This is a movie site, but as we all know, music plays a big part in the success of a movie, so much so that in 1934, the Academy decided to include a Best Song category during the Academy Awards. With Adele’s ‘Skyfall’ likely to win this year’s Best Song on Sunday, I thought it would be fun to go back through the past Best Song winners and pick out the best of the best.
I feel compelled to remind everyone that music is much more subjective than film and choosing the “best” is really dependent on your tastes. I generally consider myself to have a broad range of musical likes, but I fully admit that for every Bob Dylan album I own, I probably have a couple of cheesy 80’s albums to go along with it.
10. “Flashdance…What A Feeling” – FLASHDANCE 1983: It’s as cheesy as they come, but it’s also as catchy as they come. Hot off the heels of the Oscar win for 1980’s “Fame”, Irene Cara followed with the theme from FLASHDANCE. And yes, I went back and forth as to which one to put on the list since they sound a lot alike. Watch the music video above and don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone that you danced along.
9. “My Heart Will Go On” – TITANIC – 1997: You might still be suffering from TITANIC nausea, but if you can step back from the image of pre-teen girls lining up to see the film, you might be able to see that this is actually a pretty decent song. She didn’t write it, but Celine Dion sang this song so incredibly well that it was hard not to be impressed with her performance.
8. “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” – NEPTUNE’S DAUGHTER – 1949: Most people didn’t know that the Christmas date rape song was actually first used in the forgotten film NEPTUNE’S DAUGHTER. It’s a staple during the holidays, but have you ever actually listened to the lyrics? They’re a little creepy if you ask me.
7. “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” – DIRTY DANCING – 1986: I think I lose my man card for admitting I like DIRTY DANCING, but it’s important to be comfortable with who you are. Maybe it’s the nostalgia with this song, but every time I hear it on the radio, I find myself shimmying to the beat. Watch the music video above.
6. “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” – THE LION KING – 1994: Much Like “My Heart Will Go On”, this song was so overplayed when it came out that I’m still sick of it. And I’m not even sure it was the best song from the film, but it’s still a classic song used during a powerful moment in the movie. I’ve always been a big Elton John fan and it was nice to see him get recognition from the Academy for his work on THE LION KING.
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