94 Songs vie for the Oscar
Friday, December 15, 2023 at 6:00PM 
ORLANDO: MY POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY is an unlikely contender but you gotta love its boldness.
The Academy has released a couple of eligibility lists, including one for the Best Original Song race. Ninety-four different tunes have been submitted for the Oscar. It's three maximum for each movie, from which only two can be nominated for the same title. Barbie, The Face of the Faceless, A Good Person, The Little Mermaid, State of the Unity, and Wish have submitted three, while many other projects went for double trouble. There are no significant surprises in terms of omitted contenders, but some submission choices delight with their boldness, and others shock because their origin is so obscure. For example, I quibble with the one song chosen from Dicks: The Musical and Carmen. I'm also delighted that Orlando: My Political Biography threw its hat in the race and just found out some of these movies even exist.
From American Symphony to Wonka, come discover the complete list of submissions…
- AMERICAN SYMPHONY "It Never Went Away"
- ASTEROID CITY "Dear Alien Who Art in Heaven"
- BARBIE "Dance the Night"
- BARBIE "I'm Just Ken"
- BARBIE "What Was I Made For"
- THE BEANIE BUBBLE "This"
- BELLA "The Easy Way"
- BOBI WINE: THE PEOPLE'S PRESIDENT "Everything's Gonna Be Alright"
- THE BOY AND THE HERON "Spinning Globe"
- CARMEN "Slip Away"
- CHAMPIONS "Tell Somebody That You Love 'em Right Now"
- CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET "My Sweet Baby"
- THE COLOR PURPLE "Superpower"
- THE COLOR PURPLE "Keep It Movin'"
- CREED III "Blood, Sweat & Tears"
- DICKS: THE MUSICAL "Out Alpha the Alpha"
- DREAMIN' WILD "A Dream Is Beautiful"
- DRIFT "It Would Be"
- DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES "Wings of Time"
- 80 FOR BRADY "Gonna Be You"
- ELEMENTAL "Steal the Show"
- THE FACE OF THE FACELESS "Barala Tribal Song"
- THE FACE OF THE FACELESS "Ek Sapna Mera Suhana"
- THE FACE OF THE FACELESS "Jalta Hai Suraj"
- FLAMIN' HOT "The Fire Inside"
- FLORA AND SON "High Life"
- FLORA AND SON "Meet in the Middle"
- A GOOD PERSON "The Best Part"
- A GOOD PERSON "I Hate Myself"
- A GOOD PERSON "Stardust"
- HEART OF STONE "Quiet"
- HERE. IS. BETTER "A Little More Time"
- THE HOME FAIRY "Amar em Segredo"
- THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES "Can't Catch Me Now"
- THE INVENTOR "From This Tiny Seed"
- THE IRON CLAW "Live That Way Forever"
- JACOB THE BAKER "Better Times"
- JOE HALADIN: THE CASE OF THE MISSING SISTER "It's Precious We Have It Today"
- JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 "Eye for an Eye"
- JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM "Mother to a Savior and King"
- KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON "Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)"
- KING COAL "King Coal"
- KNIGHT OF SANTIAGO "Las Navas de Tolosa"
- LEO "When I Was Ten"
- THE LITTLE MERMAID "For the First Time"
- THE LITTLE MERMAID "The Scuttlebug"
- THE LITTLE MERMAID "Wild Uncharted Waters"
- THE MAGICIAN'S ELEPHANT "Found"
- M3GAN "Tell Me Your Dreams"
- MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3 "We Are All Together"
- MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH MARRIAGE "Lion/My Love Affair with Marriage"
- NIMONA "T-Rex"
- NYAD "Find a Way"
- ORIGIN "Falling Into Place"
- ORIGIN "I Am"
- ORLANDO: MY POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY "Pharma Coliberation"
- OUR SON "Always Be My Man"
- PAST LIVES "Quiet Eyes"
- PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY MOVIE "Down Like That"
- PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY MOVIE "Learning to Fly"
- THE PEASANTS "End of Summer"
- PRISONER'S DAUGHTER "Shotgun Clown"
- RADICAL "Sader"
- THE ROAD DOG "Remember Me"
- RUBY GELMAN, TEENAGE KRAKEN "Rise"
- RUBY GELMAN, TEENAGE KRAKEN "This Moment"
- RUSTIN "Road to Freedom"
- SAVING ANA "Missing Children"
- SCREAM VI "In My Head"
- SCREAM VI "Still Alive"
- SHE CAME TO ME "Addicted to Romance"
- SILVER DOLLAR ROAD "Wounded Heart"
- SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE "Am I Dreaming"
- SPINNING GOLD "Greatest Time"
- THE STARLING GIRL "Ace Up My Sleeve"
- STATE OF THE UNITY "One Mile"
- STATE OF THE UNITY "Songbird"
- STATE OF THE UNITY "Hides"
- STEPHEN CURRY UNDERRATED "Lil Fish, Big Pond"
- STRAYS "All of You"
- THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE "Peaches"
- SUZUME "Kanata Haluka"
- SUZUME "Suzume"
- SWEETWATER "Taking Me Higher"
- THEATER CAMP "Camp Isn't Home"
- THEY CLONED TYRONE "Drunk AF"
- TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS "On My Soul"
- TROLLS BAND TOGETHER "Better Place (Reunion)"
- UNCHARITABLE "All of Our Dreams"
- WE DARE TO DREAM "Don't Need to Sleep"
- WISH "I'm a Star"
- WISH "This Is the Thanks I Get?"
