Tony Award for Best Song- Page 2

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 4/24/17 at 2:29am

thanks for bumping the old thread, although i think there are a few others lurking on this topic

best song award would be fantastic and I disagree that it would be hard to pick nominee songs out....

you know as soon as you see a show which songs grab you by the heart, head gut or short hairs....

Tony committee, please add this category and I also think its an opportunity to showcase the best songs coming out each year and songwriters.....

also thanks posters for submitting your nominees each year....a number of the songs im not that familiar with so have a whole new list of great songs to delve into!!!!

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 4/25/17 at 1:16pm

So many great songs over this period!!!!

This is my guess at how tony voters may have voted, not my personal pick. i think there is a good argument best song would also typically come from the best musical or best score winner, unless there is truly a standout song, or a lack of original songs in the best musical winner. I also think there should be a best production number tony award, which would often be a different song than best song.

They Live In You 1998 The Lion King: 1997 Broadway Cast

All the Wasted Time  1999 Parade (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Written In The Stars 2000 Aida

Keep It Gay 2001 The Producers

Thoroughly Modern Millie 2002 Thoroughly Modern Millie

You Can't Stop The Beat 2003 Hairspray

Defying Gravity 2004 Wicked: Original Broadway Cast

Find Your Grail 2005 Monty Python's Spamalot [Original Broadway Cast]

What About Love? 2006 The Color Purple: 2005 Broadway Cast

The B**** Of Living 2007 Spring Awakening: 2006 Broadway Cast

96,000   2008 In The Heights [Disc 1]

Expressing Yourself 2009 Billy Elliot - The Musical (Original Cast Recording)  (Superman and the invisible girl from next to normal should win)

Steal Your Rock 'N' Roll 2010 Memphis: A New Musical [Original Cast Recording]

I Believe  2011 The Book Of Mormon 

Watch What Happens 2012 Newsies

When I Grow Up (Reprise) 2013 Matilda The Musical - Original Cast Recording

Proud of Your Boy 2014 Aladdin Original Broadway Cast Recording(cut from original animated movie and introduced in live musical)

Ring of Keys 2015 Fun Home (A New Broadway Musical)

My Shot   2016 Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

[BroadwayAndSports]

Posted: 6/14/18 at 12:45pm

So if this were a category, what would've been the nominees this year? I'd think we need some clarity on if this means best number (so including staging and such) or if it's purely the song.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 6/14/18 at 12:58pm

I can think of at least three songs from Grey Gardens that would have been worth nominating: 

"The Revolutionary Costume for Today"; "Around the World"; and "Another Winter in a Summer Town".

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 6/14/18 at 1:03pm

BroadwayAndSports said: "So if this were a category, what would've been the nominees this year? I'd think we need some clarity on if this means best number (so including staging and such) or if it's purely the song."

"Answer Me" The Band's Visit

"Bikini Bottom Day" SpongeBob SquarePants

"Haled's Song About Love" The Band's Visit

"I'm Not a Loser" SpongeBob SquarePants

"Omar Sharif" The Band's Visit (winner)

Updated On: 6/14/18 at 01:03 PM

[EdEval]

Posted: 6/15/18 at 3:10pm

What a wonderful new category the Tony's could make.  How can we tell them?

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 6/15/18 at 5:40pm

Surprised "Satisfied" gets considered as the best song in Hamilton. IMO it's actually one of the weaker songs with rather cliched lyrics.

Best songs in Hamilton: Alexander Hamilton, My Shot, Wait for It, What'd I Miss, Room Where It Happens, It's Quiet Uptown, Who Lives Who Dies Who Tells Your Story

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 6/15/18 at 5:57pm

great nominees broadway concierge and i agree on your best song choice. 

I might also suggest as possible nominees "id rather be me" from mean girls, and :"monster" from Frozen, both of which I quite liked

broadway and sports I think the best song tony if it ever happens should be for the merits of the song itself and how well its performed.

i think there could also be a fun new category called best production number.....

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/15/18 at 6:41pm

I would not be in favor of this as an actual award.   Composing a show is more then just one great song.  It ALL should be outstanding to be award worthy.  

[Elegance101]

Posted: 6/15/18 at 11:23pm

dramamama611 said: "I would not be in favor of this as an actual award. Composing a show is more then just one great song. It ALL should be outstanding to be award worthy."

But that's why both awards would exist. Winning Best Score would mean it's all great, while Best Song would pick out one specific component to the score. It should all be outstanding to win Best Score, but Best Song would be judging something else entirely. I'm not saying I believe this should undoubtedly happen, but I wouldn't be furious if it did.

