Greatest Songs in the Movies – Oscar Nominations 1935-1941 and Beyond

by Test User

Joined Feb 2026
Published Books 1536

What happens when a movie director combines a song with a movie or a scene so that they are both inexorably branded in your mind forever? Here are just a few examples.

2

Bohemian Rhapsody, Wayne’s World from 1:10

3

As Time Goes By, From Casablanca from 1:35

4

Groundhog Day – I’ve got you babe

5

Rhapsody in Blue, Manhattan – Woody Allen

6

You Can’t Always Get What you Want-The Big Chill (from :42)

7

Acopolypse Now – Doors, The End (from 0:31)

8

And one of my favorites by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler, from 1932!

9

1936 was the 9th year of Academy Awards and third time they gave out an Oscar for best song (we need to keep in mind that movies didn’t have full songs till 1927). The winners are in red. Nominations that perhaps might have won in retrospect are in green below. You decide.

10

1936 WINNER

Lullaby Of Broadway in “Gold Diggers of 1935” Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Al Dubin

NOMINEES

WHO DIDN’T WIN?

Cheek To Cheek in “Top Hat” Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

Lovely To Look At in “Roberta” Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh

11

I ask you:

Which song is more popular today?

Lullaby of Broadway or Cheek to Cheek (by Irving Berlin)?

Let’s have a look!

So why did “Lullaby of Broadway” win the Oscar? Go figure.

12

Lullaby of Broadway

13

Not important but fun: Lullaby of Broadway was from Gold Diggers, and you may want to know that there were four Gold Diggers movies. The following song (Tiptoe through the Tulips) was in the 1929 and 1933 movie. Too bad there wasn’t an Oscar for winning song in those years, it might have won. You might know one of the following versions.

14

15

To hear more about Irving Berlin and his best songs:

16

Top Hat – Cheek to Cheek – Didn’t Win but Loved to this day!

Dancing Cheek to Cheek from Top Hat – SUBTITLED from William Mager on Vimeo.

17

1937 WINNER

The Way You Look Tonight in “Swing Time” Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Dorothy Fields

NOMINEES

Did I Remember in “Suzy” Music by Walter Donaldson; Lyrics by Harold Adamson

I’ve Got You Under My Skin in “Born to Dance” Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter

A Melody From The Sky in “Trail of the Lonesome Pine” Music by Louis Alter; Lyrics by Sidney Mitchell

Pennies From Heaven in “Pennies from Heaven” Music by Arthur Johnston; Lyrics by Johnny Burke

When Did You Leave Heaven in “Sing, Baby, Sing” Music by Richard A. Whiting; Lyrics by Walter Bullock

18

19

More about Cole Porter who wrote “I’ve got you under my skin” and so many other great songs (both lyrics and music):

20

WINNER 1938

Sweet Leilani in “Waikiki Wedding” Music and Lyrics by Harry Owens

NOMINEES

Remember Me in “Mr. Dodd Takes the Air” Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Al Dubin

That Old Feeling in “Walter Wanger’s Vogues of 1938” Music by Sammy Fain; Lyrics by Lew Brown

They Can’t Take That Away From Me in “Shall We Dance” Music by George Gershwin; Lyrics by Ira Gershwin

Whispers In The Dark in “Artists and Models” Music by Frederick Hollander; Lyrics by Leo Robin

21

Other Gershwin favorites:

22

23

24

WINNER 1939

Thanks For The Memory in “The Big Broadcast of 1938” Music by Ralph Rainger; Lyrics by Leo Robin

NOMINEES

Always And Always in “Mannequin” Music by Edward Ward; Lyrics by Chet Forrest and Bob Wright

Change Partners in “Carefree” Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

The Cowboy And The Lady in “The Cowboy and the Lady” Music by Lionel Newman; Lyrics by Arthur Quenzer

Dust in “Under Western Stars” Music and Lyrics by Johnny Marvin

Jeepers Creepers in “Going Places” Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

Merrily We Live in “Merrily We Live” Music by Phil Charig; Lyrics by Arthur Quenzer

A Mist Over The Moon in “The Lady Objects” Music by Ben Oakland; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

