2008 Best Original Song - Slumdog Hits the Oscar Jackpot

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WON: "Jai Ho," Slumdog Millionaire

SHOULD'VE WON: "Down to Earth," WALL-E

Welcome to 2008, yet another funky three-nominee year in Best Original Song (a result of the category's oddball points system). What makes '08 a particular head-scratcher is there were certainly more than a mere three tunes worthy of recognition. The true best original song of the year - Bruce Springsteen's "The Wrestler" (from the Mickey Rourke picture) - inexplicably wasn't even nominated, despite taking home the Golden Globe.

Instead of awarding The Boss, the Academy utilized Best Original Song to shower even more love on Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, which came out of nowhere in '08 to all but sweep the year's Oscars, defeating more traditionally awards-baity projects like Frost/Nixon and Milk.

The winner in Best Original Song, A.R. Rahman's "Jai Ho," is I think very much emblematic of the picture's strengths and weaknesses, a piece full of buoyant energy that nonetheless leaves me a tad cold in the end. Rahman's orchestrations are pretty remarkable but the production overall leaves me both exhausted and disinterested by the halfway mark. The other Slumdog song, "O...Saya," doesn't quite have that same enthusiasm but also is a little more nuanced. I'm just not in love with either of the tunes.

For me, this one's a clear slam dunk for Peter Gabriel's lovely "Down to Earth," which nicely compliments Disney-Pixar's greatest film to date, WALL-E.

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

2007 Best Original Song - Falling for "Falling Slowly"

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WON: "Falling Slowly," Once

SHOULD'VE WON: "Raise It Up," August Rush

Yeah, yeah, I know. The notion of the molasses-dripping August Rush as being worthy of Oscar consideration sounds like an Oscar fanboy's bad April Fool's Day joke. Alas, Best Original Song is a category in which I have bestowed favoritism upon the likes of Armageddon, The Bodyguard and Pearl Harbor, among others, all quite worse than the Freddie Highmore film.

Even if the picture itself is unbearably sticky-sweet, August Rush's "Raise it Up" is an immensely pleasant surprise, a truly soaring and affecting gospel piece, performed by Jamia Simone Nash and the Harlem-based Impact Repertory Theatre. I think it's just marvelous the Academy recognized it, given both its lack of precursor attention in that awards season and the middling notices for the film.

I give "Raise It Up" an ever-so-slight edge over the Academy's pick for the win here, Once's lovely "Falling Slowly." Performed and composed by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, it packs a subtle, bittersweet punch and I can't find anything the least bit negative to say about it, other than I'm not quite as head-over-heels for it as its many ardent fans tend to be.

I do, however, prefer "Falling Slowly" to the remaining three nominees, all from Disney's ginormously successful Enchanted, a picture Amy Adams surely deserved an Oscar nom for. Adams is an absolute delight to listen to on "Happy Working Song" and "That's How You Know" - I actually prefer the former to the latter, which I felt was a bit overhyped at the time - but I don't think Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz were operating at quite the same sky-high level as the picture's leading lady here. She breathes tremendous life into the songs but I don't think there's a whole lot of magic there beyond her energy. The third nominee, "So Close," isn't performed by Adams (but rather Jon McLaughlin) and is a real snooze.

Too bad the Academy didn't have the balls this year to recognize any of the many uproarious original songs from Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

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

 

2006 Best Original Song - Dreamgirls No Match for Melissa

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WON AND SHOULD'VE WON: "I Need to Wake Up," An Inconvenient Truth

I consider Dreamgirls one of the finest American musicals of the past half-century, a rich, often exhilarating look back at a time when producers and their dazzling performers would crank out one two-a-half-minute mega hit after another, many of which proved timeless and still garner plenty airplay to this day...even if many of the actual performers themselves have sadly been forgotten.

Venturing into Bill Condon's 2006 film adaptation of Dreamgirls, I had pretty sky-high expectations, given the strength of the material and my fondness for Condon's prior work. Lo and behold, I was left largely cold by the picture, which I didn't feel nearly captured the magic of the material's stage productions. While I enjoyed Jennifer Hudson's Oscar-winning turn as Effie, I was left restless by the wooden leading turns of Beyonce and Jamie Foxx. I also didn't think - and here's where I loop this into Best Original Song - the new tracks, all by Henry Krieger, resonated even a tenth as strongly as "I Am Changing," "One Night Only" or, of course, "And I Am Telling You."

While the Academy didn't go too head-over-heels for the film, ignoring Condon and looking past the production in Best Picture, Dreamgirls did manage a hefty three noms in Best Original Song.

The best of the three tunes, "Love You I Do," is a modestly enjoyable number, performed by the buoyant Hudson. While it's hardly an A-grade song, it does at least ring of some middle-of-the-road Motown numbers, almost a filler Supremes or Martha and the Vandellas track. The bland "Listen," on the other hand, doesn't sound '60s in the slightest, rather a run-of-the-mill ballad that could've surfaced on any Beyonce album. "Patience," a nod to the great Donny Hathaway, is listenable but wholly forgettable.

