Diane Warren made Oscar history last week, becoming the first songwriter to land nine consecutive nominations for best original song. The old record of eight consecutive nods in that category was set by Sammy Cahn, who had eight straight nods from 1954-61 – a streak that started before Warren was born.
Warren achieved the feat when her song “Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless, a documentary about herself, was nominated. This was Warren’s third song from a documentary to land a best original song nomination, following “Til It Happens to You,” which she co-wrote with Lady Gaga for The Hunting Ground, a film about the rising incidence of campus sexual assault, and “I’ll Fight,” which she wrote by herself for RBG, a film about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Warren is the second songwriter to receive three Oscar nods for songs written for documentaries. The first was Josh Ralph, known professionally as J. Ralph, who was nominated with “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).
A second song from a documentary was nominated this year: “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi!, a film that focuses on retired opera singers and musicians who live at Milan’s retirement home Casa Verdi. This is the second time that two songs from documentaries were nominated in the same year. Warren also had one of the nominated songs the last time this happened, in 2016. The aforementioned “The Hunting Ground” competed that year with the aforementioned “Manta Ray.”
Just one song from a documentary was nominated for an Oscar for best original song in the first 70 years that the award was presented – “More,” a pop standard of the early 1960s, which was written for the 1962 doc Mondo Cane. But the field has exploded in the last 20 years, with 11 more songs from documentaries nominated in that time.
Here’s a complete list of songs from documentaries that have received Oscar nominations for best original song. The years shown are the years of the Oscar ceremonies.
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“More” from Mondo Cane (1964)
Music by Riz Ortolani and Nino Oliviero; Lyrics by Norman Newell
Notes: An instrumental version of “More” by jazz trombonist Kai Winding hit No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. A vocal version by crooner Vic Dana reached No. 42. “More” won a Grammy for best instrumental theme in 1964, while the Mondo Cane cast album was nominated for best original score from a motion picture or television show.
Mondo Cane is a 1962 Italian “mondo documentary” directed by Gualtiero Jacopetti, Paolo Cavara, and Franco E. Prosperi, with narration by Stefano Sibaldi. (Anthony La Penna provided the narration for the English-language release.) The film inspired a genre of exploitation documentaries, many of which also include the word mondo (meaning “world”) in their titles.
Oscar Outcome: Lost to “Call Me Irresponsible” from Papa’s Delicate Condition
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“I Need to Wake Up” from An Inconvenient Truth (2007)
Music and Lyric by Melissa Etheridge
Notes: An Inconvenient Truth also won an Oscar for documentary (feature) for director David Guggenheim. The film looks at former vice president Al Gore’s campaign to educate people about global warming. A sequel, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, was released on July 28, 2017.
Oscar Outcome: It won! “Wow, that feels as good as you think it does,” Etheridge said in accepting the award. After expressing some personal thank yous, she added, “Mostly, I have to thank Al Gore for inspiring us, inspiring me; showing that caring about the Earth is not Republican or Democrat, it’s not red or blue; we are all green. This is our job. Now we can become the greatest generation, the generation that changed, the generation that woke up and did something and changed.”
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“Before My Time” from Chasing Ice (2013)
Music and Lyric by J. Ralph
Notes: This film examines the efforts of nature photographer James Balog and his Extreme Ice Survey to publicize the effects of climate change. The film, directed by Jeff Orlowski, includes scenes from a glacier calving event at Jacobshavn Isbræ in Greenland.
Oscar Outcome: Lost to “Skyfall” from Skyfall
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“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me (2015)
Music and Lyric by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond
Notes: The film looks at country music legend Glen Campbell as he toured even while struggling with advanced Alzheimer’s. Campbell and close friend Julian Raymond (the film’s executive producer) co-wrote the song, which won a Grammy for best country song and received a second Grammy nod for best song written for visual media.
Oscar Outcome: Lost to “Glory” from Selma
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“Manta Ray” from Racing Extinction (2016)
Music by J. Ralph; Lyric by Anohni
Notes: The film examines the mass extinction of species and the efforts by scientists, activists and journalists to document this ongoing calamity. The film was created by the Oceanic Preservation Society and directed by Louie Psihoyos, who had won an Oscar for directing the documentary The Cove (2009). The film had its worldwide broadcast premiere on the Discovery Channel on Dec. 2, 2015, which resulted in a Primetime Emmy nomination for exceptional merit in documentary filmmaking.
Oscar Outcome: Lost to “Writing’s on the Wall” from Spectre
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“Til It Happens to You” from The Hunting Ground (2016)
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga
Notes: The film examines the widespread incidence of sexual assault on U.S. college campuses and the failure of college administrators to deal with it adequately. Written and directed by Kirby Dick and produced by Amy Ziering, it premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. An edited version aired on CNN on Nov. 22, 2015. The song won a Primetime Emmy for outstanding original music and lyrics and received a Grammy nod for best song written for visual media.
Oscar Outcome: Lost to “Writing’s on the Wall” from Spectre
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“The Empty Chair” from Jim: The James Foley Story (2017)
Music and Lyric by J. Ralph and Sting
Notes: The film chronicles the life of American photojournalist James “Jim” Foley. On Thanksgiving Day 2012, Foley was kidnapped in Syria while reporting on the Syrian Civil War. A video of his beheading in August 2014 introduced much of the world to the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS). The film, directed by Foley’s childhood friend Brian Oakes, includes interviews with family, friends, journalist colleagues and fellow hostages.
Oscar Outcome: Lost to “City of Stars” from La La Land
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“I’ll Fight” from RBG (2019)
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
Notes: RBG focuses on the life and career of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second female Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The film, directed and produced by Betsy West and Julie Cohen, was also Oscar-nominated for documentary (feature). The film was named the best documentary film of 2018 by the National Board of Review.
Oscar Outcome: Lost to “Shallow” from A Star Is Born
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“It Never Went Away” from American Symphony (2024)
Music and Lyric by Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson
Notes: The film explores an unforgettable year in the life of musician Jon Batiste, a year that brought both career triumphs (his 11 nominations at the 2022 Grammy Awards) and personal turbulence (his wife, Suleika Jaouad’s battle with leukemia). The film was written, shot and edited by Matthew Heineman. “It Never Went Away” won a Grammy for best song written for visual media.
Oscar Outcome: Lost to “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie
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“Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late (2025)
Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin
Notes: The film profiles Elton John on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road concert tour. It also includes historic performance footage, excerpts from his private journals, and personal footage of his family life. The film was directed by R. J. Cutler and John’s husband, David Furnish. “Never Too Late” is nominated for a Grammy at the 2026 ceremony for best song written for visual media.
Oscar Outcome: Lost to “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez
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“Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless (2026)
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
Notes: The film, directed by Bess Kargman, provides an intimate look at the career of the indefatigable songwriter. The doc features Cher, Common, Jennifer Hudson, Gloria Estefan, Kesha, LeAnn Rimes and more.
Oscar Outcome: TBD
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“Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi! (2026)
Music and Lyric by Nicholas Pike
Notes: The film, directed by Yvonne Russo, is a glimpse into the lives of the retired opera singers and musicians who live at Milan’s retirement home Casa Verdi, which was built by renowned opera composer Giuseppe Verdi in 1896. The residents don’t just play shuffleboard at this retirement home: They mentor international music students who live among them.
Oscar Outcome: TBD
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