Diane Warren has been nominated 17 instances for Greatest Unique Track. Why hasn’t she received but?

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On the Academy Awards on Sunday, we are going to both see one of many longest dropping streaks of all time come to an finish or see historical past being made. Songwriter Diane Warren by no means received an Oscar for Greatest Unique Track, regardless of being nominated so many instances. If she doesn’t clinch it once more, she will probably be 0 for 17, making her essentially the most constant loser in Oscar historical past.

Warren’s dry spell is confounding as a result of it’s based mostly on her greatness.

With hits like “How Do I Stay” ( Con Air ) and “I Don’t Wish to Miss a Factor” ( Armageddon ), this girl has written a few of the best film songs of all time. The truth that she’s been nominated by her friends 17 instances appears to suggest that she’s doing one thing proper.

How is Diane Warren so extremely good at making songs that get Oscar nominations, however so extremely unhealthy at making songs that win?

This yr, Warren is nominated for “ Dear Me ,” a music from Relentless , a documentary about Warren herself. It’s a very good time to look at the historical past of the class, what Oscar voters like in an authentic music, Warren’s likelihood this yr, and whether or not she might win sooner or later if she misses out on Sunday (which appears possible since KPop Demon Hunters ’ “Golden” has dominated awards season).

Is there such a factor as Unique Track Oscar bait?

A standard descriptor that pops up round sure motion pictures, actors, and actresses is that it’s “ Oscar bait .” Barely insulting, the time period refers back to the form of movies (epic conflict dramas, monologues, interval items, “essential” motion pictures) and performances (portrayals of musicians and well-known leaders , and roles the place actors get “ ugly ”) that Academy voters have traditionally rewarded. It may possibly additionally seek advice from motion pictures that attraction to voters on paper (see: A Full Unknown and Maestro) however don’t essentially win.

It might in all probability additionally apply in terms of the Greatest Unique Track class.

“In the event you look again on the final 25 years of Greatest Track winners, what one can find is that they have a tendency to line up in a few totally different classes. Primary is an enormous widespread music title writes a music for a film,” mentioned Jon Burlingame, a professor who teaches display scoring at USC’s Thornton Faculty of Music.

Some latest examples of the “large name-big film music” wins embrace Billie Eilish’s Barbie hit “ What Was I Made For ?” in 2024 and “ No Time to Die ,” which she penned for the eponymous Bond film; Elton John’s “ Love Me Again ” for Rocketman in 2020; and Girl Gaga’s “ Shallow ” for A Star Is Born in 2019.

There are few constants in this world. Diane Warren attending the Oscars is one of them.

| Arturo Holmes/WireImage" data-portal-copyright="Arturo Holmes/WireImage" /> Pop stars, like revered actors and administrators, do have clout with voters. Traditionally, Burlingame defined, there have been situations during which some voters are “determined to be seen as hip.” A preferred music star like Gaga or Eilish may very well be seen as the kind of cool that voters need, particularly since Eilish had such an enormous Grammys haul in 2020, previous to her Bond music successful. However generally it’s so simple as desirous to reward an enormous title.

“When Bob Dylan wrote a music for Surprise Boys in 2000, all people mentioned, ‘God, we obtained to provide Bob Dylan an Oscar,’” Burlingame mentioned.

The opposite key pattern is being a standout music in a musical or musical-ish film, Nate Sloan, a musicology professor at USC’s Thornton, informed Vox. Given the dearth of musicals within the Greatest Image class this yr, it could seem to be this type is uncommon. However Sloan identified that animated options fall into this grouping (see: Disney’s 5 wins within the early ’90s) and, extra loosely, a musical-ish function like La La Land does too. The 2 frontrunners for this yr’s award can be thought of to be musical or musical-ish.

“The chances makers in all probability put ‘ Golden ’ [from KPop Demon Hunters ] up there as a result of it’s such a smash. In all probability proper behind it could be, ‘I Lied to You’ from Sinners as a result of music was such an essential a part of its plot,” Sloan mentioned.

