Brutally honest reviews of Oscar best song performances, including Ryan Gosling
Just accept that there is no escaping “Barbie.”
The billion-dollar blockbuster plowed its pink convertible through eight Academy Award nominations, including a pair for best original song, and emerged victorious.
Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, who scooped up trophies for song of the year and best song written for visual media at the Grammy Awards last month, took their instrospective ballad to the Dolby Theatre stage in Los Angeles and scored another major win.
Eilish thanked her dance and chorus teachers during her acceptance speech, joking to one of them, "You didn't like me, but you were good at your job!"
With O'Connell by her side, Eilish was momentarily overwhelmed with emotion as she thanked the "Barbie" crew.
"I'm grateful for this song and this movie and the way it made me feel," Eilish said. "This goes out to everyone affected by the movie and how incredible it was."
On the other end of the “Barbie”-verse was “I’m Just Ken,” the grandiose pop-opera crafted by Mark Ronson and Andrew Watt that was conveyed with '80s-era bombast by the film’s co-star, Ryan Gosling.
A performance from Scott George and the Osage Singers with "Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)" from “Killers of the Flower Moon” enlightered viewers early in the show. Meanwhile, Jon Batiste offered a sensitive, loving version of “It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony" and Becky G was joined by a chorus of young women for “The Fire Inside" from “Flamin’ Hot."
The in memoriam segment of this year's Oscars was augmented by a surprise performance by Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo on an updated - and equally stirring - version of Bocelli's 1995 classic, "Time To Say Goodbye," reimagined with the help of composer Hans Zimmer.
Ryan Gosling ‘I’m Just Ken’
Finally, an elaborate burst of fun.
At least that’s how it felt by the time Ryan Gosling closed out the best song nominee performances with a charming and goofy spectacle that began with him seated in the audience behind “Barbie” co-star Margot Robbie in his hot pink sequined suit and gloves.
Gosling milked every second from the melodramatic song as he made his way onstage, gently chin chucking the song’s co-writer Mark Ronson on his way to a pink staircase full of men in black suits and cowboy hats. Surely we weren’t the only ones hit with “Material Girl” vibes.
As the song rolled into its rock section, Gosling karate chopped pink boards to showcase his Ken-liness before being spun around as cutouts of vintage Barbie faces moved in time with him.
The power ballad received a double injection of roaring guitar between special guest Slash and Wolfgang Van Halen, who plays on the recorded version of the song.
It was fitting that fireworks capped Gosling’s performance, because his working the crowd and bringing the mic to Robbie, America Ferrera and Greta Gerwig to shout along the chorus, was as effortless as Bruce Springsteen wading through a sea of fans.
Talk about a rock star.
Becky G ‘The Fire Inside’
The Latin-American singer behind the hits “Can’t Get Enough” and “Shower” did her theatrical best with an uncharacteristically slight Diane Warren-penned song.
Emerging from a circle of flames, Becky G (born Rebecca Gomez) took the title of the song to heart with her abs-bearing black outfit. An orchestra added swoops of strings and injected the song with its pulse while a chorus of young women in matching red pants and white shirts crooned the repetitive chorus.
Jon Batiste ‘It Never Went Away’
The singer-songwriter continued to showcase his fine musicianship with the heartfelt ballad from his recent documentary, “American Symphony,” which detailed the cancer battle of wife Suleika Jaouad.
Clad in an elegant crème suit, Batiste stretched the notes of the song on his Steinway & Sons piano and sang with conviction as love scenes from classic movies, including “Brokeback Mountain” and “Shakespeare in Love” rolled behind him. Batiste appeared to direct the loving lyrics toward Jaouad, who attended the ceremony with her husband. The giant moon that glowed behind Batiste didn’t quite vibe with the spirit of the song, but the luminous orb was at least eye-catching, if puzzling.
Scott George and the Osage Singers, ‘Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)’
George was already enjoying a historical night as the first Osage writer to be nominated for an Academy Award and he brought his 40 years of experience singing with the Osage Nation to a rare spotlight.
With a deep orange sunset as the backdrop, George and the Osage Singers engaged in drum pounding and chanting as dancers in traditional clothing circled them and a ring of female singers.
The song, featured in the closing dance scene of Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” was an educational moment for Oscars viewers and an appreciated detour from the usual lineup.
Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell ‘What Was I Made For?’
The simple song began with an understated backdrop, as if Eilish and brother O’Connell were in a recording studio, before the pastel-lit curtain rose to show the audience behind them, recalling Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s 2019 performance of “Shallow.”
With more than a few nods to the “Barbie” pink motif in the background, O’Connell sat at an upright piano, and Eilish, clad in an oversized black blazer and pencil skirt, kept her eyes tightly closed and her voice barely above a whisper as she shared the emotional ballad. A rising curtain revealed an orchestra as Eilish clasped the mic stand with her left hand and O’Connell dutifully played the song’s melancholy melody.
As she wound down the song to its last pensive note, Eilish smiled toward her brother. The audience’s ovation prompted a hug between the siblings as the camera cut to a teary-eyed Kate McKinnon (aka “Weird Barbie”) and much of the cheering “Barbie” team.
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