There’s been very little movement with the race for Best Original Song in November. The Hollywood Music in Media Awards chimed in with their winners and it was Billie Eilish’s title track from No Time to Die that took out Best Original Song – Feature Film. It’s a great way for the song to start the season, but in the seven years of existence of this awards show, the winner of this category has only gone on to win the Oscar once (“City of Stars” from La La Land in 2016).
Now that King Richard appears to be picking up steam as a contender across the board (particularly Best Picture), Beyoncé’s “Be Alive” also grows in strength as the presumed frontrunner for Best Original Song. The track has now been publicly released and it’s the kind of rousing anthem the Academy has often swooned over. And there will be few who would bemoan the idea of Beyoncé adding “Academy Award winner” to her name.
When the season began, most pundits assumed the chosen original song contender from Encanto would be “Colombia, Mi Encanto.” Now that the film has been released and Disney’s FYC campaign has begun, they’re instead pushing the Spanish ballad “Dos Oruguitas.” It’s a wise choice, as this track is far more emotional and befitting the usual fare seen at the Oscars. Lin-Manuel Miranda just needs an Oscar to become an EGOT winner. Could he be the man to bring down Queen Bey?
There’s also another popstar who seems poised to join this race in the form of Ariana Grande. Grande has co-written the track “Just Look Up” from Don’t Look Up and this one feels very remisicent of last year’s “Husavik” from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga in that it’s a sweeping ballad from a goofy comedy. Netflix was able to nab a nomination for “Husavik” last year. Could they do it again this year for Grande?
BEST ORIGINAL SONG PREDICTIONS:
1. “Be Alive” – King Richard (Warner Bros.)
2. “No Time to Die” – No Time to Die (Universal Pictures)
3. “Dos Oruguitas” – Encanto (Disney)
4. “Down to Joy” – Belfast (Focus Features)
5. “Believe” – The Rescue (National Geographic)
IN CONTENTION
“So May We Start” – Annette (Amazon Studios)
“Beyond the Shore” – CODA (Apple TV+)
“Every Letter” – Cyrano (MGM)
“Just Look Up” – Don’t Look Up (Netflix)
“This Was Me” – Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Amazon Studios)
“Somehow You Do” – Four Good Days (Vertical Entertainment)
“Guns Go Bang” – The Harder They Fall (Netflix)
“Home All Summer” – In the Heights (Warner Bros.)
“Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” – Respect (Universal Pictures)