Our Academy Awards Go To These 20 Snubbed Nominees

With the 98th Academy Awards airing on March 15th, I wanted to talk about one of my favorite categories, Best Original Song.

The combination of music and film has always been a highlight for me when it came to watching movies. However, like every Oscar category, there have been contenders that didn’t receive the same recognition. That worries me, so I’m going to share with you a few songs that I believe should’ve at least gotten a nomination, maybe even should’ve won. So, buckle up, because I got a lot to say…

Jailhouse Rock from Jailhouse Rock 

Snubbed: 30th Academy Awards

They snubbed the King. THE KING. *Impersonating Elvis* “That ain’t right mama.” What was the Academy thinking? It’s one of the most iconic musical numbers in cinema history. Everyone was singing and dancing to the legendary song, except for the Academy apparently. Thankfully the Grammy Hall of Fame and the American Film Institute appreciated the song and its influence. Not to mention, the homoeroticism in the film’s scene, legendary!

Take Off With Us from All That Jazz 

Snubbed: 52nd Academy Awards

While the 1979 film won for Best Adaptation Score, none of the songs from the score were nominated? Wow, okay cool. Written by Fred Tobias and Stanley Lebowsky, who both have incredible resumes in the musical theatre world, you’d think this song written for a Bob Fosse directed film would receive a nomination! The song is pure Fosse and works incredible in the scene. Granted, All That Jazz did snag four Oscars out of its nine nominations, so it did quite well! Luckily, the film’s scene that features the song inspired not one but two music videos, from Paula Abdul and Ariana Grande respectively. So, in the words of the late great Connie Francis, “who’s sorry now”.

Call Me from American Gigolo

Snubbed: 53rd Academy Awards

Produced and composed by Giorgio Moroder, Call Me was a massive hit and even was nominated for a Grammy and a Golden Globe. Now don’t get me wrong, Fame is an incredible song, and its use for the film of the same name is an iconic moment in film history. But I just can’t believe Moroder didn’t receive a nomination for the new wave track. The song is the perfect match for the erotic thriller, and Blondie’s Debbie Harry provides her sexy and cool vocal ability to the song, which makes it what it is to this day.

Cat People from Cat People (1982)

Snubbed: 55th Academy Awards

1982 was a good year for songs written for movies! During the 1983 Oscars, the nominees featured Eye of the Tiger from Rocky III and Up Where We Belong from An Officer and A Gentlemen, which won the award. But come on, the Academy is going to snubbed Giorgio Moroder, again? And David Bowie? The song sets the perfect tone for the movie, but I guess the Academy wasn’t ready for the incredible combination of Moroder and Bowie. At least Quentin Tarantino heard the potential and used it in his film Inglorious Bastards.

On the Darkside from Eddie and the Cruisers

Snubbed: 56th Academy Awards

The second the piano introduction starts; it’s like my fight or flight kickstarts. Now that is how you write a song for a movie. The listener immediately recognizes it and lets the song play out. It’s giving Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and if that doesn’t get you to stream it, I don’t know what to tell you. While the film didn’t do well critically at the time of release, Eddie and the Cruisers gained a following during its first cable run on HBO. Then the soundtrack climbed the charts and went quadruple platinum, and not just in my house.

The Heat Is On from Beverly Hills Cop 

Snubbed: 57th Academy Awards

Now 1984 was a killer year in music and movies, and the category was filled with incredible nominations for Best Original song, including artists like Phil Collins, Kenny Loggins, and Stevie Wonder, who won the award. However, there was another well-known artist not included in this lineup, Glenn Frey from the Eagles! He was the vocalist for the song The Heat Is On for Beverly Hills Cop, which was one of, if not the biggest film of 1984. The song is the perfect theme for a fun and wild movie that stars Eddie Murphy, who was also snubbed a nomination, if you ask me. While the song gained a Golden Globe nomination and was part of the Grammy Award winning soundtrack, the song itself was unfortunately not appreciated by the Academy. Luckily, Bob Seger’s song, Shakedown, which was written for the 1987 sequel, received a nomination. Better than nothing, I guess.

Don’t You (Forget About Me) from The Breakfast Club 

Snubbed: 58th Academy Awards

I think it’s safe to say that everyone knows this song and movie. The Breakfast Club became the movie for a generation, and the song became a hit. Written by Keith Forsey (who worked on Blondie’s Call Me), he offered the song to Simple Minds, who originally declined. After Bryan Ferry, Corey Hart, and the Billy Idol declined to record the track, Simple Minds gave in and thank goodness they did. The song became their biggest hit and one of the biggest hits of the 1980s. I bet the Academy is kicking themselves right now, I know I would if I snubbed a legendary song like this.

Magic Dance from The Labyrinth

Snubbed: 59th Academy Awards 

I’m going to need a minute to process this one. It’s bad enough The Labyrinth was panned, but the soundtrack too? It’s David Bowie for crying out loud! You know, just one of the most legendary artists of all time, but whatever. Did no one inform the Academy of the legacy this soundtrack would have? The second someone says, “You remind me of the babe” you immediately reply, “What babe”! It’s just a fun song in a fun movie; it seems that the Academy thinks they’re way to cool to appreciate it. To that I say, “YOU’RE NO FUN!”

Beautiful Stranger from Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

Snubbed: 72nd Academy Awards

Madonna. Need I say more? Apparently so. The song has a 60s psychedelic pop and disco sound that is perfect for the movie. Not only that, but the track became a huge hit for the queen of pop, becoming another cultural high in her career. Fun fact, the song was inspired by Madonna’s then boyfriend, the movie’s screenwriter, Andy Bird. While the song was praised by music critics, the Academy seemed to ignore it. Not groovy, baby!

Come What May from Moulin Rouge!

Snubbed: 74th Academy Awards 

Okay, so technically, this song was written for Baz Luhrmann’s film William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, so the Academy claimed it was ineligible for a nomination. Excuse me while I eyeroll. I know I’m not the only one fuming right now, the song is cinematic perfection. Not only do Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor sound incredible together, but the song ties the film together. It’s quite literally the heart and soul of Moulin Rouge!, and it still stands the test of time. It was good enough for Golden Globe and Grammy nominations, so I don’t see why the Academy couldn’t break the rule. We were robbed a performance of the ballad at the Oscars, and that is just wrong.

School of Rock from School of Rock

Snubbed: 76th Academy Awards 

It’s bad enough that Jack Black was robbed a nomination for best actor, but this? That is so not punk rock! School of Rock might be one of the best movies of the 21^st century, not an exaggeration, a fact. It’s hilarious, has a wonderful message about following your dreams and sticking it to the man, and the soundtrack is rockin’. The Recording Academy seemed to agree, for the soundtrack received a Grammy nomination. I guess some people just don’t believe in the power of rock n’ roll, such a shame how some folks are just so out of touch…

Scotty Doesn’t Know from EuroTrip 

Snubbed: 77th Academy Awards

I wasn’t aware that this song was written for the movie EuroTrip. The song is dirty and comical, and it would’ve been hilarious if it got an Oscar nomination. Also, imagining Matt Damon lip-syncing the song at the Academy Awards is just too good. The Academy were afraid of a possible comedic cultural reset. Too bad.

A Life Without You (Is No Life At All) from Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Snubbed: 80th Academy Awards

John C. Reilly, you’re an icon, and I love you. I’m so sorry that the Academy didn’t recognize your talent and contribution to the cinematic arts. Your performance as Dewey Cox in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is one of the greatest ever. Not to mention your voice, so beautiful. The Academy clearly wasn’t ready to hear you belt the beautiful ballad on the stage. That’s their mistake, and I apologize on their behalf. Sincerely, a woman with taste.

