by Chris Feil
Right on schedule, the "why do we still have Best Original Song?" responses have arrived. While this year doesn't rank high among the greats in terms of quality, I, your resident Best Original Song obsessive, would argue that this year's crop of nominees is far from the worst. The most expected (or at least predicted) nominee left off the list was The Lion King's "Spirit", though we can all rest on the certainty that Beyoncé will one day be a nominee here. And then there is many folks saddest omission, Wild Rose's "Glasgow (No Place Like Home)", sadly from a small film that couldn't ultimately battle against bigger names and titles.
Let's break down the nominees and their potential to win...
Breakthrough - "I'm Standing With You" - Written by Diane Warren
Folks who weren't predicting this were probably blinded by the song's dreadfulness (not to mention the film's cringe factor), but they were also forgetting one of Oscar's favorite past-times: offering up the spread's most WTF nomination AND nominating one of our greatest songwriters for her worst work. Look, even if her (long, un-trophey-ed) Oscar history might not reflect it, Warren is a still an icon that we shouldn't be surprised to see show up come nomination morning. But that doesn't mean she's winning.
Frozen 2 - "Into the Unknown" - Written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
Surely Frozen 2 missing out in Animated Feature takes some wind out of the sails of the chances for the Lopezes to be again rewarded for their efforts for this franchise. Though maybe not - while enthusiasm for the film as a whole is considerably milder than the original, this will easily be the song voters are most familiar with thanks to children slamming it on repeat over the holiday season. It's the earworm of the lineup, which in recent years for the category makes it more of a wild card to win than a safe bet. More importantly: let John Travolta present the performance by Adele Dazeem again, you cowards!!
Harriet - "Stand Up" - Written by Cynthia Erivo and Joshuah Brian Campbell
The double acting-songwriting nominee trend continues! I'm feeling shakier on my early prediction that this would be our eventual winner, thanks to a certain Globe winner's "we've never won a prize together!" narrative. But Erivo's acting nomination does present a unique leg up on her competition here, one that I think still could make for a possible winner. With no Best Picture nominees in the lineup, an acting nomination surely helps a song contender be seen and heard when all branches are voting.
Rocketman - "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" - Written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin
While the Golden Globes' Original Song winners cannot blithely be trusted to translate to Oscar wins, this contender got a massive jolt of needed narrative when John mentioned in his speech that their legendary pairing had never received a major award together. Considering craft categories can soar with the faintest hint of an isolated narrative and that Rocketman has led one of the most earnest campaigns overall this year, this may be all wrapped up.
Toy Story 4 - "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" - Written by Randy Newman
Honor the Forky, honor the film. I knew I should have predicted this, given that Randy Newman has never missed a nomination for this series and his history with Disney has made him one of Oscar's most nominated living artists. And hey, Cynthia Erivo isn't the category's only double nominee, as Newman was also nominated for Marriage Story's original score. While he probably has better chances in that other category, he'll likely leave the ceremony empty handed.
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