Random Thoughts on the Best Original Song Oscar (The 2000s)

Let's finally wrap this up. We start with 2001...


Here is the complete list of nominees and winners in the 2000s

In 2001 Disney/Pixar scored another win with "If I Didn't Have You" from Monster's Inc won. The song was written by Randy Newman who finally won his Oscar:



The only other song I know from that year is "Vanilla Sky" by Sir Angela Lansbury:



Neither song is that good but Angela's is a little worse so let's just say "Good for Randy".

2002 was a better year for Original Songs. U2 and Paul Simon were both nominated for "The Hands That Built America" from Gangs of New York and "Father and Daughter" from The Wild Thornberrys Movie respectively.

Here's U2's effort:



...Meh.

Well these two Rock and Roll Hall of Famers lost to Eminem who's "Lose Yourself" definitely deserved the win:


My second favorite movie song of 2002 wasn't even nominated. That was "Something to Talk About" by Badly Drawn Boy from About a Boy:


Catchy little tune. Still, at least Eminem won.

In 2003 a song from The Return of the King won. Yeah, I know. It was called "Into the West" and it was written by Fran Walsh (one of the screenwriters), Howard Shore (the film's composer), and Annie Lennox:


Yikes. That's some serious suck. I'm gonna guess no one who voted actually listened to that song and just voted for Return of the King in every category.

What should have won? Hard to say..."You Will Be My Ain True Love" from Cold Mountain by Sting and Allison Kraus?


Nah...

"Belleville Rendez-Vous" from The Triplets of Belleville should have won:


Quirky fun.

2004 was not a fantastic year. "Al Otro Lado Del Rio" by Jorge Drexler from The Motorcycles Won:


The only song I've heard of from the list of nominees this year is "Accidentally in Love" by Counting Crows from Shrek 2:



Not their best song by a long shot. Kinda catchy / kinda grating / kinda happy that didn't win.

Moving to 2005 we have one of my favorite winners in Oscar history (original song or otherwise). Three 6 Mafia won for their epic tune "Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from Hustle and Flow:



(Note future Oscar Nominee Taraji P. Henson, who was in Hustle and Flow, singing the backup).

This thankfully beat the two other nominees, one of which was from the hated Crash ("In the Deep").

I'm not totally sure that "Hard Out Here For a Pimp" was the best song from Hustle and Flow (though it was always the one that had a chance of winning). I've always liked "Whoop That Trick":



2006 has three songs from Dreamgirls and they all blocked one another I guess because "I Need to Wake Up" from An Inconvenient Truth and written and performed by Al Gore (kidding...it was Melissa Etheridge) won:



I think people were surprised that the Beyonce led "Listen" didn't win...


Needless to say that's not my favorite.

Maybe Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name" from Casino Royale could have gotten a nomination:


2007 was suppose to be Disney's return to the Best Original Song category win column. Enchanted was nominated for three different songs and "That's How You Know" was suppose to bring home the gold(en statue):



But in a great and surprising upset, "Falling Slowly" from Once won the Oscar:



I'm very happy "Falling Slowly" beat Enchanted but I also think there was an even better song in Once that wasn't even nominated:



Finally, in 2008 only three songs were nominated. Many whined that Bruce Springsteen's "The Wrestler" was not nominated but I honestly can't tell you why as I thought the song sucked.

The winner was the fun and smile inducing "Jai Ho" by A.R. Rahman from Slumdog Millionaire:




And that's all there is for now. Hope you enjoyed this look back and the winners, losers, and should have wons in this category over the last 40 years