Each Sloan and Burlingame mentioned that there are some exceptions to those normal developments. Nonetheless, they each count on “Golden” to get the win this yr. It checks the “hit music from a musical” field. And whereas a celebrity isn’t connected, “Golden” is simply as large as any pop music launched up to now yr. That ubiquity counts for lots too.

“I feel when you take a look at the checklist of the final 10 years or so, what number of of these [nominees] had been actually radio hits,” Burlingame mentioned, declaring that Unique Track nominees don’t often chart. He did say that after they do, like Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”, they’ll often win. “I feel that’s why there’s no manner that ‘Golden’ can lose,” he added.

Why Diane Warren in all probability isn’t successful this yr

Given how widespread “Golden” is and what number of awards it’s already received, it’s not trying too good for “Pricey Me.” If this isn’t Warren’s yr, what may it take for her to lastly deliver residence the award sooner or later?

Based mostly on what consultants mentioned, it could in all probability appear to be Warren collaborating with a pop star on a stupendous music for a film musical. However that, as Sloan, the musicology professor, defined, is one thing that Warren’s songwriting profession has moved away from.

Warren was first nominated in 1987 for “Nothing’s Gonna Cease Us Now” from Model . She then reeled off a trio of hits — “As a result of You Beloved Me” with Celine Dion in 1996, “How Do I Stay” with Trisha Yearwood in 1997, and “I Don’t Wish to Miss a Factor” with Aerosmith in 1998 — that, beneath the Oscar-bait rubric of massive pop star and massive film music, might’ve simply received.

Sadly for Warren, generally the Unique Track class is stacked.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMDPLw7RZAs[/embed] “How Do I Stay” misplaced to “My Coronary heart Will Go On,” Celine Dion’s Titanic love music. Equally, “I Don’t Wish to Miss a Factor” couldn’t beat “When You Consider,” which was carried out by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey for The Prince of Egypt . One might simply make the argument that both of these Warren songs could have had a special end result in a special yr.

“I really like Diane Warren, I feel she’s an excellent songwriter. She’s written a few of the largest hits of the twentieth century…however I really feel like she’s simply getting additional and farther from a win,” Sloan mentioned. “I really feel just like the sound of film music is shifting additional away from what she does.”

Sloan defined that the facility ballad love songs that Warren is so good at writing really feel a bit outdated within the musical panorama of the 2020s. Modern motion pictures are in all probability not going to be scored and tracked in that ’80s and ’90s fashion, and people songs may not do as effectively in terms of the music charts or streaming companies. “I feel she’ll preserve getting nominated,” Sloan mentioned, noting Warren’s title recognition and historical past. “However I feel it’s simply going to get tougher and tougher to truly get a win.” (Vox reached out to Warren’s publicist to rearrange an interview however didn't hear again.)

If there was a time for Warren to sneak a win, Sloan mentioned, it would’ve been final yr when “El Mal” from Emilia Perez took the prize. However the controversial musical topped Warren (nominated for “The Journey” from Six Triple Eight ) and Elton John (“By no means Too Late” from Elton John: By no means Too Late ) too.

The prospect of going 0 for 17, or 18, or 20, raises one other query: Would there ever be some extent the place the Academy rewards Warren for a very good sufficient music that displays her spectacular physique of labor? Would the Academy ever award a sympathy Oscar? There’s precedent for this. Administrators, actors, and actresses have all had wins which can be extensively thought of to be extra about rewarding a revered colleague who’s overdue moderately than their efficiency in that yr’s particular work. Burlingame, the display scoring professor, identified that songwriter and composer Randy Newman acquired 16 nominations throughout rating and music earlier than nabbing his first win in 2009 for “If I Didn’t Have You” from Monsters Inc .

“It was his time and other people thought, oh God, this poor man, he’s been nominated so many instances, let’s simply give him an Oscar ,” Burlingame mentioned, noting that Newman’s “You’ve Acquired a Buddy in Me” is taken into account his profession spotlight. “They usually gave it to him for — I imply, does anyone actually bear in mind the music from Monsters Inc ?”