The Oscars have returned to the live performances for its Best Song category. And good! The Best Song performances ends up being some of the best moments of the night. Because we get to see the songs that have come to color some of our favorite movies throughout the year. And truly getting to watch them live once again really was a great choice overall.
From some of the best movies of the year to being the one nomination for others, the category had some of our favorite performers taking to the Oscars stage and showing us exactly why they deserved to be there. The biggest snub of the night was really the 4 Town song “Nobody Like You” from Turning Red not being represented, and it really did deserve to be there.
But still, we had some absolutely incredible performances to watch as the evening went on, from all out, dance-filled performances, to stripped-down renditions, to soaring orchestral arrangements, the 95th Academy Awards had it all.
“Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman
Performed by Sofia Carson, the track from Tell It Like a Woman was perhaps the slowest of the evening, and a dark horse in the competition. Elevating it was the fact that it was written by 14-time Academy Award nominee Diane Warren, who is responsible for some truly powerful ballads. While this one might not have had the weight of “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” Carson did a beautiful job with her performance overall.
“This Is Our Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once
David Byrne and Stephanie Hsu? Perfect. Byrne taking his hands out, and he has on the hot dog fingers? Again, perfect. Whenever Byrne performs, you know that it is a brilliant look into his mind. And bringing Hsu in to sing really did highlight just how talented she is. Yes, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, but she also comes from Broadway and is an absolutely incredible singer. Having that duo take to the stage for Everything Everywhere All At Once was just weird, kooky, and why we love them both so much.
“Naatu Naatu” from RRR
The thing about “Naatu Naatu” is that it is a banger and one that fans of RRR absolutely love for good reason. Along with the viral dance, the Oscars performance was a perfect example of why it became a fan favorite. It was such a fun performance for a song that brings such joy to fans of the movie and those who haven’t watched it yet and was very exciting to see. Performed by Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, it won and for good reason: It’s so good.
“Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick
Lady Gaga has talked about how Top Gun: Maverick‘s “Hold My Hand” was a deeply personal song for her to sing. The performance reflected this in a very literal way, with the camera pushing in close on Gaga, whose face had been scrubbed clean of makeup, and who sported a much more casual outfit than we’re used to seeing from the singer. However, her powerhouse vocals were really what was on display here, with her belting her way through the soaring track in classic Gaga fashion whenever she wants to remind us she really can sing, and deserves every second of her decade-plus career.
“Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Watching Rihanna rise up from the stage while singing a song dedicated to the life and work of Chadwick Boseman was incredibly emotional. But that is the way of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as a whole. A movie that honored the legacy of Boseman as T’Challa, we were left with a new Black Panther in his sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) but the power that Boseman had was not lost on fans. We loved to see him honored on the Oscars stage once more.
The song might not have won, but the performance was one that really just hit because of Rihanna’s performance. You could feel her emotion as the stage lifted up with her words, and it was just overall moving and beautiful.
“Calling All Angels”
While not a contender for Best Original Song, Lenny Kravitz took the stage during the In Memoriam segment for a beautiful rendition of his song “Calling All Angels” from his 2004 album “Baptism.”
“Naatu Naatu” from RRR took home the award for Best Original Song. Check out M. M. Keeravani‘s acceptance speech below:
