Best Original Song: Ranking Every Nominee of the 97th Academy Awards
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Every year, I use this opportunity to explain how this category is always my least favourite of the Academy Awards. The Best Original Song category is almost always used for nefarious reasons. Often times, lackluster films become Oscar nominees because they had a popular artist record an original track to promote the film, had their song (usually) shoved into the credits of said motion picture, and called it a day. That just doesn’t sit right with me, especially because mediocre films — and, let’s be honest, usually mediocre songs — get selected. This used to be a category saved for musicals with original compositions, or films that incorporated a song (hopefully a good one) in a strong way. This category, instead, usually feels like a popularity contest, be it film, franchise, or music star. Additionally, in recent years, this category has been a haven for one Diane Warren who is forever nominated and never awarded (not in competition at the Oscars, anyway), and while I never really have an issue with her (some of her nominated songs are quite great), I almost always dislike or outright hate the films her songs are nominated for. This year is no different: Warren is here, and her song is attached to one of the worst Oscar nominated films this year. When ranking the five songs, I considered not only the songs based on their own merits, but also their importance in their respective films; if they’re just meant to be tossed in during the credits, I’ll likely not feel as connected with them as the songs used during a film’s actual runtime. This year’s nominees are fairly good overall, and I didn’t hate any of the nominees; however, only two songs really wowed me from these nominees. Let’s proceed and get the least interesting Oscars category out of the way.
Here are your nominees for Best Original Song ranked from worst to best.
Biggest Snub: Challengers: “Compress/Repress”-Music and Lyric by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Even though I said that I will consider credits songs less, “Compress/Repress” is a different story. First off, the entire Challengers score is by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (more on that tomorrow, by the way). This original song feels like an outro explanation of the entire film that is entirely in context — thematically and audibly — with the rest of the music. Additionally, this is a hell of a song: a banger reminiscent of some of the stronger Nine Inch Nails tracks of the twenty first century. This song almost feels like an additional scene that you cannot see but only hear, so it heavily compliments Challengers — a heart-racing affair — perfectly with this upbeat chance to marinate (but not quite wind down). This is a great song amongst some of the other snubbed songs worthy of being mentioned here (like the triumphant “Kiss the Sky” from The Wild Robot, or the adorably thoughtful “Harper And Will Go West” from Will & Harper); I’m still going with “Compress/Repress” not just because it speaks to my tastes more, but because I do think it is quite possibly the best original song in a film from last year.
5. Elton John: Never Too Late: “Never Too Late”-Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin
I know. How dare me for ranking the Elton John last. Look: I think “Never Too Late” is a decent song whose musical composition is fluffy, whimsical, and a little derivative of what you’d come to expect from eighties or nineties ballads; it feels a little old fashioned. Its real staying power comes from the lyrics, which summarize this so-so documentary in a brief amount of time (and in a stronger way, I’d argue). Once I heard it in the film while those credits were rolling, I sat and reflected on what I was listening to, feeling a little bit of cheer, and instantly forgetting the song moments later, likely because I was instead remembering the very best John and writer Bernie Taupin have to offer. Don’t get me wrong: this is a pleasant song, but I cannot help but wonder if it got nominated just as a thank-you from the Academy to a legendary musician who is retiring (on that note, John’s song “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman is far stronger, just so you don’t think I have some vendetta against a musician I actually love).
4. Emilia Pérez: ”El Mal”-Music by Clément Ducol and Camille, Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard
I cannot help but wonder if the nomination of “El Mal” was because of the sequence it is attached to: an extended, highly choreographed moment for star Zoe Saldaña to shine. The sequence itself is a bold one. The song, however, especially on its own doesn’t work extremely well outside of Emilia Pérez; it is the visual component that makes this song work. On its own, it is a flurry of words being tossed at you, an erupting chorus (which kind of feels over-produced at times), with snippets of the titular Pérez speaking/singing at an event (again, the latter works better in context of the scene, as opposed to enhancing the song as a stand-along track). At least “El Mal” is a part of an integral moment in the film and not just a song tossed in to accompany a film’s credits, but not only do I think that Emilia Pérez has stronger songs to pick from for this category (more on that shortly), I also think other films boast songs that can stand on their own and outside of their cinematic housing. I love this sequence regarding Saldaña’s performance; I’ not crazy about it as a Best Original Song nominee.