My Own in “That Certain Age” Music by Jimmy McHugh; Lyrics by Harold Adamson

Now It Can Be Told in “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

25

26

1940 WINNER

THE WIZARD OF OZ

Over The Rainbow in “The Wizard of Oz” Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by E. Y. Harburg

NOMINEES

Faithful Forever in “Gulliver’s Travels” Music by Ralph Rainger; Lyrics by Leo Robin

I Poured My Heart Into A Song in “Second Fiddle” Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

Wishing in “Love Affair” Music and Lyrics by Buddy de Sylva

27

More about Harold Arlen and his other best tunes, especially “If I Only Had a Brain”:

28

29

1941 WINNER

When You Wish Upon A Star in “Pinocchio” Music by Leigh Harline; Lyrics by Ned Washington

NOMINEES

Down Argentina Way in “Down Argentine Way” Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Mack Gordon

I’d Know You Anywhere in “You’ll Find Out” Music by Jimmy McHugh; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

It’s A Blue World in “Music in My Heart” Music and Lyrics by Chet Forrest and Bob Wright

Love Of My Life in “Second Chorus” Music by Artie Shaw; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

Only Forever in “Rhythm on the River” Music by James Monaco; Lyrics by John Burke

Our Love Affair in “Strike Up the Band” Music and Lyrics by Roger Edens and Arthur Freed

Waltzing In The Clouds in “Spring Parade” Music by Robert Stolz; Lyrics by Gus Kahn

Who Am I? in “Hit Parade of 1941” Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Walter Bullock

30

when you wish upon a star

31

And some of my picks: First from 1941, Bing Crosby singing Irving Berin’s “White Christmas” (won in 1942)

32

from 1944 Swinging on a star (won in 1944)

33

1945 – This Might as Well be Spring – from the movie State Fair, by Rogers and Hammerstein

34

Zip a Dee Doo Dah 1947 (Disney)

35

Baby It’s Cold Outside 1949 by the great Frank Loesser (who wrote both the great lyrics and the great music).

36

What’s the best best original song?

Oscar-winning songs and this year’s nominees by win percentage in a random matchup simulation.

And who do you think has the most wins (in bold)?

41

RK▲▼	SONG▲▼	YEAR▲▼	WIN PERCENTAGE▲▼

1	“Somewhere Over the Rainbow”	1939	91%
2	“When You Wish Upon a Star”	1940	80
3	“Can You Feel the Love Tonight”	1994	77
3	“Flashdance (What a Feeling)”	1983	77
5	“The Way You Look Tonight”	1936	73
6	“Fame”	1980	71
6	“Lose Yourself”	2002	71
6	“Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head”	1969	71
9	“White Christmas”	1942	70
10	“My Heart Will Go On”	1997	69
10	“Que Sera Sera”	1956	69
10	“Under the Sea”	1989	69
13	“A Whole New World”	1992	68
13	“Let It Go”	2013	68
13	“Moon River”	1961	68
13	“Time of My Life”	1987	68
17	“Take My Breath Away”	1986	67
18	“Beauty and the Beast”	1991	66
18	“Skyfall”	2012	66
20	“Colours of the Wind”	1995	65
21	“Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”	1947	64
22	“Streets of Philadelphia”	1993	63
22	“Theme From Shaft”	1971	63
24	“The Way We Were”	1973	62
25	“Last Dance”	1978	61
26	“Chim Chim Cher-ee”	1964	60
27	“Glory”	2014	59
28	“Baby, It’s Cold Outside”	1949	57
29	“Falling Slowly”	2007	54
29	“Up Where We Belong”	1982	54
29	“You’ll Be in My Heart”	1999	54
32	“I Just Called to Say I Love You”	1984	53
33	“All the Way”	1957	52
33	“Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)”	1981	52
35	“Born Free”	1966	50
35	“Swinging on a Star”	1944	50
37	“High Hopes”	1959	49
37	“I’m Easy”	1975	49
39	“Jai Ho”	2008	48
39	“Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing”	1955	48
41	“Mona Lisa”	1950	46
41	“You Light Up My Life”	1977	46
42	“It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp”	2005	45
42	“Sooner or Later”	1990	45
42	“The Windmills of Your Mind”	1968	45
42	“Things Have Changed”	2000	45
47	“City of Stars”	2016	44
47	“If I Didn’t Have You”	2001	44
47	“Remember Me”	2017	44
47	“Thanks for the Memory”	1938	44
51	“Call Me Irresponsible”	1963	43
51	“Say You, Say Me”	1985	43
51	“The Morning After”	1972	43
54	“The Weary Kind”	2009	42
54	“We May Never Love Like This Again”	1974	42
54	“Writing’s on the Wall”	2015	42
57	“Al Otro Lado del Rio”	2004	41
57	“Into the West”	2003	41
58	“Evergreen (Love Theme From A Star Is Born)”	1976	40
58	“We Belong Together”	2010	40
58	“When You Believe”	1998	40
62	“Days of Wine and Roses”	1962	38
62	“It Goes Like It Goes”	1979	38
62	“Let the River Run”	1988	38
62	“Lullaby of Broadway”	1935	38
62	“Three Coins in the Fountain”	1954	38
62	“You’ll Never Know”	1943	38
68	“Gigi”	1958	37
68	“It Might as Well Be Spring”	1945	37
68	“Stand Up for Something”	2017	37
71	“For All We Know”	1970	36
71	“Man or Muppet”	2011	36
71	“Secret Love”	1953	36
74	“Mystery of Love”	2017	35
74	“Talk to the Animals”	1967	35
74	“This Is Me”	2017	35
77	“Never on Sunday”	1960	34
78	“The Shadow of Your Smile”	1965	33
79	“You Must Love Me”	1996	33
80	“The Last Time I Saw Paris”	1941	32
81	“The Ballad of High Noon”	1952	31
81	“The Continental”	1934	31
83	“Cool Cool Cool of the Evening”	1951	30
83	“Mighty River”	2017	30
85	“I Need to Wake Up”	2006	29
86	“On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe”	1946	28
87	“Buttons and Bows”	1948	22
87	“Sweet Leilani”	1937	22

