A look back at some of the greatest Best Original Song Oscar winners
The 93rd Academy Awards night saw some well-deserved movies winning gongs including Nomadland for Best Picture and Best Director, and The Father for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as Fight for You from Judas and the Black Messiah winning Best Original Song.
Performed by H.E.R., Fight for You is a poweful song reflecting the importance of the themes within the Fred Hampton biopic; those of systemic racism, and an injustice at the hands of cops that survives more than 50 years on from when the movie is set.
There have been a lot of immeasurably influential Oscar-winning songs over the years, here are just ten more of the most important:
1. Shallow (A Star Is Born)
This emotional ballad sung by Lady GaGa and Bradley Cooper for the latter’s 2018 music-romance movie A Star Is Born deserves to be recognised as one of the greatest Oscar-winning songs of all time, for the sheer beauty in the music and lyrics. Written by Gaga, Andrew Wyatt, Anthony Rossomando and Mark Ronson, the song would also win a Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics’ Choice Award and two Grammys.
2. Let It Go (Frozen)
Parents of small children in 2013 would probably not agree, but the sheer infectious spirit of this song from Disney’s Frozen will live on as long as any classic Disney anthem. Performed by Idina Menzel and written by Kristen and Robert Lopez, it became the first Disney song to top the US charts since 1995’s Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas.
3. Skyfall (Skyfall)
Skyfall was the first ever James Bond theme to win an Academy Award and as such set the bar extremely high for all future Bond songs. Sung by Adele for the 2012 movie of the same name, the song was co-written and produced by Paul Epworth and became one of the best-selling digital singles of all time.
4. Lose Yourself (8 Mile)
A number one single in 20 countries (and his first in the US), this iconic rap from 2002’s 8-Mile written and performed by Eminem is still considered one of the greatest songs ever recorded. True, it’s been reduced to meme material in recent years, but at least we’re still talking about his “mom’s spaghetti”.
5. My Heart Will Go On (Titanic)
There’s no denying that this 1997 disaster-romance starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most famous movies of all time, being the first to gross over a billion and being the highest-grossing film ever made until James Cameron surpassed himself with Avatar. But it’s the main love theme composed by James Horner and performed by Celine Dion that never fails to bring tears to our eyes. Indeed, it’s probably Dion’s most famous song to this day.
6. Can You Feel the Love Tonight (The Lion King)
The entire soundtrack to 1994’s The Lion King is time-capsule worthy, but it’s this song by Elton John and Tim Rice that won the Best Original Song Oscar. It was performed largely by Kristle Edwards (aka Kristle Murden for the film, after Elton John vetoed the producers’ idea to have Timon and Pumbaa sing the whole thing. On reflection, it certainly is much too powerful a love song to be watered down by comedy characters.
7. (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life (Dirty Dancing)
Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes sung this tune from arguably the most famous scene in 1987’s Dirty Dancing; i.e. the final dance featuring Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze performing THAT lift. It also won a Golden Globe and a Grammy, and topped the charts in the US.
8. Moon River (Breakfast at Tiffany’s)
Composed and written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, Moon River was Audrey Hepburn‘s most iconic outing as a singer. The 1961 film in which it appeared, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, saw her character Holly Golightly in an unusually passive mood as she sang the song from her balcony. It has since been a huge hit for crooner Andy Williams.
9. Baby, It’s Cold Outside (Neptune’s Daughter)
It might be popularly thought of as a Christmas song, but Baby, It’s Cold Outside was actually first recorded for the 1949 film Neptune’s Daughter. It was written by Broadway genius Frank Loesser, who originally wrote the song for private parties to sing with his wife – whom, apparently, was less than happy about him selling the rights to the song.
10. Over the Rainbow (The Wizard of Oz)
Last but certainly not least is perhaps the most famous song on this list. Sung by Judy Garland in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, Over the Rainbow has been covered innumerable times, perhaps most famously by Eva Cassidy in 1992. It’s a highly influential anthem, and it’s even speculated that it served as inspiration for the LGBT Pride flag, given that Garland was one of the first gay icons.