Oscar's Favorite Tunes Revisited: The 1990s
1990: “Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)” (Stephen Sondheim) from Dick Tracy. The veteran songwriter’s only Oscar was for this old-fashioned, charming tune, passionately sung by Madonna in a Marilyn Monroe mood at the Oscars show.
1991: “Beauty and the Beast” (Alan Menken, Howard Ashman) from Beauty and the Beast. The composers repeated the successful formula from The Little Mermaid and got their second Oscars for it; in Ashman’s case posthumously. In this version from the film, Angela Lansbury sings it, but Celine Dion made it a hit.
1992: “A Whole New World” (Alan Menken, Tim Rice) from Aladdin. Menken’s third win had him teaming up with West End veteran Tim Rice. The song is performed by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle, accompanying scenes from the film.
1993: “Streets of Philadelphia” (Bruce Springsteen) from Philadelphia. A welcome change of pace in the middle of all these Disney ballads, this powerful song is one of my personal favorites. The clip shows a video with The Boss performing.
1994: “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” (Elton John, Tim Rice) from The Lion King. Back to more Oscar glory for Disney. This was Rice’s second win. The clip shows the video where Elton John is singing the song.
1995: “Colors of the Wind” (Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz) from Pocahontas. Menken’s fourth win, but all these Oscar-winning Disney ballads were beginning to outstay their welcome. Still, this one is really good. The clip shows Judy Kuhn singing it in the movie, but Vanessa Williams had a hit with it.
1996: “You Must Love Me” (Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice) from Evita. Another Oscars telecast clip with Madonna performing, as she did in the movie. This is however far from the composers’ best work; it’s a little dull. Rice’s third win.
1997: “My Heart Will Go On” (James Horner, Will Jennings) from Titanic. One of the eleven Oscars rewarded this tremendously popular song, performed by Celine Dion. Horner also picked up an Oscar for his score; this was Jennings’s second win. The clip shows the video.
1998: “When You Believe” (Stephen Schwartz) from The Prince of Egypt. Well, when Disney is unable to deliver, DreamWorks makes sure an animated film still picks up a win in this category. This is a pretty engaging gospel tune, passionately sung by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. Schwartz’s second win.
1999: “You’ll Be In My Heart” (Phil Collins) from Tarzan. The fifth Oscar win in this category for Disney during this decade. Collins followed in the footsteps of Elton John; his song isn’t bad, but a little unimaginative. The clip shows scenes from the film.
Published by Stefan Hedmark 2009-06-20 15:02
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