BARBRA STREISAND became the first woman to win best song as a composer rather than a lyricist, for “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born),” in 1977.
AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME
The nominees up for song and score at the 92nd annual Academy Awards, airing Feb. 9, on why they’re in the running
BY PAUL GREIN, MELINDA NEWMAN, HILARY HUGHES and CATHY APPLEFELD OLSON
SONGS
Will 2020 finally be Diane Warren’s and
Thomas Newman’s year? The veterans
have earned their 11th and 15th respec-
tive Academy Award nominations
without a previous win. Warren is vying
for best original song for “I’m Standing
With You” from Breakthrough (20th
Century Fox), while Newman is nomi-
nated for best original score for best
picture contender 1917 (Universal).
They both face tough competition.
Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s rousing
“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from
Rocketman (Paramount) is the best
song front-runner following its Golden
Globe and Critics’ Choice Awards wins.
If the song is triumphant, John would
set a new record as the songwriter with
the longest span of best original song
Oscar wins: 26 years. (He won the 1994
award for “Can You Feel the Love To-
night” from the original The Lion King.)
The current record for the longest span
of winners in this category is held by
James Van Heusen, whose wins stretch
20 years: from “Swinging on a Star”
from Going My Way (1944) to “Call Me
Irresponsible” from Papa’s Delicate
Condition (1963).
Two of the other nominees in this
category have won with previous songs
from the franchises for which they are
currently nominated: Randy Newman is
up for “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself
Away” from Toy Story 4 (Disney/Pixar),
while husband-and-wife team Robert
Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez are
nominated for “Into the Unknown” from
Frozen II (Disney). The Lopezes’ first win
was “Let It Go” from Frozen (2013), while
Newman won for “We Belong Together”
from Toy Story 3 (2010). Newman has
been nominated in this category with a
song from each Toy Story installment —
an unprecedented achievement.
The category is rounded out by first-
time nominees Joshuah Brian Campbell
and Cynthia Erivo for “Stand Up” from
Harriet (Focus Features), in which Erivo
played Harriet Tubman and is also up
for best actress. Should she win either
Oscar, she will become the youngest
EGOT (Emmy/Grammy/Oscar/Tony)
winner, at 33.
Beyoncé was passed over for a nom
for “Spirit” from The Lion King, which
she co-wrote with Timothy McKenzie
(better known as Labrinth) and Ilya
Salmanzadeh, as was “Glasgow” from
Wild Rose, which tied “(I’m Gonna)
Love Me Again” for best song at the
Critics’ Choice Awards on Jan. 12.
CYNTHIA ERIVO and JOSHUAH
BRIAN CAMPBELL
“STAND UP,” HARRIET
Cynthia Erivo learned of her first two
Oscar nominations somewhere over the
Pacific, while flying from Los Angeles
to Tokyo.
How did you learn of your nominations
mid-flight?
ERIVO I had fallen asleep, and I was like,
“You know, whatever happens, it’s fine.
I’m not going to have any Wi-Fi on the
plane. I’ll just find out when I land.” [Then]
I looked at the table in front of me and
there [was] a Wi-Fi voucher, [so] I put it
on my phone. All of a sudden, a flurry
of messages come through and the first
one I see is “Congratulations!” Another
message: “Congratulations, two nomina-
tions!” I sent a bunch of texts to as many
people as I possibly could. It was just
crazy because I couldn’t call anyone.
Joshuah, what was working with
Cynthia like?
CAMPBELL Cynthia knows her instru-
ment really well. I’m decent at writing for
people’s voices, but at the same time,
it’s amazing to write with someone who
knows what they’re capable of and what
makes them shine.
You recorded this after you finished
filming for Harriet. How did that affect
your approach to this song?
ERIVO Having filmed it, I had an experi-
ence with Harriet, so I could speak to what
it may have been like to travel that far on
foot, to have to put yourself in danger. It
just meant more to be able to understand
what that might have been like. Now I can
truly embody the song with her.
DIANE WARREN
“I’M STANDING WITH YOU,” BREAKTHROUGH
Diane Warren received her 11th best
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Clockwise from left:
Joaquin Phoenix in Joker;
Zackary Momoh and Erivo
in Harriet; Anna, Elsa and
Kristoff in Frozen II; Daisy
Ridley in Star Wars: The
Rise of Skywalker; Buzz
Lightyear, Woody, Bunny
and Ducky in Toy Story 4.
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