The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given every year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to the songwriters who write the best original song specifically for a movie. Only songs that are "original and written specifically for the motion picture" can win.[1]
The award category was first given at the 7th Academy Awards. That ceremony was for 1934 movies. Nominations are made by Academy members who are songwriters and composers. All Academy members vote for the winner.
| Year | Winning songwriter(s) | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | "Mona Lisa" – Captain Carey, U.S.A. – Music and Lyrics: Ray Evans and Jay Livingston |
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| 1951 | "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" – Here Comes the Groom – Music: Hoagy Carmichael • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer |
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| 1952 | "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')" – High Noon – Music: Dimitri Tiomkin • Lyrics: Ned Washington |
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| 1953 | "Secret Love" – Calamity Jane – Music: Sammy Fain • Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster |
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| 1954 | "Three Coins in the Fountain" – Three Coins in the Fountain – Music: Jule Styne • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn |
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| 1955 | "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing" – Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing – Music: 'Sammy Fain • Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster |
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| 1956 | "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Qué Será, Será)" – The Man Who Knew Too Much – Music and lyrics: Jay Livingston and Ray Evans |
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| 1957 | "All the Way" – The Joker Is Wild – Music: Jimmy Van Heusen • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn |
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| 1958 | "Gigi" – Gigi – Music: Frederick Loewe • Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner |
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| 1959 | "High Hopes" – A Hole in the Head – Music: Jimmy Van Heusen • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn |
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| Year | Winning songwriter(s) | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | "Never on Sunday" – Never on Sunday – Music and lyrics: Manos Hadjidakis |
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| 1961 | "Moon River" – Breakfast at Tiffany's – Music: Henry Mancini • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer |
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| 1962 | "Days of Wine and Roses" – Days of Wine and Roses – Music: Henry Mancini • Lyrics: Johnny Mercer |
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| 1963 | "Call Me Irresponsible" – Papa's Delicate Condition – Music: Jimmy Van Heusen • Lyrics: Sammy Cahn |
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| 1964 | "Chim Chim Cher-ee" – Mary Poppins – Music and lyrics: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman |
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| 1965 | "The Shadow of Your Smile" – The Sandpiper – Music: Johnny Mandel • Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster |
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| 1966 | "Born Free" – Born Free – Music: John Barry • Lyrics: Don Black |
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| 1967 | "Talk to the Animals" – Doctor Dolittle – Music and lyrics: Leslie Bricusse |
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| 1968 | "The Windmills of Your Mind" – The Thomas Crown Affair – Music: Michel Legrand • Lyrics: Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman |
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| 1969 | "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – Music: Burt Bacharach • Lyrics: Hal David |
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| Year | Winning songwriter(s) | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | "For All We Know" – Lovers and Other Strangers – Music: Fred Karlin • Lyrics: Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin |
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| 1971 | "Theme from Shaft" – Shaft – Music and Lyrics: Isaac Hayes |
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| 1972 | "The Morning After" – The Poseidon Adventure – Music and Lyrics: Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn |
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| 1973 | "The Way We Were" – The Way We Were – Music: Marvin Hamlisch • Lyrics: Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman |
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| 1974 | "We May Never Love Like This Again" – The Towering Inferno – Music and Lyrics: Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn |
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| 1975 | "I'm Easy" – Nashville – Music and Lyrics: Keith Carradine |
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| 1976 | "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" – A Star Is Born – Music: Barbra Streisand • Lyrics: Paul Williams |
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| 1977 | "You Light Up My Life" – You Light Up My Life – Music and Lyrics: Joseph Brooks |
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| 1978 | "Last Dance" – Thank God It’s Friday – Music and Lyrics: Paul Jabara |
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| 1979 | "It Goes Like It Goes" – Norma Rae – Music: David Shire • Lyrics: Norman Gimbel |
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| Year | Winning songwriter(s) | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "Fame" – Fame – Music: Michael Gore • Lyrics: Dean Pitchford |
