Tuesday, March 29, 2022

The Oscars: Best Song Winners

The Oscars:

Winners for Best Original Song, 1934-2022

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, better known as the Oscars, has given out its annual movie awards since 1934. Among the awards is the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The field is limited by eligibility requirements and has overlooked some songs which are integrally linked to their movies. Bill Haley’s “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” (The Blackboard Jungle) and Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” (The Bodyguard) come to mind.

Still, the Oscar-winning writers are a who’s who of quintessential songwriters and composers including Harold Arlen, Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Irving Berlin, Hoagy Carmichael, Hal David, Marvin Hamlisch, Oscar Hammerstein II, E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, Jerome Kern, Alan Jay Lerner, Frank Loesser, Frederick Loewe, Henry Mancini, Alan Menken, Johnny Mercer, Tim Rice, Richard Rodgers, Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Paul Williams. In addition, a number of notable singers have put their songwriting stamp on Oscar, including Adele, Fred Astaire, Nat “King” Cole, Phil Collins, Bing Crosby, Celine Dion, Bob Dylan, Judy Garland, Elton John, Carly Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, and Stevie Wonder.

Click here for other ‘song of the year’ awards.

Spotify Podcast:

Check out the Dave’s Music Database podcast episode Some of the Most Iconic Oscar-Winning Songs which references songs on this list. Premiere: March 29, 2022 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database.


Winners Ranked by Overall Dave’s Music Database status:


Year: “Song” Performer Associated Most with Song * (Composers) Title of Movie

* Not necessarily the performer featured in the movie

  1. 1942: “White Christmas” Bing Crosby with the Ken Darby Singers (Irving Berlin) Holiday Inn
  2. 1939: “Over the Rainbow” Judy Garland (Harold Arlen, E.Y. “Yip” Harburg) The Wizard of Oz
  3. 1997: “My Heart Will Go On” Celine Dion (James Horner, Will Jennings) Titanic
  4. 2002: “Lose Yourself” Eminem (Marshall Mathers, Jeff Bass, Luis Resto) 8 Mile
  5. 1936: “The Way You Look Tonight” Fred Astaire with Johnny Green & His Orchestra (Jerome Kerns, Dorothy Fields) Swing Time
  6. 1940: “When You Wish Upon a Star” Cliff Edwards (Ned Washington, Leigh Harline) Pinocchio
  7. 1977: “You Light Up My Life” Debby Boone (Joe Brooks) You Light Up My Life
  8. 1950: “Mona Lisa” Nat “King” Cole (Raymond Evans, Jay Livingston) Captain Carey, U.S.A.
  9. 1944: “Swinging on a Star” Bing Crosby with the John Scott Trott Orchestra & the Williams Brothers Quartet (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) Going My Way
  10. 1948: “Buttons and Bows” Dinah Shore & Her Harper Valley Boys (Jay Livingston, Ray Evans) The Paleface

  11. 1984: “I Just Called to Say I Love You” Stevie Wonder (Stevie Wonder) The Woman in Red
  12. 1983: “Flashdance...What a Feelin’” Irene Cara (Irene Cara, Giorgio Moroder, Keith Forsey) Flashdance
  13. 1973: “The Way We Were” Barbara Streisand (Marvin Hamlisch, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman) The Way We Were
  14. 1961: “Moon River” Henry Mancini with Audrey Hepburn (Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer) Breakfast at Tiffany’s
  15. 1971: “Theme from Shaft” Isaac Hayes (Isaac Hayes) Shaft
  16. 1987: “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes (Frank Previte, John DeNicola, Donald Markowitz) Dirty Dancing
  17. 1937: “Sweet Leilani” Bing Crosby with Lani McIntire & His Hawaiians (Harry Owens) Wakiki Wedding
  18. 1986: “Take My Breath Away” Berlin (Giorgio Moroder, Tom Whitlock) Top Gun
  19. 1943: “You’ll Never Know” Dick Haymes with the Song Spinners (Harry Warren, Mack Gordon) Hello, Frisco, Hello
  20. 2018: “Shallow” Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper (Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt) A Star Is Born

