ORIGINAL SONG
“Remember Me” (“Coco”) “Evermore” (“Beauty and the Beast”) “Mystery of Love” (“Call Me by Your
Name”) “Stand Up for Something” (“Marshall”) “Prayers for This World” (“Cries From Syria”)
On the cusp: “This Is Me” (“The Greatest Showman”), “Never Forget” (“Murder on the Orient Express”), “It Ain’t Fair” (“Detroit”), “Mighty River” (“Mudbound”)
In the conversation: “You Shouldn’t Look at Me That Way” (“Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool”), “If I Dare” (“Battle of the Sexes”), “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” (“Fifty Shades Darker”)
Analysis: The heart-tugging “Remember Me” and “Evermore,” the new “Beauty and the Beast” song from composer Alan Menken and lyricist Tim Rice, figure to be the front-runners here. “Mystery of Love,” one of two original songs hipster fave Sufjan Stevens wrote for “Call Me by Your Name,” should be a good bet too, given its prominence in a movie likely to be nominated for best picture.
There’s also another Warren track, “Stand Up for Something,” which she co-wrote with Oscar winner Common, one of several social-minded songs (“It Ain’t Fair,” “If I Dare”) in the mix. Mary J. Blige, an acting contender for her nuanced supporting turn in “Mudbound,” could also earn a nomination for the beautiful “Mighty River,” which she co-wrote with Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson. If I had a vote, it’d top my ballot.