91 Tunes Eligible for Oscar's "Best Original Song" Category
Tuesday, December 13, 2016 at 8:30PM 
Oscar's music branch has sorted through all the tuneful submissions and made two gigantic lists. They've deemed 145 original film scores eligible for "Best Original Score" and 91 songs eligible in Oscar's most divisive category "Best Original Song". As long as I've been alive people have objected to this category even existing (when far more prevalents crafts like "casting" and "stunts" don't have Oscar categories) but without it we wouldn't get all those memorable musical performances on the show. Please note the word "memorable" comes with no connotations as to quality. You can be memorable for all sorts of reasons from brilliance to embarrassing yourself!
This year has the usual array of films you've never heard of, plentiful documentary and cartoon theme songs, songs from movies you saw but didn't realize they had a song (Sully anyone?!), and a whole lot of Sia from multiple movies though her best shots are probably the theme song from The Eagle Huntress or Zootopia's "Try Everything" (people think of it as a Shakira song but Sia wrote it so she'd get the nomination). Since single movies are only allowed two nominees in this category (the rule was changed after the 2007 Oscar race with 3 nominations from Enchanted), you'll find that most movies don't submit more than that, now. Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping only went with one, Sing Street narrowed their plentiful options down to two and La La Land submitted three. Sadly Hail Caesar either didn't submit or they deemed "No Dames" ineligible, we're guessing the former. The 91 songs are listed after the jump with their videos so you can hear them where we could find them...
"Just Like Fire" from "Alice through the Looking Glass"
"Rise" from "American Wrestler: The Wizard"
"Friends" from "The Angry Birds Movie"
"Flicker" from "Audrie & Daisy"
"Seconds" from "Autumn Lights"
"A Minute To Breathe" from "Before the Flood"
"Glory (Let There Be Peace)" from "Believe"
"Mother's Theme" from "Believe"
"Somewhere" from "Believe"
"The Only Way Out" from "Ben-Hur"
"Still Falling For You" from "Bridget Jones's Baby"
"F That" from "The Bronze"
"Torch Pt. 2" from "Citizen Soldier"
"Drift And Fall Again" from "Criminal"
"Take Me Down" from "Deepwater Horizon"
"Land Of All" from "Desierto"
"Sad But True (Dreamland Theme)" from "Dreamland"
"Angel By The Wings" from "The Eagle Huntress"
"Blind Pig" from "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"
"One Frame At A Time" from "Floyd Norman: An Animated Life"
"I'm Crying" from "Free State of Jones"
"Gold" from "Gold"
"Champion" from "Hands of Stone"
"Dance Rascal, Dance" from "Hello, My Name Is Doris"
"I See A Victory" from "Hidden Figures"
"Runnin" from "Hidden Figures"
"Sixty Charisma Scented Blackbirds" from "How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can't Change"
"My Superstar" from "Ice Age: Collision Course"
"Seeing You Around" from "Ithaca"
"The Empty Chair" from "Jim: The James Foley Story"
"Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" from "La La Land"
"City Of Stars" from "La La Land"
"Start A Fire" from "La La Land"
"Cateura Vamos A Soñar (We Will Dream)" from "Landfill Harmonic"
"Better Love" from "The Legend of Tarzan"
"Never Give Up" from "Lion"
"Equation" from "The Little Prince"
"Turnaround" from "The Little Prince"
"Moonshine" from "Live By Night"
"Loving" from "Loving"
"Hurry Home" from "Max Rose"
"Gone 2015" from "Miles Ahead"
"Wish That You Were Here" from "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children"
"I'm Still Here" from "Miss Sharon Jones!"