  21. 1946: “On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe” Johnny Mercer & the Pied Pipers (Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer) The Harvey Girls
  22. 1969: “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” B.J. Thomas (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
  23. 2013: “Let It Go” Idina Menzel (Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez) Frozen
  24. 1993: “Streets of Philadelphia” Bruce Springsteen (Bruce Springsteen) Philadelphia
  25. 1985: “Say You, Say Me” Lionel Richie (Lionel Richie) White Nights
  26. 1953: “Secret Love” Doris Day (Paul Francis Webster, Sammy Fain) Calamity Jane
  27. 1949: “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” Johnny Mercer with Margaret Whiting (Frank Loesser) Neptune’s Daughter
  28. 1992: “A Whole New World” Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle (Alan Menken, Tim Rice) Aladdin
  29. 1945: “It Might As Well Be Spring” Dick Haymes (Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) State Fair
  30. 1956: “Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera Sera)” Doris Day (Jay Livingston, Ray Evans) The Man Who Knew Too Much

  31. 1935: “Lullaby of Broadway” The Dorsey Brothers with Bob Crosby (Harry Warren, Al Dubin) Gold Diggers of 1935
  32. 1982: “Up Where We Belong” Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes (Will Jennings, Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Saint Marie) An Officer and a Gentleman
  33. 1955: “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing” The Four Aces (Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster) Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
  34. 1938: “Thanks for the Memory” Shep Fields with Bob Goday (Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin) The Big Broadcast of 1938
  35. 1934: “The Continental” Leo Reisman (Jerb Magidson, Con Conrad) The Gay Divorce
  36. 1978: “Last Dance” Donna Summer (Paul Jabara) Thank God It’s Friday
  37. 1994: “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” Elton John (Elton John, Tim Rice) The Lion King
  38. 1981: “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” Christopher Cross (Burt Bacharach, Christopher Cross, Carole Bayer Sager/Peter Allen) Arthur
  39. 1976: “Evergreen” Barbra Streisand (Barbra Streisand, Paul Williams) A Star Is Born
  40. 1991: “Beauty and the Beast” Celine Dion with Peabo Bryson (Howard Ashman, Alan Menken) Beauty and the Beast

  41. 1947: “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” James Baskett (Allie Wrubel, Ray Gilbert) Song of the South
  42. 1941: “The Last Time I Saw Paris” Kate Smith (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II) Lady Be Good
  43. 1957: “All the Way” Sammy Cahn (Sammy Cahn, James Van Heusen) The Joker Is Wild
  44. 2012: “Skyfall” Adele (Adele, Paul Epworth) Skyfall
  45. 1954: “Three Coins in the Fountain” The Four Aces (Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn) Three Coins in the Fountain
  46. 1962: “The Days of Wine and Roses” Henry Mancini (Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer) Days of Wine and Roses
  47. 1999: “You’ll Be in My Heart” Phil Collins (Phil Collins) Tarzan
  48. 1966: “Born Free” Roger Williams (John Barry, Don Black) Born Free
  49. 1952: “High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)” Tex Ritter (Ned Washington, Dmitri Tiomkin) High Noon
  50. 1980: “Fame” Irene Cara (Michael Gore, Dean Pitchford) Fame

  51. 1963: “Call Me Irresponsible” Frank Sinatra (Sammy Cahn, James Van Heusen) Papa’s Delicate Condition
  52. 1995: “Colors of the Wind” Vanessa Williams (Alan Menken, Steve Schwartz) Pocahontas
  53. 1959: “High Hopes” Frank Sinatra (Sammy Cahn, James Van Heusen) A Hole in the Head
  54. 1965: “The Shadow of Your Smile” Tony Bennett (Johnny Mandel, Paul Francis Webster) The Sandpiper
  55. 1951: “In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening” (Bing Crosby with Jane Wyman (Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer) Here Comes the Groom
  56. 1972: “The Morning After” Maureen McGovern (Al Kasha, Joel Hirshhorn) The Poseidon Adventure
  57. 1989: “Under the Sea” Samuel Wright (Howard Ashman, Alan Menken) The Little Mermaid
  58. 1970: “For All We Know” The Carpenters (Jimmy Griffin, Fred Karlin, Robb Wilson) Love and Other Strangers
  59. 1998: “When You Believe” Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey (Stephen Schwartz) The Prince of Egypt
  60. 1964: “Chim Chim Cheree” Julie Andrews with Dick Van Dyke, Dotrice, & Garber (Richard Sherman, Robert Sherman) Mary Poppins

