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The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are songwriters and composers. The winners are chosen by the Academy membership as a whole. It is important to understand that it is the songwriters that win, not the song, and that only original songs written for the film are eligible for this category.

Contents 1 List of winners 1.1 1934 - 1940 1.2 1941 - 1950 1.3 1951 - 1960 1.4 1961 - 1970 1.5 1971 - 1980 1.6 1981 - 1990 1.7 1991 - 2000 1.8 2001 - 2006 2 About the award 2.1 Most awards won 2.2 The ceremony 2.3 Only "original" songs 2.4 Trivia 2.4.1 Female winners 2.4.2 Foreign language winners 2.4.3 Randy Newman 2.4.4 Hip-hop and rap 2.4.5 Walt Disney films

[edit] List of winners

[edit] 1934 - 1940

Year	Song	Film	Music	Lyrics
1934	"The Continental"	The Gay Divorcee	Con Conrad	Herb Magidson
1935	"Lullaby of Broadway"	Gold Diggers of 1935	Harry Warren	Al Dubin
1936	"The Way You Look Tonight"	Swing Time	Jerome Kern	Dorothy Fields
1937	"Sweet Leilani"	Waikiki Wedding	Harry Owens	Harry Owens
1938	"Thanks for the Memory"	The Big Broadcast of 1938	Ralph Rainger	Leo Robin
1939	"Over the Rainbow"	The Wizard of Oz	Harold Arlen	Yip Harburg
1940	"When You Wish Upon a Star"	Pinocchio	Leigh Harline	Ned Washington

[edit] 1941 - 1950

Year	Song	Film	Music	Lyrics
1941	"The Last Time I Saw Paris"	Lady Be Good	Jerome Kern	Oscar Hammerstein II
1942	"White Christmas"	Holiday Inn	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin
1943	"You'll Never Know"	Hello, Frisco, Hello	Harry Warren	Mack Gordon
1944	"Swinging on a Star"	Going My Way	James Van Heusen	Johnny Burke
1945	"It Might As Well Be Spring"	State Fair	Richard Rodgers	Oscar Hammerstein II
1946	"On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe"	The Harvey Girls	Harry Warren	Johnny Mercer
1947	"Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah"	Song of the South	Allie Wrubel	Ray Gilbert
1948	"Buttons and Bows"	The Paleface	Jay Livingston	Ray Evans
1949	"Baby, It's Cold Outside"	Neptune's Daughter	Frank Loesser	Frank Loesser
1950	"Mona Lisa"	Captain Carey, U. S. A.	Jay Livingston	Ray Evans

[edit] 1951 - 1960

Year	Song	Film	Music	Lyrics
1951	"In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening"	Here Comes the Groom	Hoagy Carmichael	Johnny Mercer
1952	"High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')"	High Noon	Dimitri Tiomkin	Ned Washington
1953	"Secret Love"	Calamity Jane	Sammy Fain	Paul Francis Webster
1954	"Three Coins in the Fountain"	Three Coins in the Fountain	Jule Styne	Sammy Cahn
1955	"Love Is a Many Splendored Thing"	Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing	Sammy Fain	Paul Francis Webster
1956	"Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)"	The Man Who Knew Too Much	Jay Livingston	Ray Evans
1957	"All the Way"	The Joker Is Wild	James Van Heusen	Sammy Cahn
1958	"Gigi"	Gigi	Frederick Loewe	Alan Jay Lerner
1959	"High Hopes"	A Hole in the Head	James Van Heusen	Sammy Cahn
1960	"Never on Sunday"	Pote tin Kyriaki	Manos Hadjidakis	Manos Hadjidakis

[edit] 1961 - 1970

Year	Song	Film	Music	Lyrics
1961	"Moon River"	Breakfast at Tiffany's	Henry Mancini	Johnny Mercer
1962	"Days of Wine and Roses"	Days of Wine and Roses	Henry Mancini	Johnny Mercer
1963	"Call Me Irresponsible"	Papa's Delicate Condition	James Van Heusen	Sammy Cahn
1964	"Chim Chim Cher-ee"	Mary Poppins	Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman	Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman
1965	"The Shadow of Your Smile"	The Sandpiper	Johnny Mandel	Paul Francis Webster
1966	"Born Free"	Born Free	John Barry	Don Black
1967	"Talk to the Animals"	Doctor Dolittle	Leslie Bricusse	Leslie Bricusse
1968	"Windmills of Your Mind"	The Thomas Crown Affair	Michel Legrand	Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman
1969	"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head"	Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid	Burt Bacharach	Hal David
1970	"For All We Know"	Lovers and Other Strangers	Fred Karlin	Robb Wilson, Arthur James