"How Far I'll Go" from "Moana"
"We Know The Way" from "Moana"
"Even More Mine" from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2"
"Waving Goodbye" from "The Neon Demon"
"I'm Back" from "Never Surrender"
"Find My Victory" from "Olympic Pride, American Prejudice"
"On Ghost Ridge" from "100 Years: One Woman's Fight for Justice"
"Ordinary World" from "Ordinary World"
"Devil's Girl" from "Outlaws and Angels"
"Levitate" from "Passengers"
"Ginga" from "Pelé: Birth of a Legend"
"Nobody Knows" from "Pete's Dragon"
"Something Wild" from "Pete's Dragon"
"Dancing With Your Shadow" from "Po"
"I'm So Humble" from "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping"
"Stay Here" from "Presenting Princess Shaw"
"Celebrate Life" from "Queen Mimi"
"Back To Life" from "Queen of Katwe"
"Let The Games Begin" from "Race"
"Think About It" from "The Red Pill"
"The Rules Don't Apply" from "Rules Don't Apply"
"The Great Beyond" from "Sausage Party"
"Faith" from "Sing"
"Set It All Free" from "Sing"
"Drive It Like You Stole It" from "Sing Street"
"Go Now" from "Sing Street"
"The Veil" from "Snowden"
"Hymn" from "Snowtime!"
"Kiss Me Goodnight" from "Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four"
"Holdin' Out" from "Storks"
"Heathens" from "Suicide Squad"
"Flying Home" from "Sully"
"Montage" from "Swiss Army Man"
"Petit Metier" from "They Will Have to Kill Us First - Malian Music in Exile"
"Letter To The Free" from "13th"
"Down With Mary" from "Too Late"
"Can't Stop The Feeling" from "Trolls"
"Get Back Up Again" from "Trolls"
"Smile" from "The Uncondemned"
"We Will Rise" from "Veeram-Macbeth"
"LA Venus" from "We Are X"
"New Dogs, Old Tricks" from "What Happened Last Night"
"Runnin' Runnin'" from "What Happened Last Night"
"What's Happening Today" from "What Happened Last Night"
"Who I Am" from "What Happened Last Night"
"The Ballad Of Wiener-Dog" from "Wiener-Dog"
"Try Everything" from "Zootopia"
Reader Comments (18)
"Number One Spice" from Queen of Katwe was ROBBED! I'm also so happy that "Drive It Like You Stole It" is eligible considering I read that Weinstein Co was only campaigning the Adam Levine song at the end.
A LOT of Sia to choose from, but I am a big fan of her NEON DEMON song
I never thought "No Dames" would make it because isn't it mostly dancing? Sad it's not there, but not surprising.
My favourite of the Sia songs is "Waving Goodbye" (the best thing about THE NEON DEMON), but I wouldn't be surprised if "The Eagle Huntress" or "Lion" happened since they're into documentaries lately and the might like the exoticism of the latter.
My hunch of which one to look out for is the tune from MISS SHARON JONES. Not just for the sentimental value (what super famous performer could they get to perform it since Jones' death?) but because it's a banging song.
Too bad about "No Dames." It has stayed with me all year...
The Renaissance song from The Love Witch was robbed...
Anyway, team Wiener-Dog!
Thanks to streaming, it's become so easy to listen to movie songs and potential nominees all year round. Remember when you'd barely get a chance to hear a nominee before Oscar night? (Unless you'd sat through the end credits of BEETHOVEN'S 2ND or whatever).
My favourite of the submitted songs would be Can't Stop the Feeling, Waving Goodbye, A Minute to Breathe, Better Love and Heathens plus the following, which weren't submitted: Riddle of the Model (SING STREET), Sledgehammer (STAR TREK BEYOND), Thrill Me (EDDIE THE EAGLE) and Incredible Thoughts (POP STAR).
And not counting LA LA LAND, cos I don't want to hear the songs before I see the movie.
It's a shame that Disney didn't submit "You're Welcome" from "Moana", it would have been fun to see Dwayne Johnson perform that live.
As for the scores for "La La Land" and "Moana", don't their "predominant use of songs" make them ineligible?
Outside of Sing Street, Moana, and La La Land, I'm really pulling for "Equation" from The Little Prince, mostly because it was used REALLY impactfully in the film (it's kind of a fluffball of a song out of context, but in context I was moved), but everyone seems to forget that film exists - a real shame, since there's nothing else quite like it and it's very moving.
"Try Everything" remains my favorite song of the year. It's upbeat, catchy, used nicely in the film to welcome the audience to the magical world of Zootopia, and has a nice message for kids.
