Ranking the Top Seven Best Original Song Oscar Winners Of All-Time

You may have missed it due chiefly to the exploits of Will Smith and Chris Rock, but the winner of the Best Original Song Oscar this year went to Billie Elish & Finneas O’Connell for their title track from No Time to Die, the latest James Bond movie of the same name.

Arguably the winner in the category this year, awarded in 2022 but for films released in 2021, was a little limp. In all honesty, as regards even songs written for the Bond franchise, it’s a poor lifeless affair but one that still managed to beat the likes of Van Morrison (for Down to Joy from the excellent Belfast) and Beyonce (Be Alive, from King Richard). 

The Importance of Original Music In Film Productions

As a cinema-going audience, we know just how important a soundtrack can be to help complete the filmmaking process, it’s arguably the added vibrant colour on the canvas of a movie, and those who look to avoid songs copyrighted and therefore cost a fortune to release, are taking an additional risk in this department.

Of course, there are the likes of directing geniuses such as Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorcese, together with key music advisors, who make excellent use of existing music to help evoke the spirit of a time and place.

However, original music tends to really stick with you and, when done right, can really lead to a film positively soaring in our hearts.

There is now something of a push to bring in established artists to front such a song or soundtrack, as opposed to trusting to less well-known talents. This has led to some big stars clinching that all-important statuette. 

With this in mind, here is a selection of the best ever Original Song Oscar winners of all time.

Eminem – “Lose Yourself” (2002)

The opening strains of this classic are unforgettable, and clearly, in a movie that basically acts as something of a biopic, albeit the character’s names and situations have been slightly amended, Eminem needed a banger of a track to really make the film’s soundtrack flourish to perfection.

The song was a massive commercial hit, selling 10 million copies in the US alone, and sat at the number one spot on the Billboard charts from early November to late January. His Oscar win came at the expense of high-profile nominees U2 (Gangs of New York) and Paul Simon (The Wild Thornberrys Movie).

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova – “Falling Slowly” (2007)

Another biopic of sorts, this time taking place on the streets of Dublin and charting the failing life and career of a busker, played by musician Glen Hansard, this song is an entirely different affair to Lose Yourself and a more measured romantic composition that really stole the hearts of the academy.

The movie Once was something of a sleeper hit, grossing over $20 million on a budget of less than $200k, and the music within the movie is a big reason for the success of the charming but realistic tale of its two lead characters.

A stage musical followed the movie, and that too proved a massive success, claiming no less than 11 Tony nominations. 

Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg – “Over the Rainbow” (1939)

Perhaps the most famous Best Original Song Oscar winner, this iconic song featured in The Wizard of Oz, and by all accounts, its original use worried some who worked on the production as it wasn’t exactly a natural fit within the narrative, though clearly those fears were allayed and the film, and song, are beloved by many for generations.

Interestingly, the high production and marketing costs actually meant that the original cinematic run resulted in a major loss for the studio MGM.

Adele & Paul Epworth – “Skyfall” (2012)

Now when it comes to epic James Bond original song contenders, this effort from Adele is far more effective than Billie Ellish’s No Time to Die and arguably sits far smoother into a better movie within the franchise.

Adele belts out a song in the only way she knows how, dialled up to 11, and the results are spectacular; and this led to a cakewalk in terms of winning the Oscar back in 2012. It should be noted that a number of original songs from James Bond movies failed to win when perhaps they should have; these include excellent tracks from Burt Bacharach (The Look for Love from Casino Royale), Paul McCartney (Live and Let Die from Live and Let Die), Carly Simon (Nobody Does it Better from The Spy Who Loved Me).

Irving Berlin – “White Christmas” (1942)

There are few songs that evoke a season like White Christmas, and it romped home to win the Best Original Oscar in 1942. Bing Crosby’s syrupy voice really helps to bring this song across to the audience. 

In the movie itself, Holiday Inn, Crosby plays a songwriter and attempts to teach the song to Marjorie Reynolds, and the rest is history. Irving Berlin famously quoted, modestly, of the song that it wasn’t just the best song he ever wrote but the best song anybody has ever written. 

Bret McKenzie – “Man or Muppet” (2011)

This is a personal favorite and proof that a hugely emotive song can be just as effective in a children’s movie or even one that is played out by a host of puppets and the track was written by Flight of the Conchords star Bret McKenzie and rightly led to the New Zealander picking up the Oscar ahead of the only other nominee for that year, “Real In Rio” from the animated movie Rio.