How Elton John could make history at the 2025 Oscars
Elton John, a two-time Oscar winner in the Best Song category, has made the shortlist once again for the title track “Never Too Late” from his new Disney+ documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late. The musician co-wrote the song with Brandi Carlile, life-long lyricist Bernie Taupin, and mega-producer Andrew Watt also receiving songwriting credits. If the EGOT champ scores the nomination this year, he would join very rarified company. John could even go on to make history at the 2025 Oscars as the 10th person ever to get three wins in the category.
A bid for “Never Too Late” would mark his fifth in the Best Song category. Although that is nowhere near the nominations record – Sammy Cahn has the most ever with a whopping 26 – it would tie John with some legendary songwriters in the five-time club. Those other composers include his frequent collaborator Tim Rice, with whom he wrote The Lion King, Burt Bacharach, Oscar Hammerstein II, and Stephen Schwartz, who could also earn an Oscar nom this year in the Best Score category for Wicked.
SEE Oscar shortlists in 10 categories announced
“Never Too Late” ranks just outside the top 10 in Gold Derby’s current combined odds for Best Song, with 20% of our editors predicting the Rocket Man will get the nomination, but only 4.8% of experts thinking it will break through. The category is currently led by “Kiss the Sky” from The Wild Robot, followed by two numbers from Emilia Pérez, “El Mal” and “Mi Camino.” “Never Too Late” missed nominations at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards but did pick up a Satellite Award bid.
The rousing, piano-forward track features both John and Carlile singing about second chances and seizing every moment in the face of challenges and even mortality, as the chorus declares, “To hell with Heaven’s gate.” They each get one verse of their own, but spend most of the song harmonizing. The lyric has a subtle nod to all John has been through personally and professionally in his 60-plus year career, labeling him “an iron man.”
Although a nomination and win looks like a long shot, another Best Song victory for John would make him only the 10th individual in Oscar history to win three or more times in the category. Five writers have won three so far: Rice, Jay Livingston, Ray Evans, Harry Warren, and Paul Francis Webster. There are four individuals with four victories, which is the current record: Jimmy Van Heusen, John’s fellow EGOT Alan Menken, who missed the shortlist this year for the animated film “Spellbound,” Johnny Mercer, and Cahn. Menken, Heusen, and Warren are the only composers in those lineups. The others are either just lyricists or writers of both music and lyrics.
Three of John’s nominations all came in 1994 for The Lion King for “Circle of Life,” “Hakuna Matata,” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” which won, all shared with lyricist Tim Rice. He has one more nomination and win for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from his biopic, Rocketman, which he co-wrote with Bernie Taupin. “Never Too Late” would mark the first-ever nomination for Brandi Carlile, who has won nine Grammy Awards.
The 2025 Oscar nominations will be announced Jan. 17. There ceremony will be held March 2.
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