Lose Yourself - Oscar Cross-Over Songs

As I mentioned yesterday, this year is not the best year for Oscar original songs. None of the songs that are up for the prestigious award has very much cross-over appeal. Meaning, they aren’t songs you are going to hear on the radio on your way to work. This hasn’t always been the case though. Many songs in the past have had huge cross over appeal. It has however been since 2002 that this has happened in a big way. I thought that this would be a great subject for today’s entry. The Oscars have been passing out this award since 1934, but I’m going to stick with my lifetime so we’ll fast forward to the 80’s. 

1982 - ‘Up Where We Belong’ from An Officer and a Gentleman 

Performed by Joe Cocker, this song was number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 3 weeks. Interestingly, the film’s producer, Don Simpson, demanded that it be cut from the movie saying, “The song is no good. It isn’t a hit.” Good thing no one listened to him.

1983 - ‘Flashdance...What a Feeling’ from Flashdance

This song was on more charts than I have time to list. It went Platinum in the US as well. It was originally recorded by Joe Esposito, member of the band Brooklyn Dreams, who is best known for their work with Donna Summer on ‘Bad Girls’. They had Irene Cara re-record it so it could be from a woman’s perspective to match the movie. 

1984 - ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You’ from The Woman in Red

This song hit the Billboard Hot 100 number one slot for 3 weeks, as well as numerous other charts around the world. It was also featured on an episode of The Cosby Show. Remember that? The Huxtables knew Stevie Wonder. Best. Family. Ever. 

1985 - ‘Say You, Say Me’ from White Nights

This Lionel Richie song also made it to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts. It ranked #74 of the top songs of all time on the chart as well. Richie parodied this song on The Simpsons changing the lyrics to ‘Hey you, Beer Me’. Gotta love that guy.

1986 - ‘Take my Breath Away’ from Top Gun

This song quickly became an international hit and still has legs today. Jessica Simpson covered the song in 2004 as a tribute to her then husband Nick Lachey. Eternal Love. She did had respectable success with it, reaching #8 on the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream charts. 

1987 - ‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life’ from Dirty Dancing

This song reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 list for 1 week, and also topped out the Adult Contemporary chart for 4 weeks. It also won a grammy for best pop performance by a duo. And what girl hasn’t listened to this song wishing that they could take a running leap into Swayze’s arms and fly?

1993 - ‘Streets of Philadelphia’ from Philadelphia

The Boss....Combine him with Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington? Power house gold! Interestingly though, this song never reached number 1 in the U.S., although it did in other countries. Side Note - Springsteen supplied almost all of the instrumentation on this song.

1997 - ‘My Heart Will Go On’ from Titanic

I don’t care who you are, you’ve heard this one. Celine Dion’s biggest hit. One of the best-selling singles in the history of music. Weeks at number one in the U.S. and internationally. Over 1.5 million copies sold. The interesting thing is, it was never meant to be. The song was originally written as an instrumentation to be played throughout the movie. James Horner who wrote the music wanted to make a vocal version as well for the end of the movie, but director James Cameron objected. Horner went ahead anyway and had lyricist William Jennings write the words. They wanted Celine Dion to sing it, but she refused after listening to it. It was her manager/husband Rene Angelil that talked her into making a demo version. Horner played it for Cameron and the rest is history. One last interesting fact. The song was recorded in one take without instrumentation. Love her or hate her, Celine Dion’s voice is a modern wonder that should be respected. 

2002 - ‘Lose Yourself’ from 8 Mile

This song won both the Oscar and a few Grammys. It was also the longest running #1 song of 2002. (12 weeks). It received the most awards won by a single rap song in one year, and VH1 ranked it the #1 greatest song of the past 25 years. The song has been downloaded over 3 million times, and is surpassed only by Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. Eminem wrote this song while on a filming break from 8 Mile. He recorded it in a portable studio in one take. The sheet with his lyrics on it was featured in the movie while he was on the bus. It was sold later on eBay for $10,000. 

In a separate category there have been some Disney cartoon songs that have also had mass market appeal, although not necessarily huge radio hits like the above songs. 

1989 - ‘Under the Sea’ from The Little Mermaid

1991 - ‘Beauty and the Beast’ from Beauty and the Beast

1992 - ‘A Whole New World’ from Aladdin

1994 - ‘Can you Feel the Love Tonight’ from The Lion King (Elton John had 3 nominations from The Lion King that year)

1995 - ‘Colors of the Wind’ from Pocahontas

1999 - ‘You’ll be in My Heart’ from Tarzan

Which cross over Oscar song is your favorite from the list? It’s a tough one for me. As a little girl watching Dirty Dancing in awe, I am inexplicably drawn to anything having to do with that movie. And, I would have to say that I’m not the only one seeings how The Black Eyed Peas have recently covered, or should I say, butchered the song for the 21st century. Dirty bit? Really? I am a passionate fan of ‘Lose Yourself’ however. I think it is one of the best rap songs of all time, and it still gives me goosebumps when I hear it today. The message behind the song, the movie and Eminem’s life is hard to ignore. What about you?