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All the Stars peaked at No.
7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and theBlack Panthersoundtrack spent three nonconsecutive weeks as the No.
1 album in America, while Shallow peaked at No.
5, andA Star Is Bornheld onto the No.
1 album slot for three straight weeks last fall.
Both of these songs qualify as mainstream hits.
It wasnt always like this.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the original song category was flush with inescapable radio and MTV staples.
But starting in the early 2000s, things started to change.
1 hit that had risen to the top of the pop charts before receiving an Oscar.
(Irene Caras Fame, the 1980 victor, never quite got to No.
1; it reached its peak on the Billboard singles chart at No.
The 80s selections certainly didnt reflect even the milder side of the decades cutting edge.
you’re able to quibble over the quality of these songs.
But you cant deny how culturally omnipresent these tunes were.
You didnt have to go hunt down these songs to figure out what they were.
These songs found you, whether you liked them or not.
Then, in the 2000s, something shifted.
Like most things in life, this trend can be blamed on one factor: the internet.
Well, sort of.
That meant fewer people were avidly consuming soundtracks in the same way they once did.
Soundtracks didnt go away.
They were still being released and artists were still writing and performing songs specifically for movies.
But what the New YorkTimeshad referred to in 1995 as asoundtrack boomwas no longer making as much noise.
A scan of the pop single and album charts of the time reflect that.
The same phenomenon played out on the Billboard singles chart.
Based on my research, during most years, there were zero movie singles in the top 20.
In 2011 and 2012, things hit a low point.
Neither song was performed during the ceremony.
Now its an accepted fact of life.
I would argue that the Best Original Song category has reflected that broader societal trend.
Which is why its so remarkable that 2018 was such an incredible year for the soundtrack, asForbesput it.
Truthfully, it could be a blip.
These are all blockbuster songs that are well suited to the blockbuster movies they represent.
Its not easy to pull off that kind of alchemy every year.
Maybe the Original Song category can be made great, or at least a little more recognizable, again.