- WISH "This Wish"
- WONKA "A World of Your Own"
Notably, animated pictures are abundant among the submissions, including some non-English-language songs. I'm especially fond of the works competing from Suzume and The Peasants, but they feel like long shots, to put it mildly. Some personal favorites that miss the eligibility list include the various songs from Scarlet, Bryce Dessner's operatic compositions for She Came to Me, and the wedding songs in What's Love Got To Do With It. Another observation that comes to mind is that Asteroid City submitted for Original Song but not Original Score. In any case, there'll probably be a follow-up article dealing with that other category's contenders – 149 in total.
While we wait for the Academy to reveal their music shortlists next week, give a listen to a Spotify list I curated with all the Original Song submissions I could find:
From those 94 tunes, which would you include in your personal ballot?
Reader Comments (14)
Go Dear Alien Who Art in Heaven! A song I immediately listened to when I got home from the movie.
Diane Warren is coming... Diane Warren is coming...
To answer the question, I think I would just pass and go to the next category. Literally don’t know any of these songs. Weirdest inclusion is not one but two songs from Scream VI.
I AM KEN! I AM KEN! And Gosling needs to perform with ALL the other Actor/Supporting Actor nominees. Make it happen!
@Fabio Dantas Flappers-I fucking hope not. "I'm Just Ken" better be nominated as I want to see Ryan Gosling perform that song with the greatest backing band ever. Josh Freese on drums. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross on keyboards. Mark Ronson on piano. Andrew Wyatt on bass. Wolfgang Van Halen and Slash on guitar. Dave Grohl, Eddie Vedder, Joshua Homme, Iggy Pop, and any other cool rock along with all of the actors singing back-up with every guy in Barbie recreating the dance break.
@ Cláudio: I think Out-Alpha the Alpha was the only song written specifically for the movie and not adapted from the stage show? I could be wrong and there might have been another.
Michael Shetina -- You're probably right. I assumed more music had been composed for it, considering it's eligible for Best Original Score. However, I guess not, at least in terms of songs.
Interesting. The M3GAN song is being submitted. I don't see it making the cut, but I'm happy they're pushing that film somehow. The music in that film, especially that song, is actually used to advance the plot in really smart ways.
My ballot based on eligibility:
Barbie: Dance the Night Away
Barbie: What Was I Made For
The Hunger Games: Can't Catch Me Now
M3GAN: Tell Me Your Dreams
Super Mario Bros: Peaches
The dance scene in Barbie is fantastic and the song is perfect for it. What Was I Made For and Can't Catch Me Now left me a sobbing mess in the theater. And Peaches is just a fun and funny moment.
So happy that “Camp Isn’t Home” from THEATER CAMP made the list, as well as “Meet in the Middle” from FLORA AND SON because I was afraid the studio was only going to submit “High Life.” Would love to see “Steal the Show” from ELEMENTAL get nominated, because that’s one that I’ve replayed countless of times and it was only after seeing in context of the film did I fall for it.
^ Totally agree that Steal the Show from Elemental is a GREAT song! Definitely stuck with me after the movie. Don't see it being nominated, but would def be a worthy nominee.
@thevoid99- now I’m picturing Dance the Night with Dua Lipa singing but Margot and all the Barbies dancing on Oscar night.
@thevoid99
Same here.
Gosling singing "I'm Just Ken" would be EPIC!
For me, the only noms this movie will get: Gosling and "I'm Just Ken".
But he and Stone didn't perform "City of Stars" from "La La Land".
Is our Gosling shy?
I’m picturing Mimi Webb making her US tv debut performing This Moment from Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken, performing with a bunch of dancers, a band, and a screen with scenes from the movie.
The chorus is very catchy
“ Something 'bout tonight got me feelin' different
I can see the bright lights in the distance
Tell my old self, "Hey, you'll be missed"
But I've been waitin' my whole life for this
Something in my mind says to keep on goin'
The fire inside just keeps on glowin'
Give my old self a goodbye kiss
'Cause I've been waitin' my whole life for this”
This is definitely a winner.,
Girls rule.
I’m also picturing Osage Tribal Singers performing on Oscar Night with their song from Killers Of the Flower Moon.