Monday, March 15, 2010

Best Original Song - 1977

"Candle on the Water" from Pete's Dragon sung by Helen Reddy


Movie Synopsis: An orphan boy and his magical dragon come to town with his abusive adoptive parents in pursuit.


Does it appear in the movie (i.e. other than the end credits)? Yes.
Is it important to the plot? Yes, it expresses Nora's undying devotion to Paul, her lover lost as sea.
Is it pleasing to the ear? Surprisingly, for a Disney movie, I'm giving it a B-.



"Someone's Waiting for You" from The Rescuers sung by Shelby Flint


Movie Synopsis: Two mice of the Rescue Aid Society search for a little girl kidnapped by unscrupulous treasure hunters. 


Does it appear in the movie (i.e. other than the opening/end credits)? Yes. 
Is it important to the plot? It shows Penny's sorrow, but tells her to keep holding on. 
Is it pleasing to the ear? A+


"He Danced With Me/She Danced With Me" from The Slipper and the Rose sung by Gemma Craven and Richard Chamberlain 


Movie Synopsis: A musical version of Cinderella. 


Does it appear in the movie (i.e. other than the opening/end credits)? Yes.
Is it important to the plot? It expresses that the prince and Cinderella have fallen in love with one another after their first meeting. 
Is it pleasing to the ear? Eh, C.


"Nobody Does it Better" from The Spy Who Loved Me


Movie Synopsis: James Bond investigates the hijacking of British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads with the help of a KGB agent whose lover he killed.


Does it appear in the movie (i.e. other than the opening/end credits)? No...opening credits.
Is it important to the plot? Are Bond themes ever important to the plot?
Is it pleasing to the ear? A+


"You Light Up My Life" from You Light Up My Life sung by Debby Boone


Movie Synopsis: A young woman strives to be a singer despite life's difficulties.


Does it appear in the movie (i.e. other than the opening/end credits)? Yes.
Is it important to the plot? I think so because the main character finally gets to record a song.
Is it pleasing to the ear? A


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So what won?
"You Light Up My Life" from You Light Up My Life




What would I have voted for?
"Nobody Does It Better" from The Spy Who Loved Me. I'm not a James Bond fan by any means, but I love how much this sweet little love song contrasts with the action packed, spy movie. Plus, it's a very fun song to sing.




Analysis
1977 is also a very good year. I very much enjoy 3 out of 5 songs from this year and the others are listenable as well. This will not shock anyone, but I went through a big "You Light Up My Life" phase...just 25 years after everyone else did. Most people don't even know that it was from an actual movie. To me, it seems the BOS winner should be forever be linked to the film from whence it came, but stand alone. I also have to say that I love "Someone's Waiting For You" from The Rescuers too. It's so 70's. And I love the 70's.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Good decision :)

I love "You Light Up My Life", mostly because it is an awesome, epic, and is talking about God (thereby making it more awesome).

But, in retrospect, the song was from a shitty film (never a good thing for the Academy). I think it only won because it was number #1 on the Billboard 100 for 10 weeks (the first since Elvis' "Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog" nearly 20 years earlier). It was a big hit, so I guess the Academy followed the money.

There was no better chance for a Bond theme (seriously, these songs are such a necessity to the films, at least one of them should have won the Oscar) to win Best Song than this year. What a shame.