This is a clear sign of the increasing globalization of pop culture, and specifically of the Motion Picture Academy’s voting body.
Jacques Audiard, Camille and Clément Ducol at the 97th Oscars held at the Dolby Theatre on March 2, 2025 in Hollywood, California.
Gilbert Flores
“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez won best original song at the 2025 Oscars on Sunday (March 2), marking the second time in three years that the award has gone to song that was performed in the film in a language other than English.
This is the first time in the history of the best original song category, which was first presented in 1935, that two “foreign-language songs” (as we used to call them in less enlightened times) have won in such quick succession.
“El Mal” is the sixth winner that was performed in the film in a language other than English. Four of those songs have won in the last 21 years. In the first 70 years that the award was presented, just two such songs won.
This is a clear sign of the increasing globalization of pop culture, and specifically of the Motion Picture Academy’s voting body.
Three of these six songs were performed in Spanish in the films (including “El Mal,” despite the fact that all three of the song’s writers are French). One was performed in Greek, one in Hindi and one in Telugu.
One of them became a smash hit in 1950 when performed in English by one of the top recording artists of the era, the great Nat King Cole. Two others became top 15 hits on the Hot 100 when covered by hitmaking female vocal groups, The Chordettes and The Pussycat Dolls.
Here’s a complete list of songs not in the English language that won Oscars for best original song.
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“Mona Lisa” from Captain, Carey, U.S.A.
Date of ceremony: March 29, 1951
Winning songwriters: Ray Evans and Jay Livingston
Performed at Oscar ceremony by: Robert Merrill
Notes: The song is performed in Spanish by an uncredited troubadour in the 1950 film, though it is best known for Nat King Cole’s smash cover version in English. Cole’s recording topped a pre-Hot 100 Billboard songs chart for eight weeks. Operatic baritone Robert Merrill sang the song at the Oscar ceremony. (It was not yet a telecast: The show was first televised two years later.)
This was the second of three best original song Oscars for the team of Evans and Livingston, who went on to include a famous foreign-language saying in the title of their third Oscar winner, “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera Sera).”
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“Never on Sunday” from Never on Sunday
Date of ceremony: April 17, 1961
Winning songwriter: Manos Hadjidakis
Performed on Oscar telecast by: Connie Francis
Notes: The song is performed in Greek in the 1960 film. The song title in Greek is “Ta Pediá tou Pireá.” Two acts had top 20 hits on the Hot 100 with this song. Arranger/conductor Don Costa scored with an instrumental version in 1960 and The Chordettes (best known for their hits “Mr. Sandman” and “Lollipop”) scored with a vocal version in 1961. Connie Francis, who sang the song on the Oscar telecast, was just about the hottest female singer on the planet at the time. In 1962, she became the first female solo artist to land three No. 1 hits on the Hot 100.
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“Al otro lado del río” from The Motorcycle Diaries
Date of ceremony: Feb. 27, 2005
Winning songwriter: Jorge Drexler
Performed on Oscar telecast by: Antonio Banderas & Carlos Santana
Notes: The song is performed in Spanish in the 2004 film. Drexler was not invited to sing his song on the telecast – he wasn’t deemed famous enough – so the producers instead turned to the certifiably famous global heartthrob Antonio Banderas and music legend Carlos Santana. Drexler had the last word on this “snub”: When Prince announced him as the winner, he sang lyrics from his winning song in his acceptance speech before signing off with “Ciao. Thank you. Gracias. Ciao.”
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“Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire
Date of ceremony: Feb. 22, 2009
Winning songwriters: A.R. Rahman, Gulzar
Performed on Oscar telecast by: A. R. Rahman, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Tanvi Shah
Notes: The song was performed in Hindi in the 2008 film, which was marketed as “the feel-good film of the decade.” This was Rahman’s second award of the night. He also won for best original score. In accepting the song award, Rahman said “I just want to thank again the whole crew of Slumdog Millionaire, especially [director] Danny Boyle, for giving [me] such a great opportunity. And the whole, all the people from Mumbai.” Rahman’s recording bubbled under the Hot 100 at No. 121 in 2009, but a cover version (on which he was joined by The Pussycat Dolls), subtitled “You Are My Destiny,” made it all the way to No. 15.
“O… Saya”, another partly-Hindi song from the same film by Rahman and M.I.A., was also nominated, making it the first time two foreign-language songs from the same film were nominated in the category.
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“Naatu Naatu” from RRR
Date of ceremony: March 12, 2023
Winning songwriters: M.M. Keeravaani, Chandrabose
Performed on telecast by: Kaala Bhairava, Rahul Sipligunj
Notes: “Naatu Naatu”is an Indian Telugu-language song. It didn’t crack the Hot 100, but did reach No. 3 on both World Digital Song Sales and India Songs.
Keeravaani gave a charming acceptance speech, which he sang to the tune of the Carpenters’ 1973 hit “Top of the World.” “Thank you, Academy. I grew up listening to the Carpenters, and now here I am with the Oscars.” He then began singing to the familiar ditty: “There was only one wish on my mind/ So was Rajamouli’s and my family’s/ RRR has to win/ Pride of every Indian/ And must put me on the top of the world.”
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“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez
Date of ceremony: March 2, 2025
Winning Songwriters: Camille, Clément Ducol, Jacques Audiard
Sung on telecast by: None of the nominated songs were performed, though there was a brief segment in which the songwriters commented on the creation of the songs.
Notes: “El Mal” is sung in Spanish, even though all of the composers are French. Ducol and Camille were also nominated for best original score for Emilia Pérez, but lost to Daniel Blumberg for The Brutalist.
