Golden Globe Musings: Best Original Song

Golden Globe nominations for this year will be announced in just a few weeks, so here’s a survey of the contenders and the most likely predictions at this time. Weigh in with your thoughts, and let me know if I’ve left off anything important. A reminder that the Globes are wildly unpredictable and that it is still a bit early to gauge the reception or awards potential of a number of the so-called “contenders” at this point.

Remember Me (Coco)
Home (Ferdinand)
This Is Me (The Greatest Showman)
Mighty River (Mudbound)
The Star (The Star)

This category is especially hard to predict without the list of eligible songs for the corresponding Oscar race, which won’t be released for a few weeks. The clear frontrunner is The Shallows (A Star is Born), and I have a feeling that Maybe It’s Time (A Star is Born), I’ll Never Love Again (A Star is Born), or Always Remember Us This Way (A Star is Born) might be nominated too, even though the Oscar campaign is only for the one song and only one film – “Burlesque” – has been nominated more than once in this category in the past twenty years (the classic Disney animated films of the 1980s and 1990s did it regularly before that). The Place Where Lost Things Go (Mary Poppins Returns) and Trip A Little Light Fantastic (Mary Poppins Returns) seem to be the leading original tunes from the forthcoming sequel and could show up here. Flower of the Universe (A Wrinkle in Time) is a good popular bet, one that feels right up Globe voters’ alley. Other strong contenders include Revelation (Boy Erased), All the Stars (Black Panther), and I Crumble (Vox Lux). I’ll Fight (RBG) could contend, but from what I can find, documentaries aren’t usually nominated at the Globes. I’d love to see Hearts Beat Loud (Hearts Beat Loud) recognized, but I think that’s a longshot at best.

Current predictions:
Revelation (Boy Erased)
Trip A Little Light Fantastic (Mary Poppins Returns)
Always Remember Us This Way (A Star is Born)
The Shallows (A Star is Born)
Flower of the Universe (A Wrinkle in Time)