Taylor Swift on Dec. 14, 2013, in Melbourne, Australia.
The Motion Picture Academy has released its “short” list of songs eligible for the Best Original Song Oscar and, though only five will actually be nominated, Oscar voters will need to block off a big chunk of time to make their decisions: they’ll be narrowing it down from what’s now a list of 75 pieces of music.
All of those songs include words and music written specifically for the movie and are either substantially featured within the movie or used as the first song heard over the end credits.
And yet, even the most avid moviegoer will probably have to admit that only a couple of the song titles ring familiar. In fact, many of the movies — like the Burning Man movie Spark, docu-comedy The Muslims Are Coming! and the self-explanatory Kamasutra 3D — flew well beneath the radar of even the biggest cineastes. Better-known music-centric films aren’t necessarily on the list; Inside Llewyn Davis‘ folky soundtrack, for example, wasn’t original enough to qualify.
Which is why the actual nominations are likely to go to bigger names or movies that are more recognizable as musicals. Some of the stars on the list include:
Ed Sheeran for “I See Fire” from The Hobbit
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mllXxyHTzfg]
Coldplay for “Atlas” from The Hunger Games
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh3TokLzzmw]
“Let It Go” from Frozen
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk]
Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for “The Moon Song” from Her
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/107732630″ params=”color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Jay Z for “$100 Bill” from The Great Gatsby (along with several other Gatsby tracks)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAESe4Dc0HY]
U2 for “Ordinary Love” from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j59PdtpURWk]
Taylor Swift for “Sweeter Than Fiction” from One Chance
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QfAY4uzWDY]
Pharrell Williams for “Happy” from Despicable Me 2
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQG89cwhmJU]
Owl City & Yuna for “Shine Your Way” from The Croods
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi1r55txkA8]
(MORE: How to Watch Every Oscar-Shortlisted Documentary)
Here’s the complete list of eligible songs:
“Amen” from All Is Lost
“Alone Yet Not Alone” from Alone Yet Not Alone
“Doby” from Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
“Last Mile Home” from August: Osage County
“Austenland” from Austenland
“Comic Books” from Austenland
“L.O.V.E.D.A.R.C.Y” from Austenland
“What Up” from Austenland
“He Loves Me Still” from Black Nativity
“Hush Child (Get You Through This Silent Night)” from Black Nativity
“Test Of Faith” from Black Nativity
“Forgiveness” from Brave Miss World
“Lullaby Song” from Cleaver’s Destiny
“Shine Your Way” from The Croods
“Happy” from Despicable Me 2
“Gonna Be Alright” from Epic
“Rise Up” from Epic
“What Matters Most” from Escape from Planet Earth
“Bones” from For No Good Reason
“Going Nowhere” from For No Good Reason
“Gonzo” from For No Good Reason
“The Courage To Believe” from Free China: The Courage to Believe
“Let It Go” from Frozen
“100$ Bill” from The Great Gatsby
“A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)” from The Great Gatsby
“Over The Love” from The Great Gatsby
“Together” from The Great Gatsby
“Young and Beautiful” from The Great Gatsby
“The Moon Song” from Her
“I See Fire” from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
“Bite Of Our Lives” from How Sweet It Is
“Try” from How Sweet It Is
“Atlas” from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
“Better You, Better Me” from The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete
“Bring It On” from Jewtopia
“Aygiri Nadani” from Kamasutra 3D
“Har Har Mahadeva” from Kamasutra 3D
“I Felt” from Kamasutra 3D
“Of The Soil” from Kamasutra 3D
“Sawariya” from Kamasutra 3D
“In The Middle Of The Night” from Lee Daniels’ The Butler
“You And I Ain’t Nothin’ No More” from Lee Daniels’ The Butler
“Let’s Take A Trip” from Live at the Foxes Den
“Pour Me Another Dream” from Live at the Foxes Den
“The Time Of My Life” from Live at the Foxes Den
“Ordinary Love” from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
“Monsters University” from Monsters University
“When The Darkness Comes from The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
“Sacrifice (I Am Here)” from Murph: The Protector
“The Muslims Are Coming” from The Muslims Are Coming!
“Oblivion” from Oblivion
“Sweeter Than Fiction” from One Chance
“Nothing Can Stop Me Now” from Planes
“We Both Know” from Safe Haven
“Get Used To Me” from The Sapphires
“Stay Alive” from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
“So You Know What It’s Like” from Short Term 12
“There’s No Black Or White” from Somm
“Cut Me Some Slack” from Sound City
“You Can’t Fix This” from Sound City
“Let It Go” from Spark: A Burning Man Story
“We Ride” from Spark: A Burning Man Story
“Becomes The Color” from Stoker
“Younger Every Day” from 3 Geezers!
“Here It Comes” from Trance
“Let The Bass Go” from Turbo
“The Snail Is Fast” from Turbo
“Speedin'” from Turbo
“My Lord Sunshine (Sunrise)” from 12 Years a Slave
“Make It Love” from Two: The Story of Roman & Nyro
“One Life” from The Ultimate Life
“Unfinished Songs” from Unfinished Song
“For The Time Being” from The Way, Way Back
“Go Where The Love Is” from The Way, Way Back
“Bleed For Love” from Winnie Mandela