  61. 1960: “Never on Sunday” Don Costa (Manos Hadijidakis, Billy Towne) Never on Sunday
  62. 2007: “Falling Slowly” The Swell Season (Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova) Once
  63. 1996: “You Must Love Me” Madonna (Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice) Evita
  64. 1974: “We May Never Love Like This Again” Seals & Croft (Dash Crofts, Jimmy Seals) The Towering Inferno
  65. 1975: “I’m Easy” Keith Carradine (Keith Carradine) Nashville
  66. 1968: “Windmills of Your Mind” Noel Harrison (Michael Legrand/Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman) The Thomas Crown Affair
  67. 1958: “Gigi” Les Baxter (Frederick Loewe, Alan Jay Lerner) Gigi
  68. 2000: “Things Have Changed” Bob Dylan (Bob Dylan) Wonder Boys
  69. 1988: “Let the River Run” Carly Simon (Carly Simon) Working Girl
  70. 2008: “Jai Ho” Pussycat Dolls (A.R. Rahman, Gulzar) Slumdog Millionaire

  71. 2021: “No Time to Die” Billie Eilish (Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell) No Time to Die
  72. 2015: “Writing’s on the Wall” Sam Smith (Jimmy Napes, Sam Smith) Spectre
  73. 2014: “Glory” Common & John Legend (Common, John Legend) Selma
  74. 2006: “I Need to Wake Up” Melissa Etheridge (Melissa Etheridge) An Inconvenient Truth
  75. 1967: “Talk to the Animals” Rex Harrison (Leslie Bricusse) Doctor Dolittle
  76. 2001: “If I Didn’t Have You” Billy Crystal & John Goodman (Randy Newman) Monsters, Inc.
  77. 1990: “Sooner or Later” Madonna (Stephen Sondheim) Dick Tracy
  78. 2020/2021: “Fight for You” H.E.R. (D’Mile, H.E.R., Tiara Thomas) Judas and the Black Messiah
  79. 2003: “Into the West” Annie Lennox (Fran Walsh, Howard Shore, Annie Lennox) Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
  80. 1979: “It Goes Like It Goes” Jennifer Warnes (David Shire, Norman Gimbel) Norma Rae

  81. 2016: “City of Stars” Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone (Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul) La La Land
  82. 2005: “It’s Hard Out Her for a Pimp” Three 6 Mafia (Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman, Paul Beauregard) Hustle & Flow
  83. 2019: “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” Elton John and Taron Egerton (Elton John, Bernie Taupin) Rocketman
  84. 2011: “Man or Muppet” Jason Segel, Peter Linz, Bill Barretta, and Jim Parsons (Bret McKenzie) The Muppets
  85. 2017: “Remember Me” Miguel & Natalia Lafourcade (Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez) Coco
  86. 2010: “We Belong Together” Randy Newman (Randy Newman) Toy Story 3
  87. 2004: “Al Otro Lado Del Rio (On the Other Side of the River)” Jorge Drexler (Jorge Drexler) The Motorcycle Diaries
  88. 2009: “The Weary Kind” Ryan Bingham (Ryan Bingham, T-Bone Burnett) Crazy Heart

Winners by Year:


