor Dolittle (1967)
  46. "The Shadow of Your Smile," The Sandpiper (1965)
  47. "The Morning After," The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
  48. "We May Never Love Like This Again," The Towering Inferno (1974)

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)