Beyond Dreamgirls, this year boasted yet another Randy Newman nomination, this time for Cars' "Our Town." Performed by the terrific James Taylor, it's not half-bad - another example of a Newman-composed tune lifted by not having Newman perform it himself - but I think the Academy actually got it right this year. Even if the song is a tad too on-the-nose, I quite like Melissa Etheridge's "I Need to Wake Up," from An Inconvenient Truth. Is it on-par with something like "Come to My Window"? Not quite. But it's still a nice, above-average piece of adult contemporary-rock and I dig Etheridge having an Oscar under her belt.

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

 

2005 Best Original Song - Give Dolly an Oscar Already!!

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WON: "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," Hustle & Flow

SHOULD'VE WON: "Travelin' Thru," Transamerica

Let's first get two important things out of the way in this review of 2005 Best Original Song - one, Crash's "In the Deep" is as dreary and heavy-handed as the picture it's featured in (the all-time worst Best Picture winner, by the way) and two, Brokeback Mountain's sublime "A Love That Will Never Grow Old" should have had this prize in the bag. That it wasn't even nominated should have tipped us all off that the film was vulnerable in the top category.

With that said, '05 Best Original Song is more an amusing curiosity than anything. It's among that small handful of oddball years in which the Academy opted for fewer than five nominees, a result of the category's idiosyncratic points system in voting. It's also the year that managed to pit hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia against country legend superstar Dolly Parton. With the Brokeback song inexplicably on the sidelines, this race seemed like a virtual jump ball heading into Oscar night.

Hustle & Flow's "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" isn't a bad winner and it's featured in a strong picture to boot, unlike the other two nominees. There is, however, a certain cheesiness to the record that certainly wasn't present in, for instance, 8 Mile's "Lose Yourself." Not that this is necessarily a deal-breaker - if the race was exclusively this and "In the Deep," I'd be whole-heartedly on-board - but there's just nothing especially Oscar-calibur or all that remarkable about the track.

Parton's "Travelin' Thru" isn't an extraordinary piece either, nor would I include it in the top tier of her gigantic discography, but it is nonetheless a very nice toe-tapper, fitting for the film (even if, again, it's not a very good one) and come on - she is so overdue for an Oscar, having first deserved to triumph 25 years prior to this with "9 to 5."

Come back to the big screen, Dolly! (And preferably in something better than Joyful Noise...)

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

2004 Best Original Song - Counting Crows? Why, Academy, Why?!?!

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WON AND SHOULD'VE WON: "Al otro lado del río," The Motorcycle Diaries

In 1960, "Never on Sunday," from the eponymous Melinda Mercouri picture, became the first foreign language film to score victory in the category of Best Original Song. Up until '04, however, no Spanish-language song had triumphed here.

There were a few nominees prior to the win for The Motorcycle Diaries' "Al otro lado del río" - for instance, '44's "Rio de Janeiro," from Brazil, and '92's "Beautiful Maria of My Soul," from The Mambo Kings - but no victories. Jorge Drexler at last shattered that glass ceiling in '04, even if the Academy trampled on his historic moment a bit by egregiously not allowing Drexler to perform his own song at the Oscar ceremony. (Instead, the Academy invited the more A-list likes of Antonio Banderas and Carlos Santana. Drexler's acceptance speech, in which he sang a few lines, could not have been more pitch-perfect.)

Not only was Drexter's win a groundbreaking victory but also a deserving one, though not exactly because "Al otro lado del río" was an extraordinary piece of music. It's a fine, nicely performed and produced tune but nothing terribly remarkable. It only really stands out on account of the jaw-dropping weakness of the rest of the line-up.

It's hard to select a runner-up in a batch this anemic but I suppose my second favorite here would be another song from a foreign language film (this time from France), The Chorus' "Look to Your Path." It's a marvelous picture, deservedly nominated this year for Best Foreign Language Film, but beyond some pleasant harmonies, there's not much here to get excited about when it comes to the song.

At least "Look to Your Path" isn't cringe-inducing, like "Learn to Be Lonely," from Joel Schumacher's trainwreck film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, or "Accidentally in Love," Counting Crows' nauseating bubble gum pop abomination from Shrek 2. Please note that Adam Duritz has an Oscar nomination, while Donald Sutherland and Mia Farrow do not.

The final nominee falls somewhere between the top two and bottom-of-the-barrel two - Alan Silvestri's "Believe," from The Polar Express, performed here by Josh Groban, who was pretty damn beloved around this time in the mid-'00s. The production is decent-enough here but I've never been too fond of Groban's vocal work - I find it more bombastic than anything else - and the lyrics are like having a gallon of molasses poured into one's ears.

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