The National, Jónsi Among Those on Oscar Shortlist

Names like The National, Jónsi, She & Him, and Flight of the Conchords‘ Bret McKenzie are some of dozens hoping to receive an Academy Award nomination for “Best Original Song”. The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences unveiled the list of 39 competing songs yesterday. These 39 songs will endure a Pitchfork-style rating from voting members of the music branch in LA. Basically, songs averaging 8.25 or higher are likely to be nominated. There will be two to five nominees, and a maximum of two songs may be nominated per film. Eligible songs must consist of original words and music written specifically for the film, and appear somewhat prominently in the film.

Several movies – like The Muppets, Winnie the Pooh, and DAM999 – have multiple songs in contention. The National are on the list due to “Think You Can Wait” from Win Win, Jonsi because of “Gathering Stories” from We Bought a Zoo, and Zooey Deschanel/M. Ward for “So Long” from Winnie the Pooh. McKenzie is on for his two songs from The Muppets.

The 84th annual Academy Awards will air Sunday, February 26th, on ABC.

The National – Think You Can Wait


MP3: Bret McKenzie – Man or Muppet

Jónsi – Gathering Stories

She & Him – The Christmas Waltz

[toggle title=”Click for list of ‘Best Original Song’ potential nominees”]

  • “The World I Knew” from “African Cats”
  • “Lay Your Head Down” from “Albert Nobbs”
  • “Star Spangled Man” from “Captain America: The First Avenger”
  • “Collision of Worlds” from “Cars 2”
  • “Dakkanaga Dugu Dugu” from “DAM999”
  • “DAM999 Theme Song” from “DAM999”
  • “Mujhe Chod Ke” from “DAM999”
  • “Rainbird” from “Dirty Girl”
  • “Keep On Walking” from “The First Grader”
  • “Where the River Goes” from “Footloose”
  • “Hello Hello” from “Gnomeo & Juliet”
  • “Love Builds a Garden” from “Gnomeo & Juliet”
  • “Bridge of Light” from “Happy Feet Two”
  • “The Mighty Sven” from “Happy Feet Two”
  • “Never Be Daunted” from “happythankyoumoreplease”
  • “Hell and Back” from “Hell and Back Again”
  • “The Living Proof” from “The Help”
  • “Coeur Volant” from “Hugo”
  • “It’s How We Play” from “I Don’t Know How She Does It”
  • “When the Heart Dies” from “In the Land of Blood and Honey”
  • “Ja Nao Estar” from “José and Pilar”
  • “The Keeper” from “Machine Gun Preacher”
  • “Life’s a Happy Song” from “The Muppets”
  • “Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets”
  • “Pictures in My Head” from “The Muppets”
  • “Summer Song” from “The Music Never Stopped”
  • “Imaginary Friends” from “Olive”
  • “Sparkling Day” from “One Day”
  • “Taking You With Me” from “Our Idiot Brother”
  • “The Greatest Song I Ever Heard” from “POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold”
  • “Hot Wings” from “Rio”
  • “Let Me Take You to Rio” from “Rio”
  • “Real in Rio” from “Rio”
  • “Shelter” from “Take Shelter”
  • “Gathering Stories” from “We Bought a Zoo”
  • “Pop” from “White Irish Drinkers”
  • “Think You Can Wait” from “Win Win”
  • “The Backson Song” from “Winnie the Pooh”
  • “So Long” from “Winnie the Pooh”

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Mike Mineo

I'm the founder/editor of Obscure Sound, which was formed in 2006. Previously, I wrote for PopMatters and Stylus Magazine.

Send your music to [email protected].

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