  • 1934: “The Continental” Leo Reisman (Jerb Magidson, Con Conrad) The Gay Divorce
  • 1935: “Lullaby of Broadway” The Dorsey Brothers with Bob Crosby (Harry Warren, Al Dubin) Gold Diggers of 1935
  • 1936: “The Way You Look Tonight” Fred Astaire with Johnny Green & His Orchestra (Jerome Kerns, Dorothy Fields) Swing Time
  • 1937: “Sweet Leilani” Bing Crosby with Lani McIntire & His Hawaiians (Harry Owens) Wakiki Wedding
  • 1938: “Thanks for the Memory” Shep Fields with Bob Goday (Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin) The Big Broadcast of 1938
  • 1939: “Over the Rainbow” Judy Garland (Harold Arlen, E.Y. “Yip” Harburg) The Wizard of Oz
  • 1940: “When You Wish Upon a Star” Cliff Edwards (Ned Washington, Leigh Harline) Pinocchio
  • 1941: “The Last Time I Saw Paris” Kate Smith (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II) Lady Be Good
  • 1942: “White Christmas” Bing Crosby with the Ken Darby Singers (Irving Berlin) Holiday Inn
  • 1943: “You’ll Never Know” Dick Haymes with the Song Spinners (Harry Warren, Mack Gordon) Hello, Frisco, Hello
  • 1944: “Swinging on a Star” Bing Crosby with the John Scott Trott Orchestra & the Williams Brothers Quartet (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) Going My Way
  • 1945: “It Might As Well Be Spring” Dick Haymes (Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) State Fair
  • 1946: “On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe” Johnny Mercer & the Pied Pipers (Harry Warren, Johnny Mercer) The Harvey Girls
  • 1947: “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” James Baskett (Allie Wrubel, Ray Gilbert) Song of the South
  • 1948: “Buttons and Bows” Dinah Shore & Her Harper Valley Boys (Jay Livingston, Ray Evans) The Paleface
  • 1949: “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” Johnny Mercer with Margaret Whiting (Frank Loesser) Neptune’s Daughter
  • 1950: “Mona Lisa” Nat “King” Cole (Raymond Evans, Jay Livingston) Captain Carey, U.S.A.
  • 1951: “In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening” (Bing Crosby with Jane Wyman (Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer) Here Comes the Groom
  • 1952: “High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)” Tex Ritter (Ned Washington, Dmitri Tiomkin) High Noon
  • 1953: “Secret Love” Doris Day (Paul Francis Webster, Sammy Fain) Calamity Jane
  • 1954: “Three Coins in the Fountain” The Four Aces (Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn) Three Coins in the Fountain
  • 1955: “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing” The Four Aces (Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster) Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
  • 1956: “Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera Sera)” Doris Day (Jay Livingston, Ray Evans) The Man Who Knew Too Much
  • 1957: “All the Way” Sammy Cahn (Sammy Cahn, James Van Heusen) The Joker Is Wild
  • 1958: “Gigi” Les Baxter (Frederick Loewe, Alan Jay Lerner) Gigi
  • 1959: “High Hopes” Frank Sinatra (Sammy Cahn, James Van Heusen) A Hole in the Head
  • 1960: “Never on Sunday” Don Costa (Manos Hadijidakis, Billy Towne) Never on Sunday
  • 1961: “Moon River” Henry Mancini with Audrey Hepburn (Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer) Breakfast at Tiffany’s
  • 1962: “The Days of Wine and Roses” Henry Mancini (Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer) Days of Wine and Roses
  • 1963: “Call Me Irresponsible” Frank Sinatra (Sammy Cahn, James Van Heusen) Papa’s Delicate Condition
  • 1964: “Chim Chim Cheree” Julie Andrews with Dick Van Dyke, Dotrice, & Garber (Richard Sherman, Robert Sherman) Mary Poppins
  • 1965: “The Shadow of Your Smile” Tony Bennett (Johnny Mandel, Paul Francis Webster) The Sandpiper
  • 1966: “Born Free” Roger Williams (John Barry, Don Black) Born Free
  • 1967: “Talk to the Animals” Rex Harrison (Leslie Bricusse) Doctor Dolittle
  • 1968: “Windmills of Your Mind” Noel Harrison (Michael Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman) The Thomas Crown Affair
  • 1969: “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” B.J. Thomas (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
  • 1970: “For All We Know” The Carpenters (Jimmy Griffin, Fred Karlin, Robb Wilson) Love and Other Strangers
  • 1971: “Theme from Shaft” Isaac Hayes (Isaac Hayes) Shaft
  • 1972: “The Morning After” Maureen McGovern (Al Kasha, Joel Hirshhorn) The Poseidon Adventure
  • 1973: “The Way We Were” Barbara Streisand (Marvin Hamlisch, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman) The Way We Were
  • 1974: “We May Never Love Like This Again” Seals & Croft (Dash Crofts, Jimmy Seals) The Towering Inferno
  • 1975: “I’m Easy” Keith Carradine (Keith Carradine) Nashville
