Perhaps the most common complaint about Awards Season, especially The Oscars, is that we often have some idea who's going to win. All of the nominees are the same and many of the winners are the same as well. Someone forgot to tell those at the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes when it comes to original songs however: Seven of the fifteen Grammys for Best Original Song this millenium have gone to acts not even nominated for a Golden Globe in the same category. Here's a rundown of what won the Grammy in those respective years and what took home the Golden Globe.
2002: "If I Didn't Have You" by Randy Newman (from Monsters Inc.)
Randy Newman has always been the go-to guy for Disney and Pixar, as he crafted songs for the original Toy Story flick and each one since. He won his first Grammy in 2002 for his track "If I Didn't Have You" from the Monsters Inc. soundtrack. Although his headlining tracks for the first three Pixar films got Golden Globe nominations, they evidently didn't find "I I Didn't" up to snuff. In fact, the Globes stopped giving him nominations altogether following 2000's "When She Loved Me" from Toy Story 2, while The Oscars gave him seven since then (and two wins). "Until..." by Sting won instead.
2005: "Al Otro Lado del Río" by Jorge Drexler (from The Motorcycle Diaries)
The reason why Jorge Drexler and "Al Otro Lado del Río" didn't get a Golden Globe nomination is fairly obvious, even if those responsible won't admit it: Spanish-language songs from films that few people had seen don't bring in viewers. The Oscars basically confirmed this theory with the presentation of the award. Although they had the guts to give the Uruguayan Drexler's deserving song the first Best Original Song for a tune in Spanish, they wouldn't let him perform it live at the event for fear of turning viewers away. So they enlisted Carlos Santana and Antonio Banderas to do it instead while Drexler watched. "Old Habits Die Hard" by Mick Jagger won at the Globes.
2006: "Hard Out Here For A Pimp" by Three 6 Mafia (from Hustle & Flow)
"Hard Out Here For A Pimp" shocked the world when it won the Best Original Song Oscar during 2006, not because it was hip-hop—after all, Eminem had already won for "Lose Yourself"—but because it was hip-hop written by members of Three 6 Mafia. Apparently Terrence Howard, the star of the film, decided against performing the song live at the ceremony, which allowed the Memphis rap trio to take the stage. That year's Golden Globe went to Bernie Taupin for "A Love That Will Never Grow Old," performed by Emmylou Harris (a hip-hop song wouldn't win at the Globes until "Glory," during 2015).
2007: "I Need to Wake Up" by Melissa Etheridge (from An Inconvenient Truth)
Just because it's a documentary doesn't mean it can't have great original music, or at least that was An Inconvenient Truth's stance with Melissa Etheridge's "I Need to Wake Up." The song had gotten enough attention, so why didn't it get a nod at the Golden Globes? The only obvious answer is because while The Academy Awards are run by powerful left-wing interests, the Golden Globes are hosted by far-right leaning entertainment figures, who despised Al Gore's global warming message (we made this conspiracy theory up, if it wasn't obvious to our more gullible readers). One theory that, in all actuality, more likely than that, is that the Golden Globes wanted to make up for shafting Prince and "When Doves Cry" at the 1985 show by giving him the 2007 trophy for "Song of The Heart").
2008: "Falling Slowly" by The Swell Season (from Once)
Some raged when "Falling Slowly" didn't get a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song, after the track had captured the hearts of both radio listeners and viewers of Once alike. The real reason that the Globes didn't grant the nod was most likely due to rules and not ignorance: The song was debated as a legal candidate for awards as it had appeared on albums for both The Swell Season—Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová's group—and Hansard's band The Frames before it appeared in the film. Somehow The Academy decided this still counted as "for the film" while The Globes told them to look elsewhere for trophies. Eddie Vedder's "Guaranteed" won that year instead.
2009: "Jai Ho" by A.R. Rahman (from Slumdog Millionaire)
At some point it becomes fair to wonder if the voters behind the Oscars and The Golden Globes are listening to the same thing. "Falling Slowly" was an example where the Globes were justified in ignoring the calls of the masses, but "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire was a bonafied smash, thanks not only to original performer A.R. Rahman but also due to an American version by The Pussycat Dolls. This marked the fifth consecutive year that the winner for the Best Original Song Oscar had not even been nominated buy the Globes...and the most obnoxious example at that. Bruce Springsteen would win the latter prize for "The Wrestler."
2012: "Man Or Muppet?" by Jason Segel (from The Muppets)
The year of 2011 apparently wasn't much for original music in motion pictures. Or at least The Academy only saw fit to release two nominees: "Man or Muppet?" and "Real in Rio" by Sérgio Mendes from the film of similar name. The Golden Globes get the nod for legitimacy here as they at least scraped through some low-budget releases to find more music. The award would end up going to Madonna for her "Masterpiece," an original from the film W.E., which she also produced.
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