The Film Experience

Team Experience is discussing each Oscar category as we head into the precursors. Today's volley, on Best Original Song, is brought to you by Mark Brinkherhoff and Baby Clyde...

Will we see "I'm Just Ken" performed on Oscar night?

MARK: Barbie! Long may she reign. The pop-cultural juggernaut of 2023 not only drew moviegoers worldwide (to the tune of $1.5 billion globally—Warner Brothers’ biggest hit ever), but also ruled the music charts with international smashes like "Barbie World", "Dance the Night", "What Was I Made For?", etc. And that doesn’t even do justice to perhaps Barbie’s biggest earworm, the delightfully daffy "I’m Just Ken".

All of them were technically eligible for Academy Awards submission; yet AMPAS rules are such that only three songs from a single film can be submitted for Best Original Song consideration, and only two of them can land actual Oscar nominations...

So, "Dance the Night", "What Was I Made For?" and "I'm Just Ken" were the expected submissions (I don’t envy who had to make the cuts since "Choose Your Fighter", "Man I Am" and "Speed Drive" were also bangers.)

But what of the other films with Oscar contenders? The Color Purple seems like the clear-shot musical with potential nominees ("Keep It Movin'" and "Superpower" —the rousing "I’m Here" was not eligible since it's not new to the film but from the original score to the Broadway musical). And, just as certain as death and taxes, never count out Diane Warren—10 years running now, minus the blip of 2016—for "The Fire Inside" from that Flamin’ Hot Cheetos movie (which I still can’t believe is a real thing).

Then there are The Little Mermaid’s 'For the First Time', Rustin’s 'Road to Freedom', Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’s A'm I Dreaming?', The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s 'Peaches', not to mention Wish’s 'This Is the Thanks I Get' and 'This Wish'.

Yet it’s easy to take for granted that lately Disney, for so long a dominant force in this category, has missed as often as hit with Oscar this century. Could this be one of those years when no Disney song makes the Oscar lineup?

BABY CLYDE: I’m feeling a bit like Diane Warren myself. This is the third consecutive year I’ve been nominated to evaluate Best Song in the Oscar Volley. Unfortunately, just like the long-time award runner up I too have relied on cliches and repetition in my annual entries, consistently complaining about the terrible songs in contention and their inevitable placements as a soundtrack to our cinematic departure. Miraculously both myself and Ms. Warren have broken our streaks in 2023 and upped our game. I’m delighted to say that this year has brought us a plethora of first rate contenders in this most derided of categories and shockingly two of them are written by the 14-time losing Schlock Queen herself. Yes, they're from films that no one believes exist but who’d have thunk that a super catchy reggaeton tinged banger would be her first worthy submission since the 1990s???

After mocking her desperation over the last few seasons she’s proven she’s still got it and I’d be fully on board for a Warren win. That’s not to sat she has a hope in hell. It is of course a Barbie World and we’re all just Kens in it. Whichever of the three Barbie submissions make it, it’s just nice to have some zeitgeist defining proper hit records in the mix again. That’s two spots definitely taken and I’m never counting out Diane Warren again, so will Lin-Manuel, Lenny or Justin miss out???

MARK: Timberlake and team, ideally. It isn’t 2016, "Better Place" from Trolls Band Together isn’t "Can't Stop the Feeling", and Timberlake certainly doesn’t have the sterling reputation he once did—like, say, when the first Trolls movie was released/Oscar-nominated. However, this also is Timberlake’s first song with NSYNC since the very early Aughts, so if the nostalgia appeal could prove irresistible.

Speaking of (should've been) irresistible, "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" from 2010’s Burlesque would’ve been a real bright spot among Warren’s recent streak of Oscar nominations, except the Academy failed to nominate her for *that* one, which is inconceivable/unforgivable. But I digress.

It seems safe to assume that Barbie will get two nominations easily. The Color Purple could as well, though two double-nominated films in this category very well may be a stretch, which will make room for either of Miranda’s songs from The Little Mermaid ("Wild Uncharted Waters" being the other) or, perhaps, "This Wish" from Wish. And lest we forget, Elemental has a possible contender in "Steal The Show", as does The Hunger Games prequel’s "Can't Catch Me Now" (co-written—and belted—by Olivia Rodrigo). Then we have lesser known, lower profile films like Origin, with songs like "I Am".