Walt Hickey is FiveThirtyEight’s chief culture writer. @walthickey

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/whats-the-worst-best-original-song-in-oscar-history/

42

Disney studios? The big winners

43

Students picked personal favorite Disney tunes. What are yours?

44

Disney lovers will love this!!!!!!!!!!!!! From 1:29

45

My own personal first prize goes to Bare Necessities, though

46

How to write your own Disney song:

47

Techniques that Make Disney Songs Uniquely Disney and Great

Story that moves you from A to B

“I want” something – song types – intro, villain song,

work songs

they do more with less:

cut down on chorus – more info, more story

less repetition and repeated elements, more unique words

48

changes in tempo and meter

e.g. in ‘be our guest’- five different tempos

double the number of chords in a song

more key changes

49

Talking about Disney, check this out:

Development of “I wanna be like you” from Jungle Book

50

Finally, another great way of evaluating songs over time is to look for them appearing in movie soundtracks. Here’s the soundtrack of Mona Lisa Smile. Great songs. What is your favorite soundtrack? Why?

from wikipedia:

Mona Lisa Smile
Soundtrack album by Various
Released	December 19, 2003
Genre	Jazz • Easy Listening • Big Band
Length	48:27
Label	Sony Music

No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	“Mona Lisa”	Seal	3:11
2.	“You Belong to Me”	Tori Amos	3:03
3.	“Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered“	Celine Dion	2:45
4.	“The Heart of Every Girl”	Elton John	3:40
5.	“Santa Baby“	Macy Gray	3:29
6.	“Murder, He Says“	Tori Amos	3:22
7.	“Besame Mucho“	Chris Isaak	2:46
8.	“Secret Love”	Mandy Moore	3:40
9.	“What’ll I Do“	Alison Krauss	3:12
10.	“Instanbul (Not Constantinople)”	The Trevor Horn Orchestra	2:26
11.	“Sh-Boom (Life Could Be a Dream)”	The Trevor Horn Orchestra	2:49
12.	“I’m Beginning to See the Light“	Kelly Rowland	1:47
13.	“I’ve Got the World on a String“	Lisa Stansfield	2:20
14.	“Smile“	Barbra Streisand	4:17
15.	“Suite”	Rachel Portman	5:33

51