The Oscars, a night of glitz, glamour, and golden statues, often surprises and delights. For me, one of the most memorable moments etched in my memory is from the 2000s, specifically the 75th Academy Awards ceremony. While I vaguely recall the buzz around Gladiator and Traffic dominating the awards, it was the Best Original Song category a couple of years later that truly grabbed my attention. Back then, awards analysis wasn’t my forte, and many nominated films were still beyond my cinematic horizon. The nuances of Marcia Gay Harden’s supposed upset win for Best Supporting Actress were lost on my younger self.
But 2003 was different. Barbra Streisand, a legend herself, stepped onto the stage to present the award for Best Original Song. In my youthful mind, it was a foregone conclusion that she was there to honor a contemporary icon like Paul Simon, nominated for “Father and Daughter,” or perhaps the seasoned duo of Kander and Ebb for “I Move On.” U2, fresh off their Golden Globe win for “The Hands That Built America,” also seemed like a strong contender.
However, the Academy had a different narrative in mind. Streisand, with a visible air of surprise, announced the winner: Eminem, the self-proclaimed King of Hip-Hop, for “Lose Yourself” from 8 Mile. It was a truly deserved victory, a moment that resonated far beyond the Dolby Theatre.
At the time, many considered Eminem’s win a major upset, a shock to the established order of the Oscars. Looking back, perhaps the surprise wasn’t that he won, but that we were so surprised in the first place.
Let’s be realistic – in that year’s lineup, a few nominees were facing an uphill battle.
“Burn It Blue” from Frida, while a beautiful song showcasing Elliot Goldenthal’s rich score, was unlikely to bring Goldenthal a second Oscar that night. Paul Simon’s “Father and Daughter” is undeniably charming, and the Academy clearly holds this musical legend in high regard. However, for The Wild Thornberrys Movie? It simply wasn’t destined to be an Oscar-winning song.
“I Move On” from Chicago, joining the ranks of stage-to-screen adaptations’ original songs, suffers from the common fate of being overshadowed by the pre-existing stage material. While Catherine Zeta-Jones delivers a strong vocal performance, the instrumental arrangement feels like a rehash of the musical’s overture, and the lyrics lack originality and impact. It echoes other less memorable original songs from musical adaptations.
It’s highly probable that U2 was the runner-up to Eminem in the voting that year. “The Hands That Built America” is a powerful anthem, though not quite U2’s most groundbreaking work, and in many other years, it might have taken home the Oscar. However, the Academy’s complex relationship with Gangs of New York, despite its numerous nominations, likely played a role. If cinematic titans like Martin Scorsese and Daniel Day-Lewis couldn’t secure wins, it’s difficult to imagine U2 prevailing.
“Lose Yourself” transcends genre boundaries. It’s not just a hip-hop masterpiece, arguably one of the greatest rap songs ever recorded and a defining track of the decade, but also remarkably accessible. You didn’t need to be a fan of The Slim Shady LP or The Marshall Mathers LP, or even consider yourself a hip-hop aficionado, to connect with its raw energy and powerful message. Crucially, the Academy had never before even nominated a hip-hop song in this category. Eminem didn’t just win; he shattered a glass ceiling, paving the way for future artists outside the traditional Oscar mold to be recognized.
It’s hard to imagine a song like “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from Hustle & Flow even being nominated, let alone winning the Best Original Song Oscar a few years later, if Eminem hadn’t first shaken up the category with “Lose Yourself.” His win was a turning point for what kind of music could be recognized and celebrated by the Academy as the Best Song Oscars had to offer.
Looking back at the history of the Best Song Oscars, “Lose Yourself” rightfully earns its place among the greats. Here’s a ranking of Oscar-winning songs, placing Eminem’s triumph in context:
- “Over the Rainbow,” The Wizard of Oz (1939)
- “The Way You Look Tonight,” Swing Time (1936)
- “High Hopes,” A Hole in the Head (1959)
- “Streets of Philadelphia,” Philadelphia (1993)
- “Lose Yourself,” 8 Mile (2002)
- “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera),” The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
- “Mona Lisa,” Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1950)
- “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” Neptune’s Daughter (1949)
- “(I’ve Had) the Time of My Life,” Dirty Dancing (1987)
- “The Windmills of Your Mind,” The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
- “The Way We Were,” The Way We Were (1973)
- “Let the River Run,” Working Girl (1988)
- “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
- “Under the Sea,” The Little Mermaid (1989)
- “High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, On My Darlin’),” High Noon (1952)
- “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” The Lion King (1994)
- “Beauty and the Beast,” Beauty and the Beast (1991)
- “I’m Easy,” Nashville (1975)
- “You’ll Never Know,” Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943)
- “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe,” The Harvey Girls (1946)
- “Fame,” Fame (1980)
- “Theme from Shaft,” Shaft (1971)
- “Secret Love,” Calamity Jane (1953)
- “White Christmas,” Holiday Inn (1942)
- “Moon River,” Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
- “Take My Breath Away,” Top Gun (1986)
- “When You Wish Upon a Star,” Pinocchio (1940)
- “Thanks for the Memory,” The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
- “Lullaby of Broadway,” Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935)
- “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” Song of the South (1947)
- “A Whole New World,” Aladdin (1992)
- “My Heart Will Go On,” Titanic (1997)
- “Flashdance…What a Feeling,” Flashdance (1983)
- “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” Arthur (1981)
- “Last Dance,” Thank God It’s Friday (1978)
- “Colors of the Wind,” Pocahontas (1995)
- “You Must Love Me,” Evita (1996)
- “Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man),” Dick Tracy (1990)
- “Days of Wine and Roses,” Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
- “For All We Know,” Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)
- “All the Way,” The Joker Is Wild (1957)
- “It Might As Well Be Spring,” State Fair (1945)
- “The Last Time I Saw Paris,” Lady Be Good (1941)
- “In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening,” Here Comes the Groom (1951)
- “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing,” Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
- “It Goes Like It Goes,” Norma Rae (1979)
- “Born Free,” Born Free (1966)
- “Never on Sunday,” Never on Sunday (1960)
- “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” The Woman in Red (1984)
- “Up Where We Belong,” An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
- “Three Coins in the Fountain,” Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)
- “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” Mary Poppins (1964)
- “Call Me Irresponsible,” Papa’s Delicate Condition (1963)
- “Evergreen (Theme from A Star Is Born),” A Star Is Born (1976)
- “Things Have Changed,” Wonder Boys (2000)
- “Swinging on a Star,” Going My Way (1944)
- “If I Didn’t Have You,” Monsters, Inc. (2001)
- “You’ll Be in My Heart,” Tarzan (1999)
- “You Light Up My Life,” You Light Up My Life (1977)
- “Gigi,” Gigi (1958)
- “The Continental,” The Gay Divorcee (1934)
- “Sweet Leilani,” Waikiki Wedding (1937)
- “Buttons and Bows,” The Paleface (1948)
- “Talk to the Animals,” Doctor Dolittle (1967)
- “The Shadow of Your Smile,” The Sandpiper (1965)
- “When You Believe,” The Prince of Egypt (1998)
- “Say You, Say Me,” White Nights (1985)
- “The Morning After,” The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
- “We May Never Love Like This Again,” The Towering Inferno (1974)
