And The Oscar Goes To: Academy Award Winning Songs 1985-1989

Without a doubt, the 1980’s provided us with so many memorable movie soundtracks. In fact, many of the most enduring hit songs from that decade were featured in films. So, we’ll be looking at the Academy Award winning songs from the latter half of “The MTV Decade.” If you’d like to review the Oscar® winning songs from the first half of the 1980’s, click here.

However, let's hold off a moment on opening those envelopes to reveal the winners. First, let’s see how closely the Golden Globe Awards mirror the Academy Awards during the 1980’s. Pretty much as you might expect. Although the nominees weren’t always the same, the winners were. The only year there was a slight difference is in 1988. That year, Academy Award winner “Let The River Run” would share the Golden Globe for Best Original Song with “Two Hearts” by Phil Collins from the film Buster. Aside from that year, the Golden Globe winner matches the Academy Award winning song from 1980 through 1989.

If I hear a song while I'm watching a movie, I figure it has a chance to win an Oscar® for Best Original Song. But I am wrong. As a matter of fact, there are specific rules for songs which can receive a nomination.

I checked out the Academy Awards website and learned what it takes to earn a nomination for Best Original Song. To quote the rules on Oscars.org: “An original song consists of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the motion picture. There must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyric and melody, used in the body of the motion picture or as the first music cue in the end credits.”

With that in mind, let’s see which songs' creators got to walk up on stage. Here are the Academy Award winning songs during the latter half of the 1980’s.

This was a huge mid-80s hit for Lionel Richie, spending 4 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. However, even though it was featured in the film White Nights, it was not included on the movie's soundtrack. That's because the folks at Lionel's record label, Motown, wanted the song to be featured on his new album, Dancing On The Ceiling. Regardless, it also became his 9th chart-topper on the Billboard Adult-Contemporary chart, and sold over a million copies. "Say You, Say Me" beat out some stiff competition that year including the monster smash "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News from the blockbuster Back To The Future. It also grabbed the Oscar® away from another nominated song from White Nights. That would be "Separate Lives" by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin, another #1 hit from that film.

An enduring classic from an iconic 80s action movie, Top Gun. "Talk to me, Goose." "I feel the need, the need for speed!" "Take me to bed or lose me forever." Just a few memorable quotes from that Tom Cruise film. Terri Nunn and her band, Berlin, certainly hit the motherlode when they recorded the love theme "Take My Breath Away." The movie's producers first offered this song to Martha Davis and The Motels, but they didn't record it until later in their career. They then offered it to Berlin, who took it all the way to #1. Not only did this movie hit win the Oscar® for Best Original Song of 1986, it also nabbed the Golden Globe.

Just like Flashdance four years earlier, Dirty Dancing caused an increase in the number of Americans signing up for dance classes. Even though the critics did not really love this movie, the American public certainly did. The Dirty Dancing franchise even went on to include a television series, a prequel, and a stage production. Bill Medley, formerly of The Righteous Brothers, and Jennifer Warnes, teamed up to record this #1 smash. Warnes had previously been involved in another #1 movie hit in the 80s which earned an Oscar® for Best Original Song. That was 1982's "Up Where We Belong" with Joe Cocker, from the film An Officer and a Gentleman.

Most years during the 1980's, the Academy would nominate five songs. However, for 1988, I guess they felt there weren't enough deserving songs, since only three songs received Oscar® nominations for Best Original Song that year. They were "Two Hearts" by Phil Collins from the movie Buster, "Calling You" by R&B and gospel singer Jevetta Steele from the film Bagdad Café, and the song which would go on to win the Academy Award, "Let The River Run" by Carly Simon. It is featured during the closing credits of the hit romantic comedy Working Girl starring Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, and Melanie Griffith. This song was not a big chart hit however, peaking at #49 on the Hot 100.

Disney got into the movie soundtrack business with some great animated films during the 1980's. The Little Mermaid produced two songs which received Academy Award nominations in 1989. Samuel E. Wright, who provides the voice of Sebastian the Crab in this movie, performs both songs. "Under The Sea" beat out "Kiss The Girl" to grab the Oscar® for Best Original Song. It also eclipsed the hit duet from Cher and Peter Cetera, "After The Fall," from the film Chances Are. Incidentally, this was Disney's first Academy Award victory in the Best Original Song category since 1964's win for "Chim Chim Cher-ee" from Mary Poppins. Then, during the 1990's, Disney would win the Oscar in this category in 1991 (Beauty and the Beast), 1992 (Aladdin), 1994 (The Lion King), 1995 (Pocahontas), and 1999 (Tarzan).