The Academy of Motion Picture, Arts, and Sciences is known for picking bizarre nominees for the Best Song Category. This year, one of the films that completely surprised pundits was a movie no one had ever heard of the movie before. Meanwhile, the other four nominees were either expected to get nominated or were not really surprising.
"Alone Yet Not Alone" from "Alone Yet Not Alone" - The film marks the second nomination for Bruce Broughton and the first nomination for Dennis Spiegel, who wrote the lyrics. The nomination for this song was one of the most surprising in Academy history. The film was on no one's radar and no one had even heard of it. The movie had no reviews reported on Rotten Tomatoes and there was no box office reported either. As a result, "Alone Yet Not Alone" caused controversy, with some songwriters claiming the film was not eligible. The song is unlikely to win as it has no support.
"Happy" from "Despicable Me 2" - Pharrell Williams received his first nomination for the film. "Despicable Me 2" surprised in this category as the movie had been absent from precursor awards and therefore was not expected to get nominated. The movie's song has not won a single precursor and is unlikely to win this category.
"Let it Go" for "Frozen" - Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez received their first nomination for the Academy Award. "Let it Go" has been popular throughout the precursor awards as it won the Broadcast Critics Choice Award and Phoenix Film Critic Society. However, it lost the Golden Globe and that could affect the film's chances. "Frozen" is currently the front-runner for the Animation category and that could help the film's odds. Expect "Let it Go" to win if the movie wins Best Animated Film.
"The Moon Song" for "Her" - The Best song category rarely sees Best Picture nominees get in. This year, Karen O. received her first nomination while Spike Jonze, who wrote the lyrics, received his fourth Oscar nod. "The Moon Song" has not been present in any precursor awards. However, the fact that the film is nominated for Best Picture could be an indication the movie will win the category. The last time a Best Song went to a Best Picture nominee was in 2009 when "Jaiho" surprised and won for "Slumdog Millionaire." If the Academy feels like rewarding all nine Best Picture nominees, "The Moon Song" will win.
"Ordinary Love" for "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" - U2 received its second nomination for Best Song. The group was previously nominated for its work on Martin Scorsese's 2002 film "Gangs of New York." "Ordinary Love" already won the category at the Golden Globes and therefore could have a strong chance at winning. However, the Globe is not always the best predictor in this category as only two out of the last four winners have went on to win the Oscar. However, U2 has an advantage over the other four nominees. Their song is being pushed by Oscar guru Harvey Weinstein who is best known for winning Oscars. With the Globe win and Weinstein campaigning the song, U2 has the best chances of a victory.
Predictions: "Let It Go" from "Frozen" is likely to win, but U2's star power and a good campaign could get the band an Oscar for its song "Ordinary Love" from "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom."