Remember the unlikely turn of phrase, “Academy Award winners Three 6 Mafia”?
Well, this year you might be able to add names like Eddie Vedder, Sondre Lerche, John C. Reilly, Glen Hansard and a bunch of other seemingly strange contemporary musicians to this odd sentence.
59 songs have been made eligible for Academy Award contention (this is originally composed songs specifically for films, not existing songs used in films or score) this year and they include a bunch of the films and soundtracks we’ve been discussing this year.
The film music looking the best so far, is soccer-mom fave “August Rush,” which has four songs eligible for an Oscar (the most of any film this year). Three of Eddie Vedder’s “Into The Wild” original songs were made eligible as were three Sondre Lerche tunes from “Dan in Real Life,” three “Enchanted” songs (Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz) and three tracks from “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” qualified as well.
If you can believe it, three cuts from “Good Luck Chuck” also made the grade (songs by the Flaming Lips – “I Was Zapped by the Super Lucky Rainbow,” which you can hear below – Dandy Warhols and Aidan Hawken; maybe the Lips’ whorishness is paying off their song “The Tale of the Horny Frog” from “The Heartbreak Kid” is also on the list short-list of almost 60 songs).
Two songs from Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova’s “Once” score made the cut (“Falling Slowly” and “If You Want Me”) as did (as you probably expected) a song from “Hairspray” plus the blues song that director John Sayles and and Mason Darling wrote for the formers film, “Honeydripper.” Fountains of Wayne shill Adam Schlesinger scored two songs from the cornball Hugh Grant “Music And Lyrics” film into Oscar competition (apparently Grant is near tone deaf).
Other rockers and pop singers who have song up for consideration include, Common (“A Dream” from “Freedom Writers”), Aimee Mann (“At the Edge of the World” from “Arctic Tale”), Rufus Wainwright (“Another Believer” from “Meet the Robinsons”), the Eels “Royal Pain” from “Shrek the Third”), Kate Bush (“Lyra” from “The Golden Compass”), John Legend (“Someday from “August Rush“), John Mayer (“Say” from “The Bucket List”), Sheryl Crow, Roger Waters (“Hello [I Love You]” from “The Last Mimzy”), Rob Thomas, Sinead O’Connor (“Back Where You Belong” from “The Water Horse”) and Nora Jones pal Jesse Harris (“It Will Stay With Us” from “The Hottest State”).
The entire list of eligible songs (all 59) is here.
The Fucking Grammys
We’ve basically ignored the Grammys, cause hey, they’re the out-of-touch octogenarians music award show, but since we’re sort of being comprehensive here, why the hell not. Remember that the Grammy olds have their own “unique” and weird schedule which is why out-of-date movies like “Dreamgirls,” “The Departed,” and “Babel” are just now being recognized.
COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK ALBUM FOR MOTION PICTURE
“Across The Universe” – Various Artists (Songs by the Beatles)
“Dreamgirls” – Various Artists
“Hairspray” – Various Artists
“Love” – (The Beatles)
“Once” – Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
SCORE SOUNDTRACK ALBUM FOR MOTION PICTURE
“Babel” – Gustavo Santaolalla
“Blood Diamond” – James Newton Howard
“The Departed” – Howard Shore
“Happy Feet” – John Powell
“Pan’s Labyrinth” – Javier Navarrete
“Ratatouille” – Michael Giacchino
If last year’s Oscars are any indication, the above will go to Gustavo Santaolalla’s very-excellent “Babel” score. Who knows with the Grammys though and to be truthful, who really cares.
SONG WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURE
“Falling Slowly” (from “Once”) – Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
“Guaranteed” (from “Into The Wild”) – Eddie Vedder
“Love You I Do” (from “Dreamgirls”) – Siedah Garrett & Henry Krieger, songwriters (Jennifer Hudson)
“The Song Of The Heart” (“from Happy Feet”) – Prince Rogers Nelson, songwriter (Prince)
“You Know My Name” (from “Casino Royale”) – David Arnold & Chris Cornell, songwriters (Chris Cornell)
Looks like their is a lot of kudos going to Vedder’s “Guaranteed” and Hansard and Irglova’s “Falling Slowly,” if these Grammys noms, today’s Golden Globe song nominations and the aforementioned Oscar song eligibility lists are any barometer. Don’t be surprised if “August Rush” takes a bunch of Oscar noms too, the Academy eat up shit like it’s a sundae.
Download: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova – “Falling Slowly” (from “Once”)
Download: Eddie Vedder – “Rise” (from “Into The Wild”)
Download: Dewey Cox – “Walk Hard” (from “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”)
Download: John Legend – “Someday” (from “August Rush”)
Download: Sondre Lerche – “To Be Surprised” (from “Dan In Real Life”)
Download: Hugh Grant & Haley Bennett – “Way Back Into Love” (from “Music & Lyrics”)
Download: Sinead O’Connor – Back Where You Belong Theme” (from “Water Horse”)
