1984's Best Song Oscar Nominees

It has always annoyed me that Louise, Jack, Marie, and Milo aren't the names of characters in the film Footloose.

Tough one.

Easily “Ghostbusters”. I actually saw The Woman in Red for the first time last year, I think. It’s so sloppy and bizarre, especially when Charles Grodin fakes having a stroke at a restaurant. Some scattered funny moments, particularly when Gene Wilder interacts with his punk/new wave daughter. It’s another one of those movies where we’re asked to empathize with a guy whose sole ambition in life is to cheat on his wife

“Against All Odds” does work very well in the context of the film. Taylor Hackford is an odd one. A very mixed bag of a directing career, although being from Southern California originally, it’s my god-given duty to love Blood In, Blood Out

I’ve never even heard of that movie, weird

A remake of Out of the Past, Jacques Tourneur’s noir starring Robert Mitchum. As far as 80’s neo-noirs go, it’s no Mike’s Murder or Tequila Sunrise

Let's Hear It For the Boy, the decade's best song.

alfred 50% otm

against all odds has the dope Peter Gabriel song “walk through the fire”.

Bustin' makes me feel good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tdyU_gW6WE

Ann Reinking sang and performed a dance routine to “Against All Odds” at that year’s Oscars. Phil Collins was somewhat miffed about not being asked to sing, especially considering he was in the audience. He later said that during the performance, he shrunk down in his seat out of embarrassment.

I feel sorrier for Reinking than Collins wrt that story and its legacy

He went on Letterman and said Reinking couldn’t sing (at 9:54 here):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN_NMshkPBE

"Probably" can't sing, to be clear (and he's wrong obv)

Judge for yourselves

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWNvlT44nlw

Collins was not asked to perform at the Oscars because the producers of the show and the AMPAS had wanted someone with who had a guild and/or Academy membership

The intro of "Against All Odds" is OK, until we see the Aztec god start singing like Phil Collins.

Hate the first three, sick to death of "Ghostbusters," so Deniece Williams,

Re: Peter Gabriel

I’m fond of his song “Out Out” from Gremlins (1984). Still hasn’t appeared on any of his compilations for whatever reason

I guess Screamin' Jay Hawkins wasn't eligible for "I Put a Spell on You" in Stranger Than Paradise.

If it had been, it would have been sung at the ceremony by Charo or maybe Lorna Luft.

True!

(If he'd won, though, he could have asked Aunt Lotte to accept: "I am the vinner.")

Footloose, followed in close second by "Let's Hear it for the Boy".

followed by "Ghostbusters"

“Tonight is What it Means to be Young” and “I Can Dream About You”, both written and recorded for Streets of Fire (1984), are arguably stronger than all of these songs

Easily “Ghostbusters"

Yep.

Also, how come Prince's Purple Rain songs weren't nominated? Does getting nominated in the song score category disqualify them or something?

“I Can Dream About You” would’ve been a great nominee too. This category, which most years I think shouldn’t even exist, could’ve been 10 nominees this year.

I would've given all five nominees to Purple Rain: "Let's Go Crazy," "The Beautiful Ones," "I Would Die 4 U," "When Doves Cry," "Purple Rain."

My probable ideal final slate:

“Against All Odds”
“The Beautiful Ones”
“I Can Dream About You”
“Let’s Hear it for the Boy”
“Magic” (the actually awesome Ghostbusters soundtrack cut)

I'd have tossed in Kid Creole's "My Male Curiosity."

+!

Jesus, I didn't even remember that this was in the mix too:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Hills_Cop_(soundtrack)

Not nominating "The Heat Is On" was a rare display of good musical taste by the Academy.

Plus, obviously, all the Spinal Tap songs ...

Firing up a playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/63QPeEumBuD7S9m4yeKM6P?si=3985da8f04eb4531

Let's Hear It For the Boy, the decade's best song.

I had it in my little box of 45s:

https://i.discogs.com/4bI3p9gGVhPZkj1bwruNSSSQJjNu2eOa-6HIQKCZFPo/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:599/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTIxMDA5/MS0xNTUyNTgwNTQ2/LTgyOTYuanBlZw.jpeg

The love object in that song is alternately described as a baby, a boy, and a man. Discuss.

Easily “Ghostbusters"

Yep.

Yep.

The love object in that song is alternately described as a baby, a boy, and a man. Discuss.

Not a Romeo though

That Oscars performance of "Against All Odds" was insufferable, but the audience clearly loved it.

Teddy Pendergrass's "You're My Choice Tonight (Choose Me)" from Choose Me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oV_yoR-5-rE

write-in for the entirety of the Repo Man ost:
https://i.imgur.com/gjTUpfY.jpg

^Thank you for mentioning Teddy Pendergrass’ beautiful songs from Choose Me. Like Alberta Hunter’s songs in Alan Rudolph’s also-incredible Remember My Name (1978), they are the reason why the film has had a troubled history on home video and it’s DVD has been out of print for many years. Two of my favourite films ever

Shasta otm!

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Voting for Phil Collins.

Edit: I think because I apparently voted already.

I'm pretty sure Against All Odds was my favorite song at some point in junior high, especially when it came on as the slow jam at school dances.

I eventually voted for it.

Voted for Ann Reinking

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Fuck you all!

Lol millennials

I Just Called to Say I Love You," Stevie Wonder (THE WOMAN IN RED) 2

SHOW YOURSELVES

"I Just Called to Say I Love You" is a very pretty song and John Prine agreed with me!

John Prine voted Ray Parker Jr.

So if you're walking down the street sometime
And spot some hollow ancient eyes
Please don't just pass 'em by and stare
As if you didn't care, call the Ghostbusters

"i just called..." isn't amazing but i don't think it's necessarily for stevie wonder as much of a marked departure/abdication of his artistry as it's claimed, i mean it's not a million miles from "you are the sunshine of my life".

don't think i voted but "against all odds" has that particular mid-'80s phil collins dramatic power so that's what i would've gone with.

i mean it's not a million miles from "you are the sunshine of my life".

But the arrangement is. "I Just Called" sounds like when you hit the "demo" button on a cheap Casio keyboard.

The melody, though.

I don’t really like it, the songs ok but the recording is kind of anodyne but I never quite understood why ppl think it’s toxic waste

It's not toxic waste but it's not better than the other four songs here

For most people it's more "lol I saw Hi Fidelity"

Oh it’s definitely not the best of these lol

By the time "I Just Called" showed up, Stevie had already done a million times worse in "Ebony & Ivory." As did the listening public, for making that song a bigger hit than "Do I Do."

i mean there was a lot of crap in the eighties, i'm not a fan of the song really, but there's a certain gentle professionalism to it and its sincerity is obv par for the course w/stevie songs like that. i do much prefer "you are the sunshine..."

*a lot of crap in the eighties with weak production...