PoP! Goes My Heart & Way Back Into Love from Music and Lyrics 

Snubbed: 80th Academy Awards

How was I supposed to choose just one? We got a fun 80s inspired pop song that kicks off the movie, and a love song that enhances the narrative. Andrew Wyatt and Adam Schlesinger wrote the tracks, and both have left an impact on millennials everywhere. Thankfully, Wyatt would win an Oscar for Shallow from the film A Star is Born in 2019. As for Schlesinger, he unfortunately passed back in 2020 due to Covid-19 but had left an amazing legacy of songwriting for film and television, including credits; That Thing You Do! and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I can’t choose just one, so I chose both, while the Academy chose neither. Such a shame, we could’ve had Hugh Grant singing and wearing tight pants at the Oscars.

Zydrate Anatomy from Repo! The Genetic Opera

Snubbed: 81st Academy Awards

When someone says, “Zydrate comes in a little glass vile” you immediately reply, “a little glass vile?” and start throwing down. I don’t make the rules, it’s just the song’s effect. Just like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Repo! The Genetic Opera has a cult following and shadow casting. Both iconic musicals for theatre kids and the weird kids, so you would think the Academy would appreciate this song since they’re the proper demographic. I guess not…oh well, their loss. The Academy clearly doesn’t embrace the stranger side of musical theatre. One day they will, I hope.

Camp Isn’t Home from Theater Camp

Snubbed: 96th Academy Awards

This is for all the theatre kids. The kids who live and breathe the performing arts. The kids who only feel at home on the stage. The kids who chase their dreams no matter the cost. The kids who play with makeup and costumes while blasting showtunes on Spotify. The kids who will break into song in the middle of a conversation and start tap dancing. The kids who believe that one day, they’ll achieve their dreams. This song is for you, not the Academy.

Can’t Catch Me Now from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

Snubbed: 96th Academy Awards

Olivia Rodrigo, I’m sorry, for I wasn’t fully aware of your game. While the song was eligible for the Oscars, it didn’t receive a nomination. It did, however, receive a Grammy nomination, but still! The song was written from the perspective of the film’s main character, Lucy Gray Baird, portrayed by Rachel Zegler, phenomenally, I might add. The song is a perfect addition to the already fantastic movie, and it really drives the story of how President Snow becomes the villain he is in the future. If that doesn’t say Academy Award, then I don’t know what does.

Peaches from The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Snubbed: 96th Academy Awards

Again, the Academy thinks they are way to cool to enjoy things. Jack Black and Super Mario Bros., need I say more? The song is a ballad from Bowser to Princess Peach, and it’s hilarious. According to critics, it was the highlight of the entire movie! Thankfully, the song received both a Golden Globe and Critics Choice nomination. Better than nothing if you ask me!

Leash from Babygirl

Snubbed: 97^th Academy Awards

Dear Academy, why are you afraid of sexy movies? Seriously, grow up already! Babygirl was incredible, Nicole Kidman was robbed, and so was Sky Ferreira for her song Leash. Combining the sounds of electro-rock and synth-pop to create a haunting track to wrap-up the erotic-thriller. Ferreira’s voice is perfect for the haunting lyrics and delivers an incredible vocal sound. Such a shame the track didn’t receive its flowers. Can we recruit less prudish people to become Academy members please?

No Place Like Home & The Girl in the Bubble from Wicked: For Good

Snubbed: 98th Academy Awards

A lot of fans weren’t loving the two new songs for the Wicked: For Good soundtrack. I was not one of those fans, for I thought both enhanced the narrative and gave both the film’s stars their chance to shine. Cynthia Erivo’s voice was perfect for No Place Like Home and the song’s message is extremely relevant. Ariana Grande’s performance of The Girl in the Bubble shows a softer side to the character of Glinda. Not to mention both songs were written by Stephen Schwartz, you know, the man who wrote the music for the original stage musical, that ran on Broadway for twenty years. According to the Academy that means nothing.

That concludes the list of songs that deserve more praise. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to stream all these songs and cry.