Since 1934, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has handed out an Oscar for best original song, and many of those now-iconic tunes have more than lived up to that golden title. It’s impossible to think of The Wizard of Oz without hearing “Over the Rainbow”; Dirty Dancing without singing “(I’ve Had) The Time of my Life”; or Pinocchio without humming “When You Wish Upon a Star.”
With musical heavy-hitters like Rihanna, David Byrne, Mitski and previous Oscar-winner Lady Gaga all in the running for best original song in 2023, whoever wins will be in awfully good company. (And, who knows? Maybe this will be the year that long-time nominee Diane Warren finally gets her flowers.)
Whether it’s Billie Eilish becoming James Bond musical royalty in 2021 with “No Time to Die,” Eminem putting hip-hop on the Oscar map in 2002 with “Lose Yourself,” Bruce Springsteen bringing us all to tears in 1993 with the “Streets of Philadelphia,” Isaac Hayes making Oscar history as the first African-American to win the best original song category in 1971 for “Theme from Shaft” or Irving Berlin creating a perennial holiday classic in 1942 with “White Christmas,” these Academy Award winners have spanned generations — and made for one incredible, albeit wildly eclectic, soundtrack.
In no particular order, here are the 15 greatest Oscar-winning songs of all-time. And if you don’t see your personal favorite listed here, well, no disrespect is intended. Unless, of course, that song landed on our list of the 15 worst Oscar-winning songs of all time. In that case, well, sorry.
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“Over the Rainbow,” Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg from The Wizard of Oz
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection As timeless as they come. The legendary Judy Garland singing the splendid “Over the Rainbow” in The Wizard of Oz is pretty much the gold standard of movie magic.
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“Lose Yourself,” Eminem from 8 Mile
Eminem’s amped-up anthem made Oscar history back in 2002, becoming the first-ever hip-hop track to win an Academy Award for best original song. While other hip-hop artists have been able to take home Oscars since, none of them have paid homage to both mom’s spaghetti and Mekhi Pfifer. Listen here.
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“Falling Slowly,” Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová from Once
Basically every song from Once is Oscar-worthy (yep, even “Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy”), but “Falling Slowly” is the one that made everyone fall madly in love with the duo and their little movie (and eventually, Broadway show) that could. Listen here.
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“Take My Breath Away,” Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock from Top Gun
Image Credit: ©Paramount / courtesy Everett Collection This soaring, synth-y ballad not only took Berlin all the way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, but to the dizzying heights of having performed a song that won an Academy Award (for songwriters Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock).
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“Theme from Shaft,” Isaac Hayes from Shaft
The grooviest, funkiest and all-around coolest best original song winner not only made the Shaft soundtrack an essential record, but it made Oscar history when Isaac Hayes became the first African-American to win in this category. Don’t like it? Shut your mouth. Listen here.
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“White Christmas,” Irving Berlin from Holiday Inn
There are two best original song Oscar winners that became bona fide Christmastime essentials: “White Christmas” from 1942’s Holiday Inn and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” from 1949’s Neptune’s Daughter. However, only one of these classics managed to remain an unproblematic fave. Listen here.
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“Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” Burt Bacharach and Hal David from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The incomparable Burt Bacharach earned five Oscar nominations and won twice in this category over the course of his career. Has there ever been a better song to get you out of a funk than this one? We’d be hard-pressed to find it. Listen here.
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“Moon River,” Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer from Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Audrey Hepburn plucking her guitar and crooning out of her New York City window made its mark on cinema in 1961, and various covers (from Andy Williams to Frank Ocean) have kept it a pop culture staple over the years. Still, nothing beats the dreamy version seen in the film.
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“Jai Ho,” A. R. Rahman and Guizar from Slumdog Millionaire
Before Marvel movies were keeping people planted firmly in their seats as the credits rolled, Slumdog Millionaire had audiences dancing in the aisles to this Indian pop crowd-pleaser. (It’s also the only Oscar-winning song to date to get its very own treatment by The Pussycat Dolls.) Listen here.
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“The Way You Look Tonight,” Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields from Swing Time
If anyone could make audiences feel like they were floating on air during the Great Depression, it was Fred Astaire. One of the most romantic songs ever written, if you haven’t heard one of its many iterations on the big screen, you’ve most certainly heard it at a wedding or two hundred. Listen here.
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“(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” by Franke Previte, John DeNicola & Donald Markowitz from Dirty Dancing
Image Credit: ©Vestron Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection Nobody puts Baby in a corner. In fact, Baby stars in one of the most satisfying movie finales ever set to ’80s pop perfection.
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“Last Dance,” Paul Jabara from Thank God It’s Friday
Sure, it’s from the worst movie on this list by a mile, but this disco staple — performed by dancefloor queen Donna Summer — has been telling party-going night owls to call it an evening since 1978. Listen here.
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“When You Wish Upon a Star,” Leigh Harline and Ned Washington from Pinocchio
Disney is no stranger to winning in this category, but it’s hard to top the OG recipient: “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Perhaps the song still most associated with the movie studio to this day, this Jiminy Cricket (Cliff Edwards) tune has been packing a big punch since 1940. Listen here.
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“Streets of Philadelphia,” Bruce Springsteen from Philadelphia
Neil Young’s “Philadelphia” (which was also nominated that year) may actually pack the bigger emotional wallop in the 1993 drama, but you can’t argue with the power of The Boss and the aching sense of hope lost in this powerful ballad. Listen here.
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“Shallow,” Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt from A Star Is Born
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo When you think of “Shallow” and its big night at the 2019 Oscars, it’s all but impossible not to conjure up sexy, smoldering thoughts of that swoon-worthy live performance by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Their chemistry truly sent us all off the deep end.
