20 iconic Oscar-winning songs

In 1939, Judy Garland delivered a legendary performance of "Over The Rainbow" as Dorothy, the Kansas girl whisked away to the land of Oz. It also took home the Academy Award for Best Original Song that same year. 

Appearing in the 1978 film "Thank God It's Friday," Donna Summer's seminal disco anthem "Last Dance" won the top award at both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards in 1979. 

In addition to Tom Hanks's acclaimed (and award-winning) performance in "Philadelphia," Bruce Springsteen earned equal praise for "Streets of Philadelphia," picking up the Academy Award for Best Original Song and four Grammys. 

Written by legendary songwriting duo Burt Bacharach and Hal David, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1969 after it appeared in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Bacharach also penned the film's score, and took home the Academy Award for Best Original Score. 

In 1998, the two most powerful voices of the decade, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, teamed up for "When You Believe," an inspirational ballad that appeared in the animated DreamWorks film "Prince of Egypt." It was a hit across the globe, and won Best Original Song at the 71st Academy Awards the following year. 

Written for 1984's "The Woman In Red," starring Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner, "I Just Called To Say I Love You" was a No. 1 hit for weeks before it won the Best Original Song honor at the Academy Awards in 1985. 

The first of many Disney contenders in the Best Original Song category, "When You Wish Upon A Star" appeared in the 1939 animated film "Pinocchio." It faced some stiff competition at the 13th annual Academy Awards in 1940, including Bing Crosby's "Only Forever," but ultimately took home the win. 

Composed in Indian Telugu and appearing in the wildly popular film "RRR," the energetic and uptempo "Naatu Naatu" was an obvious winner at the 2022 Academy Awards. 

Starring Didi Conn of "Grease" fame, "You Light Up My Life," a 1977 romantic drama, isn't nearly as well-known as its signature song, performed by Debby Boone. The song was an instant success on the Billboard charts, and won the Song of the Year Grammy Award along with Best Original Song at the Oscars that year. 

Beloved among kids and adults, "Let It Go," from the animated Disney film "Frozen" is one of the most successful songs in the studio's history. In addition to being certified 9x Platinum, meaning sales of more than 9 million units, the ballad penned by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez also won Best Original Song at the 86th annual Academy Awards. 

There are few songs from film more iconic than "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," from director Emile Ardolino's beloved 1987 film "Dirty Dancing." Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes recorded the song, which scooped up awards at the Grammys, Oscars, and Golden Globes that same year. 

This ode to eternal optimism from Frank Sinatra appears in the 1959 slapstick comedy "A Hole In The Head," though it's different than the studio version that you likely remember hearing on the radio. In the film, Sinatra is joined by young actor Eddie Hodges for a performance of "High Hopes," which won the Best Original Song category in 1959. 

Inspired by Marshall "Eminem" Mathers's real-life upbringing as a struggling rapper in Detroit, Michigan, "Lose Yourself" was the first rap song to win an Academy Award. But it was an obvious victor at the 75th annual Academy Awards in 2002. 

If you've ever been annoyed at someone saying "que sera, sera" to you in the event of a mishap, you've got Alfred Hitchcock to blame. The song popularized the phrase after it appeared in the director's 1955 film "The Man Who Knew Too Much," performed by Doris Day. The following year, it won Best Original Song at the Oscars. 

This dreamy tune from the favorite film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" has an allure that's lingered throughout the decades. After it appeared in the Audrey Hepburn classic, it won big at both the Academy Awards and the Grammys.

'90s kids can't forget "Beauty and the Beast," performed by Angela Lansbury, who portrayed a wise teapot in the much-beloved Disney film of the same name. A pop version of the song was also released, recorded by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson. 

1926 was a tough year for the Best Original Song category, in which legendary composer Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin" was pitted against "The Way You Look Tonight," now a standard of the American songbook. The latter, which appeared in the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film "Swing Time," prevailed. 

Considering that two songs from this 1980 film about students at New York City's legendary performing arts high school were nominated for Best Original Song, it's perhaps not surprising that title track "Fame" took home the award. It even beat out Willie Nelson's "On The Road Again," which appears in the film "Honeysuckle Rose," that year.  

In addition to appearing in James Cameron's epic "Titanic," Celine Dion's emotive "My Heart Will Go On" remains a ballad for the ages. It won the Best Original Song Academy Award, among many others, and is still one of the top-selling songs of all time. 

Whether or not you actually liked "Skyfall," the 2012 James Bond film starring Daniel Craig, there's no denying that Adele's take on a Bond ballad is one of the franchise's best songs. It also won Best Original Song in 2012, and sold more than 7 million copies across the globe.