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Elton John, Bernie Taupin Among Music’s 2020 Oscar Winners; Janelle Monáe, Billie Eilish, Eminem Perform
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Janelle Monáe opens the 92nd Annual Academy Awards with “A Beautiful Day” in tribute to Fred Rogers at the Dolby Theatre on Feb. 9, 2020 in Hollywood, Calif.
Elton John won his second Academy Award and Hildur Guðnadóttir’s became the first female composer to win the original score Oscar in 23 years Sunday night at the 92nd annual Academy Awards.
John and lyricist Bernie Taupin won for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from “Rocketman.” It was John’s second nomination and his second win, having received the Oscar in 1995 for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from “Lion King.” It is lyricist Bernie Taupin’s first win.
It’s the seventh time in the last eight years that the Golden Globe winner has also gone home with the Oscar.
“This doesn’t suck,” Taupin said, noting it’s “justification for 53 years of hammerin’ it out.” When the two won the Golden Globe, John noted it was the first time he and Taupin had won an award together.
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Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Oscar winners of the Best Original Song for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from “Rocketman,” pose in the press room during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood on Feb. 9, 2020.
Backstage, John said “Rocketman” was the result of a 12-year process and he credited Taupin for getting the ball rolling on the song. “He starts the process,” John said, pointing to Taupin. “Without the lyric, I’m nobody. I wanted to get one [Oscar] for everybody involved in the film.”
Guðnadóttir’s win for “Joker” came on her first nomination; she was the seventh woman in the Academy Awards’ history to be nominated for Best Original Score.
“This is so touching,” she said in her acceptance speech. “To the girls, women, mothers, daughters, we hear the music bubbling up. We need to hear your voices.”
The 92nd annual Academy Awards was the rare Oscars ceremony rich with musical performance, including a surprise appearance from Eminem, who performed his “Lose Yourself’ 17 years after it was the first rap tune named Best Original Song.
In a more traditional vein, Janelle Monáe opened the show big with the “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” theme song that segued into a montage that included Billy Porter singing new lyrics to Elton John’s ”I’m Still Standing.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda led a segment about the relationship between film and songs that included “The Breakfast Club,” “Say Anything, “ “Almost Famous” and “Wayne’s World.” Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig surprised everyone by singing the nominations for costume design by including everyone from Prince to Randy Newman.
To spark up the performances of the Best Original Song nominees, producers had nine performers join Idina Menzel to sing “Into The Unknown” from “Frozen II” in multiple languages. Plus, Randy Newman performed his “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from “Toy Story 4,” Chrissy Metz sang Diane Warren’s “I’m Standing With You” from “Breakthrough,” Cynthia Erivo’s performance of “Stand Up” from “Harriet” spread out into the aisles of the Dolby Theatre and Elton politely sang his song.
It was the most musical Oscars since the 2000 ceremony when Burt Bacharach and Don Was led a medley of songs nominated for Oscars in the awards’ first 70 years; Garth Brooks, Ray Charles, Whitney Houston and Dionne Warwick were among the show’s singers.
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Billie Eilish performed The Beatles’ “Yesterday” onstage during the 92nd annual Academy Awards’ In Memoriam segment on Feb. 09, 2020 in Hollywood.
Finally, two weeks after dominating the Grammy Awards, Bilie Eilish and her producer, co-writer and producer brother, Finneas, performed Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s “Yesterday” to accompany the In Memoriam section.
And while Rickey Minor was the evening’s musical director, Eimear Noone, the Irish composer known for scoring video games, became the first female conductor at an Academy Awards ceremony.
On the flipside of celebrations, Thomas Newman, the composer for “1917,” lost for the 15th time, tying him with Alex North among composers with the most nominations and no wins. By walking away empty handed, Diane Warren has yet to win in her first 11 Oscar nominations.