OVP: Best Original Song (2006)
The Nominees Were...
"I Need to Wake Up," Music & Lyric by Melissa Etheridge, An Inconvenient Truth
"Listen," Music & Lyric by Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler, & Anne Preven, Dreamgirls
"Love You I Do," Music & Lyric by Henry Krieger & Siedah Garrett, Dreamgirls
"Our Town," Music & Lyric by Randy Newman, Cars
"Patience," Music & Lyric by Henry Krieger & Willie Reale, Dreamgirls
My Thoughts: The mid-aughts might be, for me, the worst period of the Best Original Song category, not just in terms of Oscar's choices but in terms of all of the eligible songs, period. After the death of the movie musical in the 1960's, the Original Song category managed to stay relevant throughout the 1970's & 80's with genuinely massive hits that owned the radio, and then in the 1990's the Menken/Ashman productions at Disney gave this category a sheen. In recent years, both original musicals & the increase in pop stars trying for Oscars (look at songs like "Happy" and "Shallow" getting their due) have added some luster to this category, but in the mid-aughts this field was rough, with Disney not making musicals, very few pop stars putting their stamp on iconic songs in movies, and most of the movie musicals being Broadway productions, where the best numbers aren't original to the actual film.
That's the case with Dreamgirls, which scored three nominations in this category (making today's article a bit monotonous...don't blame me, blame the Academy, but we're going to push through). The best song in Dreamgirls is "And I Am Telling You," a powerful diva ballad that owns the rest of the movie...and makes every other song feel a bit off by comparison. "Listen" is the film that tries to challenge it the most. Sung late in the movie by Beyonce, it attempts to gloss over the fact that the movie is losing its direction by not having as compelling of a figure in Deena as they do with Effie. The number is giant, and Beyonce is in peak vocal performance, so it definitely sounds good, and unlike a number of recent nominees in this category, it's integral to the plot. That being said, it's after "And I Am Telling You" within the confines of the movie and while the number works, it's just not the same effect as Effie's power ballad.
"Love You I Do" might not have the emotional heft of "Listen" (or the lasting cache), but it does differentiate it better. Hudson is also in peak vocal ability here, and it's sung earlier in the movie as a sign of Effie's continued love for Curtis. It captures more of the Motown beat of that era, and has more fun with the instrumentals. It doesn't have much bearing on the actual plot of the movie, admittedly (other than showing that Effie is betting on the wrong man), but it's a good piece of music, both stand-alone and within the film itself.
"Patience" is the least well-known song in the movie, another one that comes later in the picture. Similar to "Love You I Do," it's trying to capture the shifting eras of Dreamgirls, singing a song about Effie White's new life, trying to raise her daughter without the support of her wealthy father. Eddie Murphy & Anika Noni Rose provide decent vocals here, and it feels at-home within the movie. That being said, it doesn't stand out as a great piece of music-it's more of a filler song that pushes along the plot (and its lyrics are lacking), in some ways mirroring "Listen," except it doesn't have the full-scale diva push of Beyonce. All-in-all, it's not a song you'd notice when you're listening to the Dreamgirls soundtrack unless you were looking out for it.
Moving away from Dreamgirls, we have "Our Town." Written by Randy Newman, the song is another throwback to the 1970's in some ways, mostly because Newman hires James Taylor to sing it in the movie itself. Taylor is one of my favorite performers, and few artists can encapsulate a sense of longing nostalgia quite like Taylor. Lyrically, this is not an impressive number, but I will say that upon rewatch it works better in the film than I remembered, capturing the sense of melancholy that sets in with Cars' wish for a yesterday that's only a memory (not a good movie, but a beautifully-animated one).
The final nomination in some ways started off the recent trend of documentaries getting Oscar nominations for their songs. "I Need to Wake Up" recruits rock star Melissa Etheridge to sing about the need for change in the fight against global warming (a song that needs to be sung more now than ever, even if it's clear from the election that followed in 2016 that people did not wake up). It's a great number, even if it's admittedly an end credits song (which under OVP rules, loses it a point). Etheridge brings a song that would be a genuine hit otherwise to life, and it feels like it's adding something to the devastating imagery we've seen before it, so it's an end credits number that still feels like it's an essential part of the actual movie we've just watched.
Other Precursor Contenders: The Golden Globes went with Prince's "The Song of the Heart" from Happy Feet (one of several mid-decade snubs from the Globes that are totally shocking in hindsight considering the celebrity they would've brought to the Oscars). Happy Feet beat not only "Listen" (with Beyonce nominated there-the Oscars dictated she was ineligible), but also other starry names like Bryan Adams' "Never Gonna Break My Faith," (Bobby), Sheryl Crow's "Try Not to Remember" (Home of the Brave), and Seal's "A Father's Way," (The Pursuit of Happyness). The Grammys split over two years typically for these awards (they have a different eligibility window), so we saw wins for both "Our Town" and "Love You I Do," as well as nominations for "I Need to Wake Up," "Song of the Heart," and "You Know My Name" from Casino Royale.
Songs I Would Have Nominated: Oscar didn't start honoring James Bond with song nominations again (after a very long drought) until 2012, but they should've resumed as early as 2006. The late Chris Cornell's rock ballad from Casino Royale angered some enthusiasts who wanted more traditional "Shirley Bassey-esque" work for the Bond franchise, but I liked that the announcement of a new rock-and-roll 007 got a tune to match.
Oscar’s Choice: With Dreamgirls splitting the votes & the Academy clamoring to reward Al Gore in the era of George W. Bush, Etheridge got a "right place/right time" trophy.
My Choice: I'm also going to go with Etheridge. I did that at the time with my personal awards, and I might stick to that when we eventually get to the My Ballot in a month, and at the time it might have been partially to do with my wont to reward Gore (ahead of a second presidential run that sadly never happened), but it's honestly a great song that fits the movie like a glove. I'll follow with "Love You I Do," "Listen," "Our Town," and "Patience."
Those are my thoughts-how about yours? Is everyone on the same page in thinking Melissa Etheridge makes a great Oscar winner? Which of the original songs from Dreamgirls is your favorite? And why do you think Oscar skipped the chance to invite Prince to the ceremony? Share your thoughts below!
Also in 2006: Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume, Film Editing, Visual Effects, Makeup, Previously in 2006
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