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 6/18/18 at 12:56pm

dramamama611 said: "I would not be in favor of this as an actual award. Composing a show is more then just one great song. It ALL should be outstanding to be award worthy."

^ This exactly!

For those of you in favor of Best Original Song, would you also be in favor of Best Monologue in addition to Best Actor?  Because that's essentially what this is saying, that even if the whole of somebody's work isn't great, they should still be rewarded for one great individual moment.  Plus, realistically, while it's fun for us to go through and think about songs from non-best score winners that should have been rewarded, when the actual voting would happen, I'd be shocked if 9 out of 10 times it didn't go to the Best Score winner.  If they like a score enough to vote for it, odds are they like a specific song enough to vote for it too (and certainly in years like this, it would get caught up in a Band's Visit type of sweep).

And as far as the movie comparison, it's completely different because Best Score at the Oscars doesn't have anything to do with the original songs.  The Oscar for Best Score doesn't go to the best collection of songs, it goes to the best underscoring.  So for instance, when "La La Land" won Best Score, they weren't rewarding Pasek and Paul's collection of songs, they were rewarding all of the music in the film BESIDES those songs.  With the Tonys, though, Best Score is already rewarding the same people for the same work that would win Best Original Song.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 6/18/18 at 1:17pm

Broadway61004 said: "And as far as the movie comparison, it's completely different because Best Score at the Oscars doesn't have anything to do with the original songs. The Oscar for Best Score doesn't go to the best collection of songs, it goes to the best underscoring. So for instance, when "La La Land" won Best Score, they weren't rewarding Pasek and Paul's collection of songs, they were rewarding all of the music in the filmBESIDES those songs. With the Tonys, though, Best Score is already rewarding the same people for the same work that would win Best Original Song."

That's a very good point. I think the problem was that the Academy voters did not know how to separate the two and in practicality, they really were voting for the songs. I really do think that was a huge reason why Disney was winning all of those awards in the 90s and why they ended up creating a short-lived Best Musical/Comedy Score category because they wanted to give other movies that were not musicals a chance to win Oscars too. I also remember reading that it was partly inspired by Thomas Newman's score for Little Women losing to The Lion King and him really not having a chance to win the award since people were in love with The Lion King's songs and score. 

The Grammys also have Best Album, Best Record, Best Song, etc. but I think since all they do is award music and albums are not always cohesive concepts or plots the way musical scores are, then that's allowed. Plus not all songs are part of LPs, and most albums from mainstream musicians these days are a comprised of songs from different producers/writers/etc. 

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 6/18/18 at 2:10pm

ScottyDoesn'tKnow2 said: "That's a very good point. I think the problem was that the Academy voters did not know how to separate the two and in practicality, they really were voting for the songs.I really do think that was a huge reasonwhy Disney was winning all of those awards in the 90s and why they ended up creating a short-lived Best Musical/Comedy Score category because they wanted to give other movies that were not musicals a chance to win Oscars too. I also remember reading that it was partly inspired by Thomas Newman's score forLittle Womenlosing toThe Lion Kingand him really not having a chance to win the award since people were in love withThe Lion King's songs and score."

Oh yes, there have definitely been times where I'm sure the voters actually did end up voting for the collection of songs, rather than the underscore, etc.  But in principle, the idea is that they reward two different things, and quite often, different people.

[BroadwayAndSports]

Posted: 6/18/18 at 3:51pm

Assuming they had to be original songs (so no Let It Go, etc.), these are my opinions on what WOULD'VE won:

2001: I Wanna Be A Producer (The Producers) 
2002: Gimme Gimme (Thoroughly Modern Millie)
2003: You Can't Stop the Beat (Hairspray)
2004: Defying Gravity (Wicked) 
2005: Find Your Grail (Spamalot)
2006: Show Off (Drowsy Chaperone)
2007: Totally F*cked (Spring Awakening)
2008: 96,000 (In The Heights)
2009: You Don't Know/I Am The One (Next To Normal)
2010: Steal Your Rock n Roll (Memphis)
2011: I Believe (The Book Of Mormon)
2012: Something To Believe In (Newsies)
2013: When I Grow Up (Matilda)
2014: I've Decided to Marry You (Gentleman's Guide)

2015: A Musical! (Something Rotten)

2016: My Shot (Hamilton)

2017: Waving Through A Window or You Will Be Found (Dear Evan Hansen)

2018: Omar Sharif (The Band's Visit)