Three songs from Barbie are on the Oscar shortlist for best original song, which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences released on Thursday (Dec. 21). Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt co-wrote two of the songs, “I’m Just Ken” and “Dance the Night” (collaborating with Dua Lipa and Caroline Ailin on “Dance the Night”). Billie Eilish and Finneas co-wrote the other shortlisted Barbie song, “What Was I Made For?”
Based on a 2008 rule change, no more than two songs from a film can be nominated. The nominations will be announced on Jan. 23. The awards will be presented on March 10.
“Dance the Night” and “What Was I Made For?” were nominated for Grammys for song of the year on Nov. 10. Two other pairs of writers who were nominated for song of the year Grammys are shortlisted for Oscars, but with different songs. Olivia Rodrigo and Daniel Nigro, Grammy-nominated for “Vampire,” are shortlisted for “Can’t Catch Me Now” from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson, Grammy-nominated for “Butterfly,” are shortlisted for “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony.
The Hunger Games franchise has yet to receive an Oscar nod in any category, so this would be first for the franchise if the Rodrigo/Nigro song is nominated.
Two songs are shortlisted from both The Color Purple and Flora and Sons, so seven of the 15 shortlisted songs came from just three films.
Lenny Kravitz was shortlisted with “Road to Freedom” from the film Rustin. “Glory” from Ava DuVernay’s Selma, which also dealt with the civil rights struggles of the 1960s, won in this category nine years ago.
Oscar perennial Diane Warren was shortlisted with “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot. Warren is seeking her 15th best original song nomination, a benchmark that only five songwriters have reached.
Several high-profile stars were turned back in their bids to make the shortlist. Justin Timberlake fell short with “Better Place” from Trolls Band Together (which he co-wrote with Karl Schuster and Amy Allen). Bruce Springsteen missed with “Addicted to Romance” from She Came to Me (which he co-wrote with his wife, Patti Scialfa). Jack Black fell short with “Peaches” from The Super Mario Bros. Movie (which he co-wrote with Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond, John Spiker).
Springsteen’s and Black’s tracks are nominated for Golden Globe Awards for best original songs, which makes their failure to make the Oscar shortlist even more surprising.
Other highly touted songs that failed to make the shortlist include “I Am” from Origin, “This Wish” from Wish and “Live That Way Forever” from The Iron Claw.
Here’s a complete list of the songs that were shortlisted for best original song.
“It Never Went Away”
Jon Batiste, Dan Wilson
American Symphony, Netflix
“Dear Alien (Who Art in Heaven)”
Jarvis Cocker, Richard Hawley, Wes Anderson
Asteroid City, Focus Features
“Dance the Night”
Caroline Ailin, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt
Barbie, Warner Bros.
“I’m Just Ken”
Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt
Barbie, Warner Bros.
“What Was I Made For?”
Billie Eilish, Finneas
Barbie, Warner Bros.
“Keep It Movin’”
Halle Bailey, Denisia Andrews, Brittany Coney, Morten Ristorp
The Color Purple, Warner Bros.
“Superpower (I)”
The-Dream
The Color Purple, Warner Bros.
“The Fire Inside”
Diane Warren
Flamin’ Hot, Hulu/Searchlight Pictures
“High Life”
Gary Clark, John Carney, Eve Hewson
Flora and Son, Apple
“Meet in the Middle”
Gary Clark, John Carney, Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Ardiff
Flora and Son, Apple
“Can’t Catch Me Now”
Dan Nigro, Olivia Rodrigo
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Lionsgate
“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)”
The Osage Tribe
Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures)
“Quiet Eyes”
Zach Dawes, Sharon Von Etten
Past Lives, A24
“Road to Freedom”
Lenny Kravitz
Rustin, Netflix
“Am I Dreaming”
A$AP Rocky, Metro Boomin, Michael Dean, Peter Lee Johnson, Roisee, Scriptplugg
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Sony Pictures
