Last week, Diane Warren became the first songwriter to receive nine consecutive nominations for best original song, making Oscar history. Sammy Cahn, who got eight consecutive nods in that category from 1954 to 1961—a run that began before Warren was born—set the previous record.
When Diane Warren: Relentless, a documentary about Warren, nominated her song “Dear Me,” Warren accomplished the feat. Following “Til It Happens to You,” which she co-wrote with Lady Gaga for The Hunting Ground, a movie about the increasing prevalence of campus sexual assault, and “I’ll Fight,” which she wrote alone for RBG, a movie about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, this was Warren’s third documentary song to receive a nomination for best original song.
Warren is the second songwriter to be nominated for three Oscars for songs composed for documentaries. “Before My Time” from Chasing Ice, “Manta Ray” from Racing Extinction (which he co-wrote with Anohni), and “The Empty Chair” from Jim: The James Foley Story (which he cowrote with Sting) were the first nominees. Josh Ralph, better known by his stage as J. Ralph, was the first.
This year, “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi!, a documentary about retired opera singers and musicians who reside in Casa Verdi in Milan, was the second song from a documentary to receive a nomination. Two songs from documentaries were nominated in the same year for the second time. The previous time this occurred, in 2016, Warren had one of the nominated songs as well. That year, the previously stated “The Hunting Ground” faced up against the previously mentioned “Manta Ray.”
In the first 70 years that the Oscar for best original song was given out, only one documentary song—”More,” a pop favorite from the early 1960s that was composed for the 1962 documentary Mondo Cane—was nominated. But the field has exploded in the last 20 years, with 11 more songs from documentaries nominated in that time.
This is a comprehensive list of documentaries’ songs that have been nominated for an Oscar for best original song. The years displayed correspond to the Oscar ceremonies.
“More” from Mondo Cane (1964)
Lyrics by Norman Newell; music by Riz Ortolani and Nino Oliviero
Notes: Jazz trombonist Kai Winding’s instrumental rendition of “More” peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Crooner Vic Dana’s vocal rendition peaked at number 42. The Mondo Cane cast album was nominated for best original score from a film or television program, while “More” received a Grammy for best instrumental theme in 1964.
Gualtiero Jacopetti, Paolo Cavara, and Franco E. Prosperi directed the 1962 Italian “mondo documentary” Mondo Cane, which Stefano Sibaldi narrated. (The English-language version was narrated by Anthony La Penna.) A genre of exploitation documentaries was spawned by the movie, and many of them include the word “mondo,” which means “world,” in their names.
“Call Me Irresponsible” from Papa’s Delicate Condition won the Oscar.
“I Need to Wake Up” from An Inconvenient Truth (2007)
Melissa Etheridge wrote the lyrics and music.
Notes: David Guggenheim, the filmmaker of An Inconvenient Truth, also took home an Oscar for feature documentary. Al Gore’s campaign to raise awareness of global warming is examined in the movie. On July 28, 2017, the follow-up, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, was made available.
Oscar Result: It took first place! When Etheridge accepted the prize, he remarked, “Wow, that feels as good as you think it does.” “Mostly, I have to thank Al Gore for inspiring us, inspiring me; showing that caring about the Earth is not Republican or Democrat, it is not red or blue; we are all green,” she said after offering a few personal thanks. This is what we do. We have the opportunity to become the greatest generation—the one that woke up, took action, and made a difference.
“Before My Time” from Chasing Ice (2013)
Music and Lyric by J. Ralph
Notes: This movie looks at how James Balog, a wildlife photographer, tried to raise awareness to the consequences of climate change through his Extreme Ice Survey. Jeff Orlowski’s clip features footage from a glacier calving incident at Greenland’s Jacobshavn Isbrae.
Losing to “Skyfall” at the Oscars
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me (2015)
Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond wrote the music and lyrics.