Plus, every other year there is a documentary featuring a song that manages to get into the Best Original Song lineup. But which will it/would it be this year? I’m drawing a blank.

BABY CLYDE: One of this year’s doc faves is actually about a musician who has his own song primed for Academy consideration. I’m fully expecting multi-Grammy winner and 2020 Best Score Oscar champ Jon Batiste to make the cut. Netflix are going hard with American Symphony so I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see the film get two nods on nominations morning.

Speaking of multiple nods, The Golden Globe noms were recently announced, and with no rules in place to prevent it, all three of Barbie’s songs made it. Otherwise, their selections were somewhat puzzling.

Nothing from musicals Wonka, The Color Purple or The Little Mermaid, but superstar Bruce Springsteen makes it in for a composition from something called She Came To Me? Jack Black is a nominee for "Peaches" a comic song from The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and rock legend Lenny Kravitz’s tune for Rustin lands him a nod. What do these three showbiz A-listers have in common I wonder? You can change the voting body, but The Golden Globes are still gonna Golden Globe.

Of those three Lenny’s supposedly empowering anthem is just the sort of thing The Academy has been a sucker for recently. For the last decade nary has a year gone by without us all being exhorted by some historical figure to ‘Stand Up’ ‘Speak Now’ or ‘Be Alive’ whilst using a mountain of platitudes to fight historic injustice. I feel like Bayard Rustin is likely this year’s Harriet Tubman and Kravitz will be the beneficiary of Oscar’s consistent love for the clichéd.

MARK: Absolutely. I think "Road to Freedom" (Rustin) gets in, along with "Dance the Night" and "I’m Just Ken" (Barbie). American Symphony *does* sound right up the Academy’s alley, so "It Never Went Away" seems like a smart bet. Which leaves The Color Purple, the Globes snub(s) notwithstanding, to swoop in and nab a nom… if—and that’s a pretty consequential if— the film is a sizable hit. Otherwise, I’d say one of Disney’s animated features (Elemental, The Little Mermaid or Wish) could find itself with a Best Original Song nomination. Ditto Wonka. (Sorry, Diane; better luck next year?) In short, for my predictions I’d wager:

Dance the Night, BARBIE
I’m Just Ken, BARBIE
It Never Went Away, AMERICAN SYMPHONY
Road to Freedom, RUSTIN
Superpower, THE COLOR PURPLE

Alternatives: For the First Time, THE LITTLE MERMAID; This Wish, WISH

Yours?

BABY: I’m predicting The Color Purple to be a box-office smash over the holiday season and once the almighty Fantasia Barrino (officially the greatest singer on the planet and best-dressed woman of this awards season) starts performing her contender in all the right places, I think that will be enough to ensure a nomination. This leaves me having predicted six songs as probable nominees.

Last year, after Diane Warren won her Honorary Award, I left her off of my final list hoping that The Academy’s music branch would have finally seen the light. I was wrong. If junk like " Applause" can make it in, then I’m loathe to underestimate her again. And let’s not forget she also has "Gonna Be You" from 80 For Brady in the mix. Will they be able to resist??

Thus, I’m giving Lenny the chop. Other than that whilst I agree with your picks I feel that previous Oscar winner Billie Eilish will edge out her Pop Queen contemporary Dua Lipa and grab the other Barbie slot. "What Was I Made For?" will be deemed a more serious selection that the frothy disco of "Dance the Night" despite the latter being the clear cut pick of the bunch in my opinion. Hope I’m wrong.

Now watch half of them get left off of the shortlist very soon. My predictions:

I’m Just Ken, BARBIE
It Never Went Away, AMERICAN SYMPHONY
Superpower, THE COLOR PURPLE
The Fire Inside, FLAMIN' HOT
What Was I Made For?, BARBIE

MARK: As we wait for the Oscar shortlists to throw final predictions for multiple categories (not just this one) into chaos, are there any Best Original Song contenders we’re underestimating? Overestimating? Not factoring at all? We’re all ears.