美国国家公共电台 NPR--We rank the nominees for the Academy Awards category: best original song

We rank the nominees¹ for the Academy Awards category: best original song

Transcript²

Oscar nominees for best original song can be anything from soaring ballads³ to toe-tappers that ground musical numbers. Songs by Rihanna and Lady Gaga are included in this year's nominees.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Every year, Pop Culture Happy Hour's Stephen Thompson ranks the Oscar nominees for best original song. Here's Stephen on this year's list.

STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE⁴: So I'm going to do this countdown-style, from fifth place to first. For the sixth year in a row, the Oscars nominate a song written by Diane Warren. This year, it's from a movie very few people have seen called "Tell It Like A Woman." Let's hear a little bit of "Applause" performed by Sofia Carson.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "APPLAUSE")

SOFIA CARSON: (Singing) Give yourself some applause. You deserve it. Give yourself some respect 'cause you've earned it. Give yourself some love 'cause you're worth it.

THOMPSON: So among other things, it feels like this might be the first time this song has ever been played on the radio. "Applause" has left almost no cultural footprint. There is no way this song would have been nominated if it hadn't been written by Diane Warren. She is beloved in Hollywood. She spends most of her time writing songs for movies. The Oscars love her for a reason. But this song is so generic⁵, it could have been written by ChatGPT. If you watch the Oscars, time your snack break for when they perform it.

Fourth place is a much better song - Rihanna's "Lift Me Up" From "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LIFT ME UP")

RIHANNA: (Singing) Burning in a hopeless dream. Hold me when you go to sleep.

THOMPSON: "Lift Me Up" is a pretty song, lovely vocal⁶ by Rihanna. My issue is that it is slow. It's uneventful. It doesn't really convey anything that connects it to the movie. You could drop "Lift Me Up" over the closing credits to just about any film. It would work fine. To me, if you're the best original song, the song should feel like an extension of the movie, or what's the point?

Third place - this is a movie song. It's Lady Gaga's "Hold My Hand" from "Top Gun: Maverick⁷."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOLD MY HAND")

LADY GAGA: (Singing) So cry tonight, but don't you let go of my hand.

THOMPSON: "Top Gun: Maverick" is a sequel to a movie from 1986, and the song is also a throwback. It's big, it's emotive. It's got a video where Lady Gaga is writhing⁸ around on a piano on an airstrip. There's footage of planes whooshing⁹ around, rulebooks getting tossed into trash cans. It fits the movie's vibe, even if the song itself isn't super interesting lyrically.

Next up - a song I love from my favorite movie of last year. This is Son Lux, David Byrne and Mitski performing "This Is A Life" from "Everything Everywhere All At Once."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THIS IS A LIFE")

MITSKI: (Singing) This is a life...

DAVID BYRNE: (Singing) Every possibility.

MITSKI: (Singing) ...Free from destiny.

BYRNE: (Singing) I choose you...

THOMPSON: One of my biggest complaints about this category is that they tend to nominate way too many songs that just roll over the closing credits. I like movie songs that are woven into the plot. "This Is A Life" is a closing credits song, but it really chews on the ideas and themes of the movie. It's also a beautiful song - sweeping¹⁰, emotional, thoughtful. In most years, this would be my runaway¹¹ favorite. But this year, we've got a song called "Naatu Naatu." It's written by M. M. Keeravani and Chandrabose for a pivotal scene in the movie "RRR."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NAATU NAATU")

KAALA BHAIRAVA, M M KEERAVANI AND RAHUL SIPLIGUNJ: (Singing in non-English language).

THOMPSON: Basically, the song sets up a vigorous dance battle an hour into a sweeping epic¹². The whole scene is an absolute feast. It's a battle between good and evil with choreography that helped the video go viral last year. It absolutely radiates joy and energy and charisma¹³. I think it's going to win. I think it should win. And I can't wait to see it performed on Oscar night.

Stephen Thompson, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NAATU NAATU")

BHAIRAVA, KEERAVANI AND SIPLIGUNJ: (Singing in non-English language).

1 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 ballads   

民歌，民谣，特别指叙述故事的歌( ballad的名词复数 )； 讴

参考例句：

• She belted out ballads and hillbilly songs one after another all evening. 她整晚一个接一个地大唱民谣和乡村小调。
• She taught him to read and even to sing two or three little ballads,accompanying him on her old piano. 她教他读书，还教他唱两三首民谣，弹着她的旧钢琴为他伴奏。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 generic   

adj.一般的，普通的，共有的

参考例句：

• I usually buy generic clothes instead of name brands.我通常买普通的衣服，不买名牌。
• The generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.一般妇女在婚后似乎有特别突出的抑制个性的能力。

6 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

7 maverick   

adj.特立独行的；不遵守传统的；n.持异议者，自行其是者

参考例句：

• He's a maverick.He has his own way of thinking about things.他是个特异独行的人。对事情有自己的看法。
• You're a maverick and you'll try anything.你是个爱自行其是的人，样样事情都要尝试一下。

8 writhing   

（因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was writhing around on the floor in agony. 她痛得在地板上直打滚。
• He was writhing on the ground in agony. 他痛苦地在地上打滚。

9 whooshing   

v.（使）飞快移动( whoosh的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by. 我喜欢最后期待。我尤其喜欢它们飞驰而过时发出的嗖嗖声。 来自互联网
• The constant whooshing of the wind across the roof wouldn't fade into the background. 不断跑车疾速的风雨整个屋顶不会褪色的背景。 来自互联网

10 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

11 runaway   

n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的

参考例句：

• The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
• He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。

12 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

13 charisma   

n.(大众爱戴的)领袖气质，魅力

参考例句：

• He has enormous charisma. He is a giant of a man.他有超凡的个人魅力，是个伟人。
• I don't have the charisma to pull a crowd this size.我没有那么大的魅力，能吸引这么多人。