S26 - Ep 12 - 98th Oscars - Original Song

Oscar night is almost here, and Below the Line closes out its 2026 Oscar series with a look at the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

This week, Skid is joined by returning guests Chris Molanphy, Louis Weeks, and Tom Peyton to break down the five nominees — a lineup that ranges from chart-topping K-pop to blues-infused cinematic spectacle, intimate indie folk, and even a rare operatic outlier.

As the ceremony approaches on March 15, the panel weighs not only which song will win, but how each nominee functions inside its film — and what that says about the evolving relationship between movies and popular music.

Among the highlights:

• Diane Warren’s Dear Me — her 17th nomination — and a candid conversation about formula, legacy nominations, and the Academy’s enduring embrace of one of its most persistent contenders
• Why Golden from K-Pop Demon Hunters has become the category’s undeniable frontrunner — and how its structure, performance demands, and cultural impact set it apart
• The scope and ambition of I Lied to You from Sinners, and how its blend of blues tradition and cinematic storytelling makes it more than just a “song”
• An operatic curveball in Sweet Dreams of Joy from Viva Verdi! — and what happens when a classical aria sits beside pop craftsmanship
• Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner’s Train Dreams, a meditative, image-driven piece that bridges songwriter performance and filmic atmosphere

The conversation moves easily between technical craft and big-picture questions: What makes a song “original” in today’s industry? Should Best Original Song reward chart success, narrative function, or musical innovation? And in an era of streaming metrics and algorithmic pop, what still feels distinctly human?

🎧 Press play and go Below the Line on Best Original Song — and get ready for Oscar night. For more, visit belowtheline.biz.