Brian Wilson, Van Morrison, U2, Carole King, Beyoncé, and Jay-Z are all competing against each other on the shortlist leading to nominations for the Best Original Song category for the 94th annual Academy Awards.
Brian Wilson and My Morning Jacket's Jim James got the nod for “Right Where I Belong” from Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road; Van Morrison for “Down To Joy” from Belfast; U2's made the shortlist for “Your Song Saved My Life” from the animated Sing 2; and Carole King with Jamie Alexander Hartman and Jennifer Hudson were noticed for “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” from the Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect.
The 94th Academy Awards will take place on March 22nd, 2022 at L.A.'s Dolby Theatre and air live on ABC.
Variety reported, “The shortlist voting concluded on December 15th, and the remaining ones will move on to the official phase one voting. Nominations voting begins on January 27th, and ends on February 1st. The official credits and nominees for all the films will be announced, with the rest of the Oscar nominations on February 8th.
Brian Wilson, who'll turn 80 next June 20th, told us that he still feels it's his job to continue making music: “It's so fun. It's my duty in life to create music for people, y'know?”
For decades, fans have been looking to U2 or guidance and sometimes answers to life’s problems, but The Edge told us that band has never been comfortable with that responsibility: “I don't really feel it is our job. I think our job is, if anything, to just connect in a way, to express something that's personal to us that other people can relate to, that they might be feeling. That, y'know, crystallizes something that's. . . that's out there anyway.”
The shortlist for the 2022 Oscar for 'Best Original Song' is:
“So May We Start?” from Annette by – Sparks: Ron Mael & Russell Mael
“Down To Joy” – from Belfast by Van Morrison
“Right Where I Belong” – from Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road by Brian Wilson & Jim James
“Automatic Woman” from Bruised – by H.E.R. (other songwriters to be added)
“Dream Girl” from Cinderella – by Idina Menzel & Laura Veltz
“Beyond The Shore” from CODA by Nicholai Baxter, Matt Dahan, Sian Heder, & Marius de Vries
“The Anonymous Ones” from Dear Evan Hansen – by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, & Amandla Stenberg
“Just Look Up” from Don’t Look Up – by Nicholas Britell, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, & Taura Stinson
“Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto – by Lin-Manuel Miranda
“Somehow You Do” from Four Good Days – by Diane Warren
“Guns Go Bang” from The Harder They Fall – by Jeymes Samuel, Scott Mescudi, & Shawn Carter
“Be Alive” from King Richard – by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & Dixson
“No Time To Die” from No Time To Die – by Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell
“Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” from Respect – by Jamie Alexander Hartman, Jennifer Hudson, & Carole King
“Your Song Saved My Life” from Sing 2 – by U2: Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, & Larry Mullen, Jr.