Post #3- The 7 Best Academy Award for Best Original Song Winners

Tonight is the 88th Academy Awards, more commonly known as the Oscars. They are taking place for the 15th straight year at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, CA.

Every year since the 7th Awards ceremony in 1935, the Oscars has chosen the best original song from the previous year's films.

Here is a list of the top 7 of these winners according to me:

7.

"Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz (1939)- This song perhaps best exemplifies this particular category. It is the best song from a film that is almost universally loved by men, women, and children across generations.

6.

"When You Believe," The Prince of Egypt (1998)-  It seems like every time a Disney animated film comes out, there is a song from it nominated. This is the only song from a non-Disney animated feature to win in this category, and it is terrific.

5.

"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)- I had no idea that this was originally in this film until doing research for this post and I am actually quite happy that it has cemented itself well into history past the film itself.

4.

 "Baby, It's Cold Outside," Neptune's Daughter (1949)- Another song that is has endured long past it's appearance in the film it was originally featured in. This song is now a staple of the winter holiday season.

3.

 "Lose Yourself," 8 Mile (2002)- Eminem created the lyrics to this song as a way to describe his time growing up on the streets of Detroit. It is also the first winner to come from the hip-hop genre.

2.

 "Skyfall," Skyfall (2012)- Adele has the perfect sound to bring this song alive and bring back Bond themes into almost their own distinctive genre.

1.

"Falling Slowly," Once (2007)- This song is exactly the type of song that deserves to win this category. The film is really brought together perfectly when this song is played. The film itself is also one of the few times, and probably the best examples of, when using musicians instead of professional actors to tell a story enhances the experience.

Post #2- From 1980s Gangsta Rap to 2010s Hollywood, or The music of the film Straight Outta Compton

Director F. Gary Gray's Straight Outta Compton is a film about the origins of the gangsta rap group NWA. It specifically looks at the early careers of NWA members Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre. Because of this, obviously, there is a lot of music by NWA and these former members. The title of the film itself comes from a song and the debut album of the group by the same name.

Many of the songs featured are written, in the film anyway, because of the life and experience of the members of the group. One such instance of this it the song "Fuck tha Police," written in response to an intense moment depicted in the film where the band is harassed, unprovoked, by members of the police while taking a break in front of a recording studio. More instances of these experiences coming to life in song are the few songs written and rapped by and about NWA members after they left the group.

The rest of the soundtrack features staples of the NWA catalog as well pieces from the solo careers of Eazy-E, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.

Integrated throughout the mostly gangsta rap soundtrack is a pretty amazing score composed by Joseph Trapanese, whose other works include that of Insurgent, and Oblivion and various other films and video games. This score consists mostly of a traditional orchestral sound with some infused electronica ambiance.  It is definitely a departure from the hip hop of the rest of the film. These two differing musical styles of the soundtrack and the score work extremely well however as the contrast blends together and make for a musically excellent film.


SPOILER ALERT: A few of the songs on this score are titled with potential spoilers. Although this film and the spoilers are based on true events in history, you have now been warned.

Post #1- Introduction to Sounds from the Silver Screen

Welcome to my blog, Sounds from the Silver Screen. My name is Charlie Rankin and I am currently a student at Washburn University in Topeka, KS studying Mass Media with an emphasis in Contemporary Journalism. One of my classes has given me the opportunity to create a blog which is something I have been wanting to do for a long time.

I was thinking for a while about what it is exactly I could blog about. My original idea was to have a generic film centered blog, where I would review films I had seen recently. The internet is oversaturated with film review blogs however so I decided I needed something more specific in the film world. I have, in the past few years, really gotten into film scores and soundtracks. I decided that I could incorporate that recent interest into my blog. Therefore, this blog will be centered around how music is used in film.

Posts here will include everything from reviews and thoughts of various film scores and soundtracks, discussion of techniques that are implemented regarding music in film, looks at different film composers and the films they make music for, and many other topics.

Also included will be a list of some of the movie music I'm listening to taken from Spotify. This ever changing playlist can be found on the right. This week's playlist is the score from the 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road.

(SPOILER ALERT: Although this particular playlist doesn't include any, some film scores include track titles that may contain spoilers for the film if you haven't seen it. I will try to include the above warning/alert for any scores or discussion of scores which may include spoilery track titles)

I hope this blog will be something you can come to and enjoy reading and perhaps gain some knowledge about and a better appreciation for the music we find in the films we watch.

See you soon and keep listening,

Charlie