Robbie Williams, the British pop icon, has suffered a setback in his Oscar aspirations. His original song, “Forbidden Road,” written for the upcoming biopic “Better Man,” has been disqualified from consideration for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
“Better Man,” a unique cinematic experience featuring a CGI monkey portraying Williams, incorporates his own music into the narrative. “Forbidden Road,” a new composition penned specifically for the film, had initially made the shortlist of 15 songs vying for an Oscar nomination.
Better Man: Controversial Pop Star Robbie Williams’ “Forbidden Road” Song DISQUALIFIED From Academy Awards
However, the Academy’s music branch has ruled that “Forbidden Road” incorporates elements from an existing song, “I Got a Name,” from the 1973 film “The Last American Hero.” This contravenes the Academy‘s strict eligibility criteria, which mandates that original song submissions must be written exclusively for the nominated film.
The decision to disqualify “Forbidden Road” was not taken lightly. The Academy emphasized the importance of upholding the integrity of the Original Song category, stating that the decision “honors our rules and protects the special nature of the Original Song and Score categories.”
This situation bears a striking resemblance to the disqualification of songs from the “Wicked” film, which utilized music originally composed for the Broadway production.
Interestingly, Charles Fox, co-writer of “I Got a Name,” serves as a governor on the Academy’s music branch. While there’s no suggestion of any personal influence in the disqualification, the situation adds an intriguing layer to this unfolding drama.
With “Forbidden Road” out of the running, the remaining 14 songs will now compete for the coveted Oscar. The list of contenders includes:
“Winter Coat” from “Blitz”
“Compress/Repress” from “Challengers”
“Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late”
“El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez”
“Mi Camino” from “Emilia Pérez”
“Sick In The Head” from “Kneecap”
“Beyond” from “Moana 2”
“Tell Me It’s You” from “Mufasa: The Lion King”
“Piece By Piece” from “Piece by Piece”
“Like A Bird” from “Sing Sing”
“The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight”
“Out Of Oklahoma” from “Twisters”
“Kiss The Sky” from “The Wild Robot”
“Harper And Will Go West” from “Will & Harper”