The Swiss Army Man song is also a personal fave, as is the song from Lion (sorry David Ehrlich, who called it the worst song ever.) I haven't seen Popstar, but "I'm So Humble" is a pretty witty ditty.
Man, what I wouldn't give to see "Finest Girl (Fuck bin Laden)" nominated.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for compiling all the entries with corresponding vids together like this! Huge undertaking, Nathaniel, bravo! :D
I always look forward to this annual post this time of year just to sample a large chunk of these and maybe find some hidden gems in there somewhere.
I suspect they'll reach the final five with any combo of:
the two songs from La La Land
Sing Street
only one from Moana
Zootopia
something from Hidden Figures, if it becomes a hit
same with Sing
that hit JT Trolls song a la "Happy"
Popstar's "I'm So Humble" as their comedy pick because can you imagine?
Maaaybe the oddball doc song, if they feel passionate but there's some legit good songs this year so there might not be any room and those doc nods tend to happen in a sparse song year, I've noticed.
Love that you do this every year. My insomnia and I decided to go find as many of the ones you couldn't find as possible. So here goes.
The three songs from 'Believe':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxy2S91EJsg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h83AKIv8ui8&index=4&list=PLP44ZjLL2f64tW7cvppsJKAL308RPGBE4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCGQSby3_j8&index=9&list=PLP44ZjLL2f64tW7cvppsJKAL308RPGBE4
The four songs from 'What Happened Last Night' (which is Amber Rose movie?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVLkKAWFGSE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7DNY1UjQ_Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86txwAOxHYQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLq0DWB0Gi4
Torch, Pt. 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9-ZvwkBnhI
Turnaround
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd9FYOTIu0Q
I'm Back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OPddUpUym8
Devil's Girl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkQi_tYXFO8
Dancing With Your Shadow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i8C6welT3g
Celebrate Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOL2N22nuDE
Hymn (Celine Dion returns!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bnRM3pX0EQ
Holdin' Out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5iZjXAWnKU
Petit Metier
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9KPxG8uIsA
Smile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NotuTYyugU
On Ghost Ridge
https://vimeo.com/181897322
Couldn't find a vid for Moonshine, but it's listenable here: http://www.warnerbros2016.com/film.php?film=livebynight
BUT my personal favorite of all the under the radar songs is Sixty Charisma Scented Blackbirds. Would love for it to get the documentary song slot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmgSAed0wH8
Very very hard to take this category seriously after the Sam Smith win. Very hard.
tony t -- that's so true.
Please, both Popstar and Sausage Party's
I would happily RT this amazing post. Also the Lorenzo Vigas' interview.
Super bummed to see Johann Johannsson's ARRIVAL score not on the eligibility list. I know the movie used that Max Richter song at very key moments, but so much of the effective soundscape for that film is Johannsson's original score. I was hoping he'd get a third nom in a row after THEORY OF EVERYTHING and SICARIO. Alas...
Oh, and i loooove Sia's song from LION, and if the nominators still watch a reel of these songs in the context of the films, that one comes at the emotional climax of the finale into the credits. She has too many other songs in contention (and LION doesn't seem to be a major force that could sweep in several below the line noms), but I'm pulling for it. As long as "Drive It Like You Stole It" gets in there.....
"Something Wild" from Pete's Dragon and "With That You Were Here" from Miss Peregrine are two of my favourites, but both just play over the end credits, and the films weren't especially successful (which, in the case of Pete's Dragon, makes me sad, as that's my favourite film of the year thus far). I wish Florence + the Machine would start doing soundtracks for more popular films, so she could actually get nominated.
Thanks for your mention of "What Happened Last Night." The cast and crew worked REALLY hard on the film, including myself. Here are the songs from that film:
WHO I AM - https://youtu.be/IOoMo-qr-bM
NEW DOGS, OLD TRICKS - https://youtu.be/qr4dynzR_-g
RUNNIN' RUNNIN' - https://youtu.be/1VEBNftHDR0
WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY - https://youtu.be/dXpS7iJ_pc8
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