  • 1976: “Evergreen” Barbra Streisand (Barbra Streisand, Paul Williams) A Star Is Born
  • 1977: “You Light Up My Life” Debby Boone (Joe Brooks) You Light Up My Life
  • 1978: “Last Dance” Donna Summer (Paul Jabara) Thank God It’s Friday
  • 1979: “It Goes Like It Goes” Jennifer Warnes (David Shire, Norman Gimbel) Norma Rae
  • 1980: “Fame” Irene Cara (Michael Gore, Dean Pitchford) Fame
  • 1981: “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” Christopher Cross (Burt Bacharach, Christopher Cross, Carole Bayer Sager, Peter Allen) Arthur
  • 1982: “Up Where We Belong” Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes (Will Jennings, Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Saint Marie) An Officer and a Gentleman
  • 1983: “Flashdance...What a Feelin’” Irene Cara (Irene Cara, Giorgio Moroder, Keith Forsey) Flashdance
  • 1984: “I Just Called to Say I Love You” Stevie Wonder (Stevie Wonder) The Woman in Red
  • 1985: “Say You, Say Me” Lionel Richie (Lionel Richie) White Nights
  • 1986: “Take My Breath Away” Berlin (Giorgio Moroder, Tom Whitlock) Top Gun
  • 1987: “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes (Frank Previte, John DeNicola, Donald Markowitz) Dirty Dancing
  • 1988: “Let the River Run” Carly Simon (Carly Simon) Working Girl
  • 1989: “Under the Sea” Samuel Wright (Howard Ashman, Alan Menken) The Little Mermaid
  • 1990: “Sooner or Later” Madonna (Stephen Sondheim) Dick Tracy
  • 1991: “Beauty and the Beast” Celine Dion with Peabo Bryson (Howard Ashman, Alan Menken) Beauty and the Beast
  • 1992: “A Whole New World” Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle (Alan Menken, Tim Rice) Aladdin
  • 1993: “Streets of Philadelphia” Bruce Springsteen (Bruce Springsteen) Philadelphia
  • 1994: “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” Elton John (Elton John, Tim Rice) The Lion King
  • 1995: “Colors of the Wind” Vanessa Williams (Alan Menken, Steve Schwartz) Pocahontas
  • 1996: “You Must Love Me” Madonna (Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice) Evita
  • 1997: “My Heart Will Go On” Celine Dion (James Horner/Will Jennings) Titanic
  • 1998: “When You Believe” Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey (Stephen Schwartz) The Prince of Egypt
  • 1999: “You’ll Be in My Heart” Phil Collins (Phil Collins) Tarzan
  • 2000: “Things Have Changed” Bob Dylan (Bob Dylan) Wonder Boys
  • 2001: “If I Didn’t Have You” Billy Crystal & John Goodman (Randy Newman) Monsters, Inc.
  • 2002: “Lose Yourself” Eminem (Marshall Mathers, Jeff Bass, Luis Resto) 8 Mile
  • 2003: “Into the West” Annie Lennox (Fran Walsh, Howard Shore, Annie Lennox) Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
  • 2004: “Al Otro Lado Del Rio (On the Other Side of the River)” Jorge Drexler (Jorge Drexler) The Motorcycle Diaries
  • 2005: “It’s Hard Out Her for a Pimp” Three 6 Mafia (Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman, Paul Beauregard) Hustle & Flow
  • 2006: “I Need to Wake Up” Melissa Etheridge (Melissa Etheridge) An Inconvenient Truth
  • 2007: “Falling Slowly” The Swell Season (Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova) Once
  • 2008: “Jai Ho” Pussycat Dolls (A.R. Rahman, Gulzar) Slumdog Millionaire
  • 2009: “The Weary Kind” Ryan Bingham (Ryan Bingham, T-Bone Burnett) Crazy Heart
  • 2010: “We Belong Together” Randy Newman (Randy Newman) Toy Story 3
  • 2011: “Man or Muppet” Jason Segel, Peter Linz, Bill Barretta, and Jim Parsons (Bret McKenzie) The Muppets
  • 2012: “Skyfall” Adele (Adele, Paul Epworth) Skyfall
  • 2013: “Let It Go” Idina Menzel (Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez) Frozen
  • 2014: “Glory” Common & John Legend (Common, John Legend) Selma
  • 2015: “Writing’s on the Wall” Sam Smith (Jimmy Napes, Sam Smith) Spectre
  • 2016: “City of Stars” Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone (Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul) La La Land
  • 2017: “Remember Me” Miguel & Natalia Lafourcade (Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez) Coco
  • 2018: “Shallow” Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper (Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt) A Star Is Born
  • 2019: “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” Elton John and Taron Egerton (Elton John, Bernie Taupin) Rocketman
  • 2020/2021: “Fight for You” H.E.R. (D’Mile, H.E.R., Tiara Thomas) Judas and the Black Messiah
  • 2021: “No Time to Die” Billie Eilish (Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell) No Time to Die

Resources/Related Links:


First posted 2/27/2019; last updated 3/29/2022.

1 comment:

  1. You should update the Top 100 Songs of All Time page. I'd also think it'd be cool to have decade lists for acts i.e. Top 100 acts of the 1960s

    ReplyDelete