‘Barbie’, ‘The Color Purple,’ and ‘Flora and Son’ Lead Shortlists for Best Original Song and Score Oscars

Apparently, three songs were Kenough for the Academy’s song branch, as the Greta Gerwig-directed juggernaut continues its hot streak in awards season. It became the first film since the shortlists were instituted in 2018 to land three songs on the shortlist with “What Was I Made For?” (written by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell) “I’m Just Ken” (Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt) and “Dance the Night” (Dua Lipa, Ronson, Wyatt and Caroline Ailin). Under current Academy rules, only two of these can ascend to fill out the final five nominees, which will be announced on Jan. 23, 2024.

Two other films landed a pair of songs on the shortlist, with “Flora and Son” making the list with “High Life” and “Meet in the Middle” (the latter song co-written by actors Eve Hewson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and “The Color Purple” making it with “Keep It Movin’” and “Superpower (I).”