3. The Six Triple Eight: “The Journey”-Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
Alright, folks, it’s time for our yearly tradition of talking about Diane Warren. However, unlike some other years, I actually like the song she’s nominated for this year: “The Journey”. I really don’t care for the film it’s associated with, Tyler Perry’s The Six Triple Eight, because the feature feels wrought with artificial, conventional emotion, but Warren comes swooping in with a song that actually feels like it comes straight from the heart (sure, the song possesses the kinds of expected turns from a typical ballad, especially a Warren-penned one, but I think it works here). Performed by Oscar winner H.E.R. (she won for “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah), Warren’s song becomes a massive outro to a film that couldn’t piece together that same oomph it strived for. I’m not sure if Warren wanted to team up with H.E.R. to try and finally strike Oscar gold, but at least this time her nominated song is quite a good one; mind you, it won’t win, but it’s nice when the never-ending Warren fest gives us something worthwhile (albeit via a film that felt like a multi-hour chore before the main event).
2. Emilia Pérez: “Mi Camino”-Music and Lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol
Now here is a far stronger song from Emilia Pérez. I think Zoe Saldaña has a much better performance throughout the film than Selena Gomez (who delivers a fairly good performance, mind you, even with the heavily broken Spanish [I don’t get how so many people miss the point that her character is from the United States and isn’t from Mexico]), but this moment — “Mi Camino — is where the pop star is at her very best: with a number and moment that kind of takeover the entire film for me whenever I reach it. Within context, this is a gorgeous moment where a closed-off character bursts at the seams with all of her inner thoughts and feelings to cling onto. It’s a vibrant, electrifying sequence. On its own, “Mi Camino” is still a terrific pop song (I cannot speak to the accuracy of the Spanish lyrics, which I know is a point of contention to many regarding the writing of much of Emilia Pérez). It has a major pulse that throbs throughout, like your heart is racing while you are in love. I think this song works really well, and it may even be one of the finest of Emilia Pérez as a whole, both within and outside of the film.
1. Sing Sing: “Like a Bird”-Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada
Of the nominees here, there’s no contest. I’m placing “Like a Bird” first. This is the kind of track I usually love to see in the Best Original Song category: one that doesn’t even feel like it is written for a film because it doesn’t need that support in order to exist. If I heard “Like a Bird” in passing, I’d believe it was a song written by a major artist meant to be a radio hit (and, even then, in this day and age, this song is better than that fate). A song that slowly climbs up to a point and drills deeper and deeper into my soul, “Like a Bird” is just splendidly written and composed through and through. Within context, “Like a Bird” may be a credits song, but it expands on the themes and ideas of Sing Sing extraordinarily well, surpassing the damnation that songs slapped at the end of films usually face. If anything, “Like a Bird” provides Sing Sing with an epilogue of sorts: the kind of musical cue that keeps you in your seat after the film has finished. In a film about unheard voices being tended to, “Like a Bird” feels like one final thought. Mission accomplished. This is a terrific song that, unfortunately, like Sing Sing itself, deserved to make an even bigger splash this awards season, but I’m thrilled that it has been nominated.
Who I Want To Win: The two songs I like the most of these nominees are “Like a Bird” from Sing Sing and “Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez, so I will champion either of these to win.
Who I Think Will Win: Right now, I’m predicting “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez, which has been a bit of a strange phenomenon, to say the least. I cannot help but wonder if voters are getting wrapped up in the spectacle of the scene’s visual aspect and Zoe Saldaña’s performance, because the song itself really doesn’t win me over as much as other songs — even many others from Emilia Pérez — do. Nonetheless, “El Mal” seems to be dominating this awards season so far, so I think it’ll take home the Academy Award.
The Academy Awards Project will continue tomorrow with another category: Best Original Score. We’re going to rank every single nominee in every single category, Monday through Friday. You don’t want to miss it!
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.