2024 Oscar Predictions: ORIGINAL SONG (November)

The Original Song shortlist is taking some shape with the HMMA nominations announced earlier this month and their awards coming up next week, which highlighted songs from Barbie, The Little Mermaid and Wonka, all major contenders for the Oscar as well. HMMA also made room for perennial nominee and Honorary Oscar winner Diane Warren with “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot, “This Wish” from Wish and “Can’t Catch Me Now” from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songs and Snakes.

But then came the Grammy nominations yesterday where the Barbie soundtrack, score and songs earned a massive 12 nominations across eight categories including two in Song of the Year, Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” and Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?,” the latter of which was also nominated for Record of the Year, and dominated the Song for Visual Media category with four of the five slots.

The Golden Globe nominations will be announced on December 11. The Oscar shortlists will be revealed on December 21, 2023. Oscar nominations will be announced on January 23, 2024 and the 96th Academy Awards will be held on March 10.

Here are my 2024 Oscar predictions for the 15-title shortlist in Original Song for November 2023.

1. “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and Finneas from Barbie (Warner Bros)
2. “I’m Just Ken” by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt from Barbie (Warner Bros)
3. “Road to Freedom” by Lenny Kravitz from Rustin (Netflix)
4. “For the First Time” by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda from The Little Mermaid  (Walt Disney Pictures)
5. “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony by Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson (Netflix)
6. “The Fire Inside” by Diane Warren from Flamin’ Hot (Hulu/Searchlight Pictures)
7. “This Wish” by Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice from Wish (Walt Disney Pictures)
8. “Better Place” by Justin Timberlake from Trolls Band Together (DreamWorks Animation)
9. “Keep It Movin’” from The Color Purple (Warner Bros)
10. “Peaches” by Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond, and John Spiker from The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Illumination/Universal Pictures)
11. “A World of Your Own” by Neil Hannon, Simon Farnabay and Paul King from Wonka (Warner Bros)
12. “Steal the Show” by Lauv, Michael Matosic and Thomas Newman from Elemental (Walt Disney/Pixar)
13. “Dance the Night” by Caroline Ailin, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt from Barbie (Warner Bros)
14. “High Life” by John Carney and Gary Clark from Flora and Son (Apple Original Films)
15. “Quiet Eyes” by Zach Dawes and Sharon Von Etten from Past Lives (A24)

Next up: 

• “Gonna Be You” by Diane Warren from 80 for Brady (Paramount Pictures)
• “Lullaby / Beyond” – Vive La Musique” by Nicholas Britell from Carmen (Sony Pictures Classics)
• “TBA” from The Color Purple (Warner Bros)
• “All Love is Love” by Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp from Dicks: The Musical (A24)
• “Out the Alpha” by Megan Thee Stallion from Dicks: The Musical (A24)
• “Can’t Catch Me Now” from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songs and Snakes by Dan Nigro and Olivia Rodrigo
• “Wild Uncharted Waters” by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda from The Little Mermaid (Walt Disney Pictures)
• “I Am” from Origin (NEON) by Stan Walker, Michael Fatkin, Vince Harder, Te Kanapu Anasta
• “Wounded Heart” by Ondara from Silver Dollar Road (Amazon MGM Studios)
• “Am I Dreaming” by Leland Wayne, Rakim Mayers, Michael Dean, Peter Lee Johnson, Landon Wayne from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)

Other contenders: 

• “Everything is Gonna Be Alright” by Bobi Wine from Bobi Wine: The People’s President (National Geographic)
• “Out-Alpha the Alpha” by Megan Thee Stallion from Dicks: The Musical (A24)
• “Live That Way Forever” by Laurel Sprengelmeyer and Richard Reed Parry, Little Scream from The Iron Claw (A24)
• “The Scuttlebutt” by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda from The Little Mermaid (Walt Disney Pictures)
• “Camp Isn’t Home” by Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, Ben Platt and Mark Sonnenblick from Theater Camp (Searchlight Pictures)
• “Let’s Get Married” from Trolls Band Together (DreamWorks Animation)
• “Watch Me Work” from Trolls Band Together (DreamWorks Animation)
• “Knowing What I Know” by Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice from Wish (Walt Disney Pictures)
• “This Is the Thanks I Get” by Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice from Wish (Walt Disney Pictures)

Photo: Anna Kooris, courtesy of Searchlight Pictures