Only Four Hot 100-Topping Film Songs Have Landed Oscar Nods Since 2000: Could ‘Golden’ Be Next?
Even if the writers of the 'KPop Demon Hunters' smash win, they won't each receive a trophy. Here's why.
“Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters leads the Billboard Hot 100 for the sixth week, the longest run for a film song since “See You Again” from Furious 7 topped the chart for 12 weeks a decade ago. So you might think “Golden” is a cinch to land an Oscar nomination for best original song.
It certainly could be nominated, but its chart success provides no guarantee. Of the 14 film songs that have topped the Hot 100 since 2000, just four were nominated for best original song at the Oscars. Even “See You Again” failed to land a nomination. The soothing tone of the song helped fans mourn the loss of Paul Walker, one of the stars of the franchise, who had died in a 2013 car crash. Given the magnitude of the hit, and the song’s touching backstory, you might reasonably have expected it to be nominated, but voters sometimes surprise.
Netflix’s official Oscar entry on “Golden” lists five songwriters: EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, 24, IDO, and TEDDY. Oscar rules stipulate that if there are more than four songwriters on a song, they must sign a form saying they agree to receive one “group statuette” for all of them to somehow share, should they win.
The Academy introduced the best original song category in 1935, when most songs were written by one or two songwriters. No winner in this category had even three writers until “The Windmills of Your Mind” by Michel Legrand and Alan & Marilyn Bergman won in 1969. None had four writers until “Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do)” by Christopher Cross, Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager and Peter Allen won in 1982. The Academy is clearly uncomfortable with the trend towards more songwriters, but trying to hold back that tide is not really their role. Rewarding excellence is.
Let’s take a look at the 14 film songs that have topped the Hot 100 since 2000. The years shown are the years the songs topped the Hot 100. We show you how long they remained on in the top spot, who wrote the songs and tell you their Oscar fate.
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