Oscars 2026 – Best Original Song & Score – Nevermind the Oscars Music

Mark returns to the CinemaHounds Oscars coverage series for the second annual "Nevermind the Oscars Music" crossover special discussing not only this year's crop of Original Song and Original Score nominees but also their musical influences, lookalikes, and others they would have liked to have seen on the ballot. Expect plenty of clips from an eclectic collection of genre with deep-digging analysis of their role in this year's nominated films.

• Best Original Song (00:10:11) 
• Best Original Score (01:24:36)

Note: All film discussion in this episode is spoiler-free.

Links discussed:

Nevermind the Music:

• The 2026 Grammys deep dive
• Authenticity in the age of AI
• What is hopepunk? (with Elysia)
• Last year's Nevermind the Oscars Music crossover

Max Richter's "Undiscovered Country" and Hamnet / Arrival (AV Club)

The Hamnet Rihanna dance take

Best Original Song nominees:

• “Golden” – Ejae, Ido, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Mark Sonnenblick, Teddy & 24 (music & lyrics) – KPop Demon Hunters – trailer, info (Netflix)
• “I Lied to You” – Ludwig Göransson & Raphael Saadiq (music & lyrics) – Sinners – trailer, info (HBO Max)
• “Dear Me” – Diane Warren (music & lyrics) – Diane Warren: Relentless – trailer, info (Hoopla, Kanopy)
• “Train Dreams” – Nick Cave & Bryce Dessner (music); Cave (lyrics) – Train Dreams – trailer, info (Netflix)
• “Sweet Dreams of Joy” – Nicholas Pike (music & lyrics) – Viva Verdi! – trailer, info (Jolt)

Also discussed:  

• “Free” – KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
• “Exile” – Bon Iver/Taylor Swift (album: Folklore, 2020) – produced by Aaron Dessner (etc.)
• “I Need My Girl” – The National (album: Trouble Will Find Me, 2013) – written by Aaron & Bryce Dessner (etc.)
• “Our Love” – The Ballad of Wallis Island (Prime) – from the shortlist
• “Falling Slowly” – Once (2006, to rent)
• “Silver Dagger”, “Here in the Vineyard”, theme – The History of Sound (Mubi)
• “Và pensiero” – Giuseppe Verdi (opera: Nabucco, 1842)

Best Original Score nominees:

• Sinners (Ludwig Göransson) – trailer, info (HBO Max)
• One Battle After Another (Jonny Greenwood) – trailer, info (HBO Max)
• Bugonia (Jerskin Fendrix) – trailer, info (Peacock)
• Hamnet (Max Richter) – trailer, info (to rent, later Peacock)
• Frankenstein (Alexandre Desplat) – trailer, info (Netflix)

  

Also discussed: Tron: Ares (Disney+) – soundtrack – from the shortlist

The 98th Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 15, 2025 at 7 pm ET (on ABC/Hulu in the US) – where it's aired around the world

Check how many Oscar nominees you've seen at OscarsDeathRace.com – or with extended stats and access to the animated shorts via DeathRaceTracking.com

Oscars 2026 coverage

Nominations + Best Picture preview

Live-Action, Animated, & Documentary Shorts 

Production Design, Costumes, Makeup & Hair

International Features

Documentary Features

Animated Features

Score & Original Song (this episode)

Cinematography, VFX, Editing, Sound

Adapted & Original Screenplay, Director

Lead & Supporting Actor & Actress, Casting

Ceremony reactions + Best Picture rankings

Deep dives into 2026 Oscar nominees

Sinners

One Battle After Another – pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3

Frankenstein

Weapons

Shorts: “Two People Exchanging Saliva,” “Jane Austen’s Period Drama,” “The Singers,” “Retirement Plan,” and “The Girl Who Cried Pearls”

For subscribers: 

Leiden IFF – WhachaWachin (Sentimental Value, If I Had Legs I Would Kick You, Arco)

Additional awards coverage

BAFTAs shorts

BAFTAs features

Independent Spirit Awards

Revisit Oscars 2024 & 2025: links in these show notes

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