And the Best Original Song Is…
Not Even Nominated

It’ll be difficult to watch the Oscars tonight with even the slightest bit of respect. When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its nominees last month, Bruce Springsteen’s “The Wrestler” failed to make the cut in the “Best Original Song” category—thereby undermining the credibility of the entire selection process.

Not nominating the song, which won the Golden Globe, is inexplicable. Simple and raw, emotive and powerful, Springsteen managed to capture the spirit and essence of the film in a way none of the nominated songs do. Not only is “The Wrestler” the best song written for a movie in 2008, but it is arguably the best song of the year.

This is not the first time a deserving film, actor, actress, director, or song has been snubbed—and won’t be the last. With only five nominees possible in each category, not all worthy contenders, naturally, can receive a nomination. But the Academy Awards voters, in the case of this year’s best original song, decided to select only three nominees (two tracks from Slumdog Millionaire and Peter Gabriel’s “Down to Earth” from Wall-E)—and in doing so, excluded the best of the 49 eligible songs. And there’s no real reason why.

Some have speculated that the placement of Springsteen‘s song in the film—during the end credits—played a role in the decision. If it did, shame on the voters. First, their own rules state that an original song is eligible if  ”used in the body of the film or as the first music cue in the end credits.” Second, as Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone wrote, the song “worked perfectly soundtracking a black screen and rolling credits at the end of The Wrestler.”

Others suspect Springsteen’s win for “Streets of Philadelphia” in 1993 preclude him, in the minds of the voters, from taking home another Oscar, pointing to the 1995 debacle when his “Dead Man Walkin’”  lost to ”Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas and to this more recent episode of not even receiving a nomination for “The Wrestler.”

No explanation is justifiable. 

Academy Awards voters often seem to botch the “Best Original Song” category, whether selecting nominees or winner. Last year, Eddie Vedder, whose soundtrack for Into the Wild stood on its own as a great album but also added a necessary layer to the film, was the victim. While he could have received multiple nods and certainly should have garnered at least one nomination, the voters failed to recognize Vedder’s achievement, opting instead to nominate three songs from Enchanted (at least two too many), along with two deserving songs—one from August Rush and the other from Once). By the way, Vedder’s “Guaranteed” from Into the Wild won the Golden Globe for best original song (like Springsteen this year) just before the announcement of the Academy Awards nominations.

The Academy Awards at least got the eventual winner in 2008 right when Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova took home golden statuettes for “Falling Slowly” from Once—a remarkable film starring the two musicians. Tonight, however, with Springsteen’s song absent from the possible choices, there’s no chance of that happening. 

As SPIN’s David Marchese wrote, “The ultimate message of the song is that entertainers make sacrifices. And sometimes, as in the case of ‘The Wrestler,’ they make great art. It’s too bad the Academy has such a hard time recognizing the very thing they’re supposed to reward.”