by Chris Feil
Best Original Song always gets its fair share of side-eye among Oscar snobs and agnostics alike. Granted, some recent nominees have made a decent enough case for their argument - Alone Yet Not Alone, you are lost but not forgotten (or... alone in terms of being a bad nomination). But does this year's crop of tracks continue the category's uptrending in quality? I would argue it does and then some.
While our most expected nominee ("Shallow" obviously) provides the lineup a genuine hit song, we also have idiosyncratic picks as well as musicals and major artists nominated. This leaves the telecast with no rational choice but to allow all numbers to perform on the show, as they have been hesitant to do with lesser known nominees. So in addition to ranking the nominees, I have some suggestions on how to present all of them...
5. "I'll Fight" from RBG
Songwriters Diane Warren
Here's partly why this is a great crop of nominees: last place is still a solid ballad, and mostly occupies that space simply because it feels the most removed from what we remember about its film. Two things we should never doubt are the ability of docs to show up in Original Song and living legend songwriter Diane Warren. Sadly, this will likely be her tenth nomination without a win at Oscar. Next time, Diane, we promise for real this time!
How to Perform on the Telecast: Hurray for a triumphant return to the Oscar stage for singer Jennifer Hudson! An exciting opportunity here to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg - along with other trailblazing women of past and present. Bring all of the female nominees on the stage!
4. "When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings" from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Songwriters David Rawlings and Gillian Welch
In hindsight, it feels a little foolish to have doubted the chances of this during the bakeoff stage. While the Coens' film itself was nominated beyond most expectations, maybe this song was the safest bet of its three? The charming song plays quite singularly in sequence, so you have to imagine that helped sway voters. A sly reflection of the film's gloomy themes.
How to Perform on the Telecast: If Tim Blake Nelson doesn't ascend into the rafters of the Dolby Theatre, why are we even here?
3. "All the Stars" from Black Panther
Songwriters Sounwave, Kendrick Lamar, Anthony Tiffith, and SZA
"Oscar nominee Kendrick Lamar" has felt inevitable along with his many other accolades but it is still richly earned here, particularly for how he helped shape the film's musical experience. This one closed Black Panther and sent us out of the theatre in a wave of heart-filled euphoria, so it feels inextricable from how the movie made us feel. Exactly what great Original Song nominees are supposed to do.
How to Perform on the Telecast: Open the ceremony!! Give us a massive experience with a slew of dancers dressed as all of the tribes of Wakanda - precisely the kind of Marvel spectacle ABC nakedly wants to provide viewers, so it's a win for everyone.
2. "The Place Where Lost Things Go" from Mary Poppins Returns
Songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Whittman
The only film with two songs shortlisted and as you might expect, the emotional one was Oscar's preference. While I contend "Trip A Little Light Fantastic" would have given us a great moment on the telecast, this is the right call. Putting a delicate button on the film's themes of growing up while grieving, this song brings to the forefront the sad tones always lurking under Returns' (and the original's) whimsical surface.
How to Perform on the Telecast: While it seems cruel to have the still unnominated Emily Blunt sing the role she wasn't nominated for, wouldn't this make a nice contemporary choice for the In Memorium reel?
1. "Shallow" from A Star is Born
Songwriters Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, and Andrew Wyatt
The one to beat and for damn good reason. An authentic hit song is back among Oscar's ranks, a significant pop culture moment ever since the thunderous cascade of Ahhhs hit us when the trailer dropped in the summer, a meme, a new legendary song in a film legacy defined by them. All that and it still bursts with heartbreaking micronuances as it plays out in the film, dreams coming true and two people falling in love right before our eyes.
How to Perform on the Telecast: Bradley Cooper hinted during the film's press cycle that he had something in mind. I hope it's subtle actually - months later and we have still never seen the two of them sing live together. Simply recreating it will be enough.
All Soundtracking installments can be found here!
Related Articles:
• 12 things we learned from the noms
• Adams vs Weisz, Round Two
• Best Picture Silliness
• Deep Cut Oscar Trivia
• Mourning the Snubs
• Nomination Index (individual charts still being updated)