OSCAR WATCH: The Songs

By most accounts, this will be a banner year for Best Original Song at the Oscars. Spearheaded by musical films like "Sing Street" and "La La Land", the category is unusually stacked with memorable tunes. There are just so many great options that this is going to be one of the hardest set of nominations to predict. But I'm gonna give it the old college try. Here's an overview of some of this year's leading contenders, followed by my personal Top 5 and my predictions:

"Gold" by Iggy Pop - Gold

This song seems nice enough but it just wasn't for me.

"Runnin'" by Pharrell Williams - Hidden Figures

Fox has been campaigning hard for this Pharrell soundtrack since way back at TIFF with an awesome preview concert. I therefore can't imagine the film missing out in this category. This upbeat track seems like the best bet.

"Audition (Fools Who Dream)" by Emma Stone - La La Land

Of all the films, this one might benefit the most from the voters seeing it performed in context. The lyrics are quite meaningful and it comes at a crucial point in the narrative.

"City of Stars" by Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone - La La Land

Many have decried the awards success of "City of Stars" so far, over the various songs from "La La Land". And yes, I would submit that the song is lyrically simple. But it's also a real earworm and everytime I think of the film, it's the first song that comes to mind.

"How Far I'll Go" by Auli'i Cravalho - Moana

Written by the man of the moment Lin-Manuel Miranda, you can virtually pencil this one in as a lock. And with good reason too, as it's a nice little song in the great tradition of Disney anthems.

"Rules Don't Apply" by Lily Collins - Rules Don't Apply

This is another song that didn't do much for me. I wouldn't be surprised if it made the cut, but I'd be disappointed.

"Faith" by Stevie Wonder & Ariana Grande - Sing

The fact that I just watched "Sing" and have no recollection of this song is a bad sign. But at least the vocals are on point.

"Drive It Like You Stole It" by Sing Street - Sing Street

This is one of the most flawless soundtracks ever, with virtually every song being Oscar-worthy. It feels like the film will skew too young for the Academy though. But if we're going on merit, it would make for a very respectable nominee.


"Can’t Stop the Feeling" by Justin Timberlake - Trolls

To be honest, I think this song is strangely used in the film. But out of context, there's no denying it's catchiness. It could definitely land a nod like the similarly cheerful "Happy" from a few years ago.

My personal ballot (in ranking order):
"Try Everything" - Zootopia
"City of Stars" - La La Land
"Montage" - Swiss Army Man
"Drive It Like You Stole It" - Sing Street
"Can't Stop the Feeling" - Trolls

My prediction:

Best Original Song

"City of Stars" - La La Land
"How Far I'll Go" - Moana

"Can't Stop the Feeling" - Trolls

"Audition (Fools Who Dream)" - La La Land

"Runnin'" - Hidden Figures