It was strange to have multiple musical numbers performed at the Oscars ceremony earlier this year, but none of them having anything to do with the nominees in the Best Original Song category. This could have been a move to skirt controversy as embattled Best Actress nominee Karla Sofía Gascón was a performer of eventual winner “El Mal.” Yet, it could also be that the producers saw that the $400 million box office juggernaut Wicked, which also happens to be a musical, would feature no new original songs and they had to find a way to get its stars to sing on stage while also acknowledging the tragedy of the L.A. wildfires. Then there was the strange and ultimately bittersweet tribute to the James Bond franchise a week after the producers who had shepherded the franchise into the 21st century ceded creative control of the intellectual property to a package warehouse and delivery service.
Any way you slice it, a showcase for the nominees in Best Original Song is often what makes the show worth watching. Just last year, even though it wasn’t going to win, and slowed the awards down significantly, the raucous, joyous, pink-hued anthem of “I’m Just Ken” was a late show stunner. Even in 2019, the unique presentation of the actual chart topping hit “Shallow” was a weepy joy to watch and Robin Williams belting “Blame Canada” in 1999 was funny and ridiculous as only the Oscars can do. This coming season’s contenders can bring that kind of energy and fun back to the ceremony and actually make it about films being nominated that night.
Most prognosticators have already come to the conclusion that there are already five strong contenders. Though, it’s more like there are multiple songs from Sinners and KPop Demon Hunters that jockey for a position and two original songs from the upcoming Wicked: For Good whose titles haven’t been released that are solidly in the running. Then there’s Diane Warren.
Songwriter and composer Diane Warren has been nominated 16 times in the Best Original Song category. Her first nomination came in 1988 for her song “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” from the film Mannequin, her most famous nomination has to be for “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” from Armageddon, and she has been nominated every single year for the last 10 years. If you look at her body of work, she has impacted and influenced a wide array of music for the last 30 years and has created many daring and iconic songs. Should she be nominated again this season it would be for a documentary made about her, Diane Warren: Relentless. Should she be nominated again, based on the early buzz it will just go down as notch number 17.
However, with heavy hitters and Best Picture hopefuls in the category there is nothing at all chiseled into stone at this point. There are a couple of songs that could sneak in and, well, make some noise. These songs aren’t from the buzziest or well known of 2025 movies, but they’re still great songs.
A movie I’m rather tepid about that falls into this category is Opus. It’s a blink and you would have missed it in theaters A24 horror/social satire, Opus has a plot that revolves around a charismatic titan of pop music, Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich). Moretti’s songs featured in the film were created by composer and songwriter The-Dream and the legendary Nile Rogers of CHIC and performed by John Malkovich. Any one of the three Moretti songs would be worthy, but “Dina, Simone,” would be the most fun to watch live. It’s a funky, catchy, thirsty song that rattles around your head and finds that part of your brain that makes you want to move.
Spike Lee’s newest joint Highest 2 Lowest also features tremendous music as it is built around record label executive David King (Denzel Washington). The more Oscar friendly of its original songs would be the title track “Highest 2 Lowest” written by Aiyanna-Lee Anderson and Daciana-Nicole Anderson because it is a beautiful R&B ballad. It’s an uplifting and emotional song that brings the house down at the end of the film. Yet, before dismissing A$AP Rocky’s rap opus “Trunks” there is precedent for rap songs in this category, with one win for Three 6 Mafia for “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” in 2006. “Trunks” is confessional, stylish, and has a beat that hooks you in from the first moments.
Another film about a musician, The Ballad of Wallis Island, features some of the most beautiful folk songs written for the screen. Songwriter, composer, performer, and actor Tom Basden has weaved these lovely songs into a heart breaking and riotously funny story. There is an entire album’s worth of songs to choose from, but it would probably come down to the title track “The Ballad of Wallis Island” or my personal favorite “Our Love,” sung beautifully by Basden and Carey Mulligan. This one would be the one that could most rival Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová’s tear jerking performance of “Falling Slowly” from Once at the 2007 ceremony or the wonderfully emotional song, “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow,” from the very silly A Mighty Wind, in 2004, sung by Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara.
Whatever gets picked this will be an eclectic and electric year. In a year like this, the performances of these songs can’t be sidelined. Even if it’s just a medley, they need to be shown and honored. They should be front and center, loud and proud, and part of the magic and pageantry of the Oscars ceremony.