Notes: Despite having advanced Alzheimer’s disease, country music icon Glen Campbell continued to tour. The song, which was co-written by Campbell and his close friend Julian Raymond, the executive producer of the movie, won a Grammy for best country song and was nominated for another Grammy for best music composed for visual media.
Oscar Result: Selma’s “Glory” won
“Manta Ray” from Racing Extinction (2016)
Lyrics by Anohni and music by J. Ralph
Notes: The movie looks at the mass extinction of species and the work that journalists, activists, and scientists are doing to record this continuous disaster. Louie Psihoyos, who received an Oscar for directing the 2009 documentary The Cove, directed the film, which was produced by the Oceanic Preservation Society. The film received a Primetime Emmy nomination for extraordinary quality in documentary filmmaking after its global broadcast premiere on the Discovery Channel on December 2, 2015.
Oscar result: Spectre’s “Writing’s on the Wall” won
“Til It Happens to You” from The Hunting Ground (2016)
Diane Warren and Lady Gaga wrote the music and lyrics.
Notes: The movie looks at how often sexual assault is on American college campuses and how inadequately college authorities handle it. It debuted at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and was written, directed, and produced by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering. On November 22, 2015, an edited version was broadcast on CNN. The song was nominated for a Grammy for best song composed for visual media and won a Primetime Emmy for outstanding original music and lyrics.
Oscar result: Spectre’s “Writing’s on the Wall” won
“The Empty Chair” from Jim: The James Foley Story (2017)
J. Ralph and Sting wrote the music and lyrics.
Notes: The movie tells the story of James “Jim” Foley, an American photojournalist. While covering the Syrian Civil War on Thanksgiving Day in 2012, Foley was abducted in Syria. Much of the world first learned about the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS) from a video of his execution in August 2014. Interviews with friends, family, co-hostages, and journalists are all featured in the film, which was directed by Foley’s boyhood buddy Brian Oakes.
Oscar Result: La La Land’s “City of Stars” won
“I’ll Fight” from RBG (2019)
Diane Warren wrote the lyrics and music.
Notes: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second female Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, is the subject of RBG. Betsy West and Julie Cohen produced and directed the movie, which was nominated for an Oscar for best documentary (feature). The National Board of Review voted the movie the best documentary of 2018.
Oscar Result: A Star Is Born’s “Shallow” won
“It Never Went Away” from American Symphony (2024)
Dan Wilson and Jon Batiste wrote the lyrics and music.
Notes: The movie chronicles a remarkable year in artist Jon Batiste’s life, one marked by both personal upheaval (his wife Suleika Jaouad’s fight with leukemia) and professional successes (his 11 nominations at the 2022 Grammy Awards). Matthew Heineman wrote, directed, and edited the movie. The Grammy for best music created for visual media went to “It Never Went Away.”
Oscar Result: “What Was I Made For” won. from Barbie
“Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late (2025)
Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt, and Bernie Taupin wrote the music and lyrics.
Notes: The movie follows Elton John as he embarks on his final Yellow Brick Road tour. It also features personal footage of his family life, historical performance footage, and passages from his personal notebooks. David Furnish, John’s spouse, and R. J. Cutler directed the movie. “Never Too Late” has been nominated for a Grammy for best music written for visual media at the 2026 ceremony.
Oscar Result: Emilia Pérez’s “El Mal” won.
“Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless (2026)
Diane Warren wrote the lyrics and music.
Notes: Bess Kargman’s film offers a close-up view of the unstoppable songwriter’s career. Cher, Common, Jennifer Hudson, Gloria Estefan, Kesha, LeAnn Rimes, and others are included in the documentary.
Oscar Result: Unknown
“Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi! (2026)
Nicholas Pike wrote the music and lyrics.
Notes: The film, which was directed by Yvonne Russo, offers an insight into the life of the retired opera singers and musicians who reside at Casa Verdi, a retirement community in Milan that was constructed in 1896 by famed opera composer Giuseppe Verdi. In addition to playing shuffleboard, the residents of this retirement community also serve as mentors to the international music students who reside there.
Oscar Result: Unknown
