Best Original Song: Ranking Every 96th Academy Award Nominee
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
This article is a part of the Academy Awards Project, where Andreas Babiolakis from Films Fatale ranks every Oscar nominee from worst to best, and goes through every category once a day five days a week.
We’ve reached what I will forever call out as my least favourite category in contemporary Academy Awards history: Best Original Song. As someone who just professed to be a huge music fan yesterday when I ranked the Best Original Score nominees, why do I hold such disdain for this category? I find this category to be the one that is the most based on popularity, and, as a result, we frequently get substandard-to-awful films nominated here, just because they’re attached to a popular musician or songwriter. I try to catch every nominated film every year (and have been successful for years), and I know one can technically just listen to the nominated song to get by, but I like seeing — or hearing, rather — these songs in context (besides, I rank every nominated film at the end of this project every year, so I’d need to see the films nonetheless). This means I’m usually subjected to some terrible films just because so-and-so made a song for them. Having said all of these grievances, this year’s nominees are far from the worst. I don’t think most of these songs are spectacular by any means (although I do have a couple that I will be highlighting near the top of my ranking), but we’ve had far worse songs and most certainly far worse films nominated before. Which songs best accompany the films they’re attached to? Which songs have a life of their own when listened to separately from their film? Are any of these songs more than credits accompaniment?
Here are your nominees for Best Original Song ranked from worst to best.
Biggest Snub: “Keep it Movin’” from The Color Purple
I was expecting at least one of the new songs for The Color Purple to work their way here, and the biggest title being tossed around is the early track “Keep it Movin’”, sung by Halle Bailey’s Nettie and used as an anthem to not let life’s problems stop you from getting where you need to go; in fact, it sets the tone for the rest of the film and the many tribulations Celie faces. Well, not only did this upbeat little tune not get recognized, but none of the songs from The Color Purple did (the eligible ones, anyway). Not only is “Keep it Movin’” important for the film, it is catchy as hell. It easily could have had a place here. This category used to be about representing musicals like The Color Purple, but I suppose it’s not really about that anymore, is it (the sole musical here is Barbie, and, even then, it’s not quite a traditional musical).
5. “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot-Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
I don’t hate Diane Warren, but this is six straight years of her being nominated for decent-to-good songs in mediocre-to-awful films (with eight total nominations since 2014), and she never wins. Ever. She got an honorary award, sure, but whoever thinks they’re looking out for Warren in the Best Original Song category by setting up to fail again and again are doing the complete opposite. This is a legendary songwriter we’re talking about, and she’s being reduced to being one of the biggest consecutive losers in Academy history (I don’t see this many nominations as honouring). Enough ranting. The song this time around is “The Fire Inside”, performed by Becky G, and it’s actually not too bad. It encapsulates the themes of the film (about an underdog working their way up against adversity) while capturing the Latin culture present throughout Flamin’ Hot quite effectively. Otherwise, it’s kind of a typical pop song that I won’t pretend is bad when it isn’t, but I also can’t lie and say that it’s brilliant, either. If Warren’s name wasn’t attached to this song, perhaps it wouldn’t have been nominated at all (but isn’t that always the case?).
4. ”I’m Just Ken” from Barbie-Music and Lyric by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt
Sure, “I’m Just Ken” is a lot of fun. I won’t insist that this is a vapid song because there is quite a lot of profound commentary about toxic masculinity versus society’s brutal expectations for men within these self-aware, humorous lyrics. It serves as a turning point for Ken in Barbie, and I think that’s important to consider in this category as well. Having said that, it’s also a little too messy (which I know is intentional, given the scene, character, and purpose) for me to rank higher. I’m also not a fan of overly theatrical stuff, and I know those who are love this song; more power to you. I think “I’m Just Ken” is equal parts fun and witty; I just don’t think it sizes up all that well with its other nominees, even though there are people who think this song should win the award outright (is that because it is better than the rest of the nominations, or because it’s a lot of fun? The latter doesn’t warrant awards just because).
3. ”It Never Went Away” from American Symphony-Music and Lyric by Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson
While I’m shocked that American Symphony didn’t get nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film (not because I like it, I think it’s pretty good, but because this film was predicted to outright win the whole category by many, including myself), I figured it would be recognized at least in Best Original Song. Here it is, with “It Never Went Away” representing the entire film and Jon Batiste’s rollercoaster year presented in the documentary (one where he was composing his magnum opus while his partner battled cancer). This song is a beautiful ballad full of passion and unfiltered adoration, and you can feel every ounce of its emotion. Batiste’s gorgeous piano playing is on full display here, with such precise notes evoking his natural talent for speaking fluently through his compositions as if they were sonnets.
2. ”What Was I Made For?” from Barbie-Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
In context, Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” is a realization made by a doll that she knows not why she was manufactured, and for whom. It’s an existential ballad made by a pop culture icon that recognizes initial marketing initiatives, the shifts of legacy and zeitgeists, and the problematic parallels between how toys are made and sold versus how women are treated in society. This already is a home run of a song, given the sequence in Barbie that slows down for this song to erupt the main focal points of the film. Outside of Barbie, Eilish’s song is still exquisite and arguably one of the best of 2023 (one of the very few non-idiotic decisions made by the Grammys this weekend was awarding this Song of the Year; it’s not my personal favourite song of last year, but it’s a damn good one that I don’t mind taking home the gold). Eilish’s lyrics detail how many females feel in relationships, in public, at home alone, and within civilization. This song does everything it needs to (representing Barbie’s commentary) and then some. This is one hell of an original song for Barbie, and, in my opinion, the one that needs to win (if a Barbie song must win, that is).
1. ”Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon-Music and Lyric by Scott George
After many years of following the Academy Awards, this may be one of the very few actually daring moments in Best Original Song history. “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” is a full-on Osage call to action, presented in the form of a celebration of tradition after three-and-a-half hours of watching a community wither away due to a colonialist-minded sabotage. After the carnage, deception, and devastation of Killers of the Flower Moon, “Wahzhazhe” acts as the voices of the fallen (as we witness the loss of generations of the Osage Nation), as well as the triumphs of the living (a sign that nothing can eliminate the history, legacy, and influence of the Osage people as a whole). This song is given a moment of its own right at the end of Killers of the Flower Moon before the credits wrap up the film for good; a tasteful decision that allows the film to close on such a poignant note. This song is exquisite, powerful, and important. It’s sad to say this, but I didn’t think a composition like this would have ever even been considered by the Academy Awards, especially in such a superficial category. Seeing “Wahzhazhe” here warms my heart to no end.
Who I Want To Win: I’m fully rooting for “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” to take home the gold here, but I also want “What Was I Made For?” to go the distance. I think both nominees are easily the strongest examples of what this category can mean when it is treated seriously.
Who I Think Will Win: This is most likely going to be a Barbie win. The question is… which song is going to take home the Oscar? Right now, I think this will go to “What Was I Made For?, especially after its latest Grammy win. Don’t count out “I’m Just Ken” entirely just yet, seeing as it has garnered some surprise steam recently (like at the Critics Choice Awards). Even so, I think the Academy will choose wisely with Billie Eilish’s song.
The Academy Awards Project will continue tomorrow with another category. 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.