The songs in the running for the 2024 Best Original Song Oscar are “It Never Went Away” (“American Symphony”), “I’m Just Ken” (“Barbie”), “What Was I Made For?” (“Barbie”), “The Fire Inside” (“Flamin’ Hot”), and “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” (“Killers of the Flower Moon”). Our current odds show that “What Was I Made For?” (31/10)) is favored to win, followed in order by “I’m Just Ken” (37/10), “It Never Went Away” (9/2), “The Fire Inside” (9/2), and “Wahzhazhe” (9/2).
This year’s roster of eight individual songwriters includes two pairs of former winners, each of which is associated with a “Barbie” song. Those who prevailed most recently are sibling duo Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, whose bid for “What Was I Made For?” comes two years after they took the gold for the title tune from the “James Bond” movie “No Time to Die” (2022). They are now set to battle “I’m Just Ken” co-writers Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, who won here for “Shallow” (2019) along with Anthony Rossomando and Lady Gaga.
“Barbie” joins 15 other films that earned two or more song nominations apiece, the last of which was “La La Land” (2017), which won for “City of Stars” rather than “Audition (The Fools Who Dream).” This precedent was not established until the 53rd Academy Awards in 1981, when “Fame” simultaneously won for its title track and lost for “Out Here on My Own.” The half dozen films that failed to succeed on any of their multiple song bids are “Yentl” (1984), “Footloose” (1985), “Cold Mountain” (2004), “Dreamgirls” (2007), “Enchanted” (2008), and “The Princess and the Frog” (2010).
Although “It Never Went Away” writers Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson are both new to this category, the former did share in a Best Original Score victory for “Soul” (2021) along with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. If he succeeds this time, he will be the first person since Justin Hurwitz (“La La Land”) to win both music Oscars and the first since Howard Shore (score: “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” 2002; score and song: “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” 2004) to win them for two different films.
Also included in this lineup’s subgroup of category newcomers is Scott George (“Wahzhazhe”), who makes history as the category’s first Indigenous male nominee. That leaves returning contender Diane Warren (“The Fire Inside”), who is now on her 15th song notice with no competitive wins, although she did receive an honorary Oscar in 2022. She has now been nominated in nine of the last 10 years and numbered among the songwriters who were bested by both “Barbie” pairs.
The songs that won in this category most recently are “Naatu Naatu” (“RRR,” 2023), “No Time to Die” (“No Time to Die,” 2022), “Fight for You” (“Judas and the Black Messiah,” 2021), and “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” (“Rocketman,” 2020). This year’s winner will be revealed during the 96th Academy Awards ceremony, airing March 10 on ABC.
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