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| 1981 | "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" – Arthur – Music and Lyrics: Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross and Peter Allen |
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| 1982 | "Up Where We Belong" – An Officer and a Gentleman – Music: Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie • Lyrics: Will Jennings |
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| 1983 | "Flashdance... What a Feeling" – Flashdance – Music: Giorgio Moroder • Lyrics: Keith Forsey and Irene Cara |
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| 1984 | "I Just Called to Say I Love You" – The Woman in Red – Music and Lyrics: Stevie Wonder |
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| 1985 | "Say You, Say Me" – White Nights – Music and Lyrics: Lionel Richie |
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| 1986 | "Take My Breath Away" – Top Gun – Music: Giorgio Moroder • Lyrics: Tom Whitlock |
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| 1987 | "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" – Dirty Dancing – Music: Franke Previte, John DeNicola and Donald Markowitz • Lyrics: Franke Previte |
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| 1988 | "Let the River Run" – Working Girl – Music and Lyrics: Carly Simon |
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| 1989 | "Under the Sea" – The Little Mermaid – Music: Alan Menken • Lyrics: Howard Ashman |
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| Year | Winning songwriter(s) | Nominees | |
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| 1990 | "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)" – Dick Tracy – Music and Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim |
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| 1991 | "Beauty and the Beast" – Beauty and the Beast – Music: Alan Menken • Lyrics: Howard Ashman (posthumous recognition) |
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| 1992 | "A Whole New World" – Aladdin – Music: Alan Menken • Lyrics: Tim Rice |
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| 1993 | "Streets of Philadelphia" – Philadelphia – Music and Lyrics: Bruce Springsteen |
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| 1994 | "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" – The Lion King – Music: Elton John • Lyrics: Tim Rice |
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| 1995 | "Colors of the Wind" – Pocahontas – Music: Alan Menken • Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz |
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| 1996 | "You Must Love Me" – Evita – Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber • Lyrics: Tim Rice |
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| 1997 | "My Heart Will Go On" – Titanic – Music: James Horner • Lyrics: Will Jennings |
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1998
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| 1999 | "You'll Be in My Heart" – Tarzan – Music and Lyrics: Phil Collins |
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| Year | Winning songwriter(s) | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Things Have Changed" – Wonder Boys – Music and Lyrics: Bob Dylan |
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| 2001 | "If I Didn't Have You" – Monsters, Inc. – Music and Lyrics: Randy Newman |
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| 2002 | "Lose Yourself" – 8 Mile – Music: Eminem, Jeff Bass, and Luis Resto • Lyrics: Eminem |
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| 2003 | "Into the West" – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – Music and Lyrics: Fran Walsh, Howard Shore, and Annie Lennox |
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| 2004 | "Al otro lado del río" – The Motorcycle Diaries – Music and Lyrics: Jorge Drexler |
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| 2005 | "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" – Hustle & Flow – Music and Lyrics: Juicy J, Frayser Boy and DJ Paul |
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| 2006 | "I Need to Wake Up" – An Inconvenient Truth – Music and Lyrics: Melissa Etheridge |
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| 2007 | "Falling Slowly" – Once – Music and Lyrics: Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová |
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| 2008 | "Jai Ho" – Slumdog Millionaire – Music: A. R. Rahman • Lyrics: Gulzar |
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| 2009 | "The Weary Kind" – Crazy Heart – Music and Lyrics: Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett |
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| Year | Winning songwriter(s) | Nominees |
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| 2010 | "We Belong Together" – Toy Story 3 – Music and Lyrics: Randy Newman |
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| 2011 | "Man or Muppet" – The Muppets – Music and Lyrics: Bret McKenzie |
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| 2012 | "Skyfall" – Skyfall – Music and Lyrics: Adele and Paul Epworth |
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| 2013 | "Let It Go" – Frozen – Music and Lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez |
Note: A nomination for "Alone Yet Not Alone" from the movie of the same name, written by Bruce Broughton and Dennis Spiegel, was revoked prior to voting when the Academy concluded that Broughton's request "For Your Consideration" was inconsistent with promotional regulations.[2] |
| 2014 | "Glory" – Selma – Music and Lyrics: John Legend and Common |
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| 2015 | "Writing's on the Wall" – Spectre – Music and Lyrics: Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith |
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