[edit] 1971 - 1980

Year	Song	Film	Music	Lyrics
1971	"Theme from Shaft"	Shaft	Isaac Hayes	Isaac Hayes
1972	"The Morning After"	The Poseidon Adventure	Al Kasha, Joel Hirschhorn	Al Kasha, Joel Hirschhorn
1973	"The Way We Were"	The Way We Were	Marvin Hamlisch	Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman
1974	"We May Never Love Like This Again"	The Towering Inferno	Al Kasha, Joel Hirschhorn	Al Kasha, Joel Hirschhorn
1975	"I'm Easy"	Nashville	Keith Carradine	Keith Carradine
1976	"Evergreen"	A Star Is Born	Barbra Streisand	Paul Williams
1977	"You Light Up My Life"	You Light Up My Life	Joseph Brooks	Joseph Brooks
1978	"Last Dance"	Thank God It's Friday	Paul Jabara	Paul Jabara
1979	"It Goes Like It Goes"	Norma Rae	David Shire	Norman Gimbel
1980	"Fame"	Fame	Michael Gore	Dean Pitchford

[edit] 1981 - 1990

Year	Song	Film	Music	Lyrics
1981	"Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"	Arthur	Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross, Peter Allen	Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross, Peter Allen
1982	"Up Where We Belong"	An Officer and a Gentleman	Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie	Will Jennings
1983	"Flashdance... What a Feeling"	Flashdance	Giorgio Moroder	Keith Forsey, Irene Cara
1984	"I Just Called to Say I Love You"	The Woman in Red	Stevie Wonder	Stevie Wonder
1985	"Say You, Say Me"	White Nights	Lionel Richie	Lionel Richie
1986	"Take My Breath Away"	Top Gun	Giorgio Moroder	Tom Whitlock
1987	"(I've Had) The Time of My Life"	Dirty Dancing	Franke Previte, John DeNicola, Donald Markowitz	Franke Previte
1988	"Let the River Run"	Working Girl	Carly Simon	Carly Simon
1989	"Under the Sea"	The Little Mermaid	Alan Menken	Howard Ashman
1990	"Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)"	Dick Tracy	Stephen Sondheim	Stephen Sondheim

[edit] 1991 - 2000

Year	Song	Film	Music	Lyrics
1991	"Beauty and the Beast"	Beauty and the Beast	Alan Menken	Howard Ashman
1992	"A Whole New World"	Aladdin	Alan Menken	Tim Rice
1993	"Streets of Philadelphia"	Philadelphia	Bruce Springsteen	Bruce Springsteen
1994	"Can You Feel the Love Tonight"	The Lion King	Elton John	Tim Rice
1995	"Colors of the Wind"	Pocahontas	Alan Menken	Stephen Schwartz
1996	"You Must Love Me"	Evita	Andrew Lloyd Webber	Tim Rice
1997	"My Heart Will Go On"	Titanic	James Horner	Will Jennings
1998	"When You Believe"	The Prince of Egypt	Stephen Schwartz	Stephen Schwartz
1999	"You'll Be in My Heart"	Tarzan	Phil Collins	Phil Collins
2000	"Things Have Changed"	Wonder Boys	Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan

[edit] 2001 - 2006

Year	Song	Film	Music	Lyrics
2001	"If I Didn't Have You"	Monsters, Inc.	Randy Newman	Randy Newman
2002	"Lose Yourself"	8 Mile	Eminem, Jeff Bass, Luis Resto	Eminem
2003	"Into the West"	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	Fran Walsh, Howard Shore, Annie Lennox	Fran Walsh, Howard Shore, Annie Lennox
2004	"Al Otro Lado del Río"	The Motorcycle Diaries	Jorge Drexler	Jorge Drexler
2005	"It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp"	Hustle & Flow	Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman, Paul Beauregard	Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman, Paul Beauregard
2006	"I Need to Wake Up"	An Inconvenient Truth	Melissa Etheridge	Melissa Etheridge

[edit] About the award

[edit] Most awards won

Number of times nominated in parentheses

• 4 : Sammy Cahn (26)
• 4 : Alan Menken (10)
• 4 : Johnny Mercer (18)
• 4 : James Van Heusen (14)
• 3 : Ray Evans (7)
• 3 : Jay Livingston (7)
• 3 : Tim Rice (5)
• 3 : Harry Warren (11)
• 3 : Paul Francis Webster (16)
• 2 : Howard Ashman (7)
• 2 : Burt Bacharach (5)
• 2 : Alan Bergman (15)
• 2 : Marilyn Bergman (15)
• 2 : Sammy Fain (10)
• 2 : Oscar Hammerstein II (5)
• 2 : Joel Hirschhorn (3)
• 2 : Will Jennings (3)
• 2 : Al Kasha (3)
• 2 : Jerome Kern (7)
• 2 : Henry Mancini (11)
• 2 : Giorgio Moroder (2)
• 2 : Stephen Schwartz (2)
• 2 : Ned Washington (11)

[edit] The ceremony

In recent years, as the presentation ceremony has become a glitzy spectacle shown on television around the world, nominees are often invited to perform their songs live. The ceremony is valuable exposure for solo artistes and groups whose members write music for the cinema, and also a showcase for material which might be used in film soundtracks at a future date.

The performers are generally picked by the songwriters, however in certain cases, the Academy has forced them to pick well-recognized performers to boost the show's ratings^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Only "original" songs

This creates confusion when a popular, but non-original song, appears in a popular film. Some notable examples include "Unchained Melody" in Ghost and most of the songs in Grease, plus:

• The Bodyguard, 1992: "I Will Always Love You" was ineligible because Dolly Parton wrote it for herself many years earlier; she also used it herself in the film version of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. However, two other songs written for The Bodyguard, "I Have Nothing" and "Run to You", were nominated for the award (though neither won).
• Evita, 1996: Most of the film's songs, including "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina", had been written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber for the West End musical. However, although they had not worked together in 13 years at the time, Rice and Lloyd Webber did write a new song for the movie, "You Must Love Me", for which they won the Oscar.
• Dreamgirls, 2006: "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", like many of the film's other songs, was written for the Broadway musical; but three other songs written for the film version, including "Listen", were nominated for the 79th Academy Awards (though none of the three won).

[edit] Trivia

[edit] Female winners

• Dorothy Fields was the first female songwriter to win the Best Original Song Oscar. She wrote the lyrics for the 1936 winner "The Way You Look Tonight" (music by Jerome Kern) sung by Fred Astaire in the film Swing Time. It was thirty-two years before a second woman was honoured, Marilyn Bergman, who co-wrote with husband Alan the lyrics for "Windmills of Your Mind" (music Michel Legrand) from The Thomas Crown Affair in 1968.

Female winners since then:

Barbra Streisand for "Evergreen" from A Star Is Born in 1976 (the first female tunesmith to be honoured)

Carole Bayer Sager for "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" from Arthur in 1981

Buffy Sainte-Marie for "Up Where We Belong" from An Officer and a Gentleman in 1982

Irene Cara for "Flashdance... What a Feeling" from Flashdance in 1983

Carly Simon for "Let the River Run" from Working Girl in 1988

Annie Lennox for "Into the West" from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003

In 2007, Melissa Etheridge joined Carly Simon as the only other female winner of this award who worked alone on the successful song.

[edit] Foreign language winners

• Manos Hadjidakis was the first to receive this award for a song originally written in a language other than English, in 1960 for Ta Paidia toy Peiraia from the Greek film Pote tin Kyriaki.
• Jorge Drexler was the second foreign language songwriter to win the Best Original Song Oscar, for Al Otro Lado del Río from The Motorcycle Diaries in 2004. That year another foreign language writing pair were nominated, composer Bruno Coulais and lyricist Christophe Barratier for Vois Sur Ton Chemin (Look To Your Path) from the French movie Les Choristes.

[edit] Randy Newman

• Randy Newman was nominated sixteen times before finally winning the award for his 2001 song "If I Didn't Have You" from Monsters, Inc..

[edit] Hip-hop and rap

• Eminem, Jeff Bass, and Luis Resto were the first to win the Best Song Oscar for a hip-hop song, in 2002 for Lose Yourself from 8 Mile. The song was not performed at the 75th Academy Awards because Eminem declined to attend the ceremony.
• Since Eminem did not perform, Three 6 Mafia was the first hip-hop act to perform at the Oscar ceremony (for 2005), performing "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" which two members of the group co-wrote; it also won the Oscar. Ironically, Three 6 Mafia did not perform the song in Hustle & Flow, though they were joined at the Oscars by Taraji P. Henson who performs it in the film with star Terrence Howard.

[edit] Walt Disney films

• As of 2006, songs from ten Walt Disney films have won this award, six of them having won over the eleven-year period from 1989 to 1999.

v • d • e Academy Awards
Academy Award of Merit: Current Awards	Best Picture • Best Leading Actor • Best Leading Actress • Best Supporting Actor • Best Supporting Actress • Best Animated Feature • Best Art Direction • Best Cinematography • Best Costume Design • Best Director • Best Documentary Feature • Best Documentary Short Subject • Best Film Editing • Best Foreign Language Film • Best Makeup • Best Original Score • Best Original Song • Best Animated Short Film • Best Live Action Short Film • Best Sound Mixing • Best Sound Editing • Best Visual Effects • Best Adapted Screenplay • Best Original Screenplay
Academy Award of Merit: Retired Awards	Best Assistant Director • Best Dance Direction • Best Director of a Comedy Picture • Best Short Film - Live Action - 2 Reels • Best Short Film - Novelty • Best Original Story • Best Title Writing • Best Unique and Artistic Quality of Production
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