The music branch’s process of nominating in the Best Original Song category changed a few years ago. Members now screen clips and view contenders as used within the context of their films. It generally means music used organically has a better shot than the usual closing credits fluff of yore.
That rule change has also, I think, altered the perception of the award on the annual Oscar telecast. Last year performances of the contenders were scrapped from the show early on, largely because they weren’t popular hits and the show is all about nailing down a viewership. Could it happen again? This year’s line-up is diverse if underwhelming, but now that I think about it, that seems to frequently be the case.
The nominees are:
“Coming Home” from “Country Strong” (Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey)
“If I Rise” from “127 Hours” (Music by A.R. Rahman; Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong)
“I See the Light” from “Tangled” (Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Glenn Slater)
“We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3” (Music and Lyric by Randy Newman)