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Award-Bait Song

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"This song I've written for you is so schmaltzy, it'll make 'Moon River' sound like a farting orangutan."
Homer Simpson, The Simpsons, "A Star is Torn"

Or: The Big Damn Bronze Age Disney-Style Award-Baiting End-Credits Power Ballad.

Tropers who grew up in the 1990s know what we're talking about, right? It's the kind of song which plays over the end credits (usually) of an animated (usually) Disney (usually) movie (usually) from the '90s (usually). They each share a distinctive style and, as per the title, once you hear it you just know it's going to get nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song, and if it doesn't, somebody's getting fired.

They generally have at least four of the following distinctive traits:

The distinguishing trademark, however, is when the song has a reprise, frequently a duet, done over the end credits. Bonus points if it's sung by Barbra Streisand, Céline Dion (or someone who sounds like her), Whitney Houston, Peabo Bryson, or Bryan Adams.

Sounds like the kind of song popularized by nineties Disney films, yes? The funny thing is that the film that probably helped to make this sort of thing popular during this particular part of movie history would be "Somewhere Out There" from Don Bluth's An American Tail, although Don Bluth's team had also had "Flying Dreams" in the earlier The Secret of NIMH. And even before that, songs unrelated to the story, usually of the love song variety, often sung by popular singers, had been a staple of closing credits for Asian films — particularly anime — for decades.

Award Bait Songs are also found in many live-action films, notably "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic (1997). Many, many films from the late-70's through late-90's had a song like this, leading some critics to call this period the last really amazing time for movie songs. This has been exchanged for "hip" pop songs from the popular artists at the time, and/or more commonly the movie soundtrack.

Movie Bonus Songs in film adaptations of stage musicals often fall under this trope, since the songs adapted from the stage play aren't eligible for Best Original Song, and this is the filmmakers' attempt at letting the film receive some accolade for its music. Whatever the song's reason for being, the "Award-Baiting" part isn't the important part, nor is the "End Credits" part. The important part is that the song is strongly associated with the narrative work, serves as a fitting capstone, and is in the style described above.

One tactic when trying for an award bait song is to take an existing, usually famous, song and record a Softer and Slower Cover.

It should also be noted that, while the song may be blatant award bait, that doesn't mean they still can't be really good regardless.

For other kinds of popular and/or Award-winning movie songs, see Breakaway Pop Hit and "I Want" Song. Compare The Power of Rock.


Examples

    open/close all folders 

    Anime & Manga 

    Fan Work 

    Films — Animated 
It's the kick in the pants you needed
This song will open up your eyes
It's the feeling you can't be defeated
It's an 80's song with synthy vibes
And you know it's super... upbeat, upbeat...

    Live-Action TV 

    Music 

    Professional Wrestling 
  • Goldust's theme, true to his film-obsessed gimmick, sounds like an instrumental mashup between an award bait song and a more traditional symphonic score.
  • Shawn Michaels was injured at one point in a real life altercation in which he suffered a concussion in the mid-90s. He collapsed mid-match a few weeks later and when the medical report on why it happened came out, it was revealed that he was suffering from post-concussion syndrome. Apparently the doctors (and for that matter pretty much everyone) Failed a Spot Check, since nobody knew about this at the time, and even Shawn thought he was back to full health at the time. Anyway, it was briefly feared that Shawn would be forced to retire due to the incident both in-universe and out. To really drive home the point that Shawn's career might be in jeopardy, they aired a special tribute video set to an award bait song, "Tell Me a Lie".

    Sports 
  • CBS has "One Shining Moment", which is traditionally played over a final montage at the end of the NCAA basketball tournament. It was originally intended as a closing montage song for Super Bowl XXI, but the broadcast was running too long and it had to be cut for time. A few months later, CBS decided to re-purpose it (with amended lyrics) for the NCAA tournament, where it has been played ever since.
  • CTV had one for its Olympic Games coverage, "I Believe", which was its official "anthem" for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and also used as the basis for its main theme music. The song was used practically everywhere, from commercials, to montages, and of course, the closing ceremonies. It quickly became a pet peeve for many viewers, especially the ones who wished CBC hadn't had the Olympics swiped from under them like CTV also did with the Hockey Night In Canada theme (CBC did get the Olympics back in 2014, though).

    Theater 

    Theme Parks 
  • Disney Theme Parks often commission these for ad campaigns, day-ending pyrotechnic shows and/or Milestone Celebrations.
    • 25th anniversary of Walt Disney World (1996): "Remember the Magic", sung by Brian McKnight, was probably the first example of this trope for the theme parks. A rewritten version was incorporated into the later Believe...in Holiday Magic fireworks show.
    • EPCOT's Big Damn Pyrotechnics Show Illuminations: Reflections of Earth ends with one of these, followed by the exit music "Promise".
    • The Millennium Celebration (1999-2000) centered on Epcot had the general theme song "Celebrate the Future Hand in Hand".
    • A duet reprise of the song "Wishes" plays after the Magic Kingdom fireworks show of the same name.
    • Beauty and the Beast — Live on Stage at Hollywood Studios uses the Céline Dion / Peabo Bryson version of the title song as exit music.
    • 50th anniversary of Disneyland (2005): "Remember When", sung by LeAnn Rimes and written by Richard Marx. The finale of the Remember...Dreams Come True fireworks show was sung live at the park by Rimes on May 5th, 2005.
    • World of Color has its own song with all sugary-sweetness we expect and love from Disney - although the portion played during the finale sounds less like an Award Bait Song.
    • Even Space Mountain had its own Big Damn Bronze-Age Disney Style Award-Baiting Exit Tunnel Power Ballad for a while, a surprisingly moving number about believing in dreams and reaching for the stars. Not to be outdone, Mission: Space has a similar theme song, entitled "Destiny", about courage and hope and whatnot.
    • The current fireworks show at Magic Kingdom, Happily Ever After has the titular song performed by Jordan Fisher and Angie Keilhauer playing during the opening and finale segments of the show. In addition, "Go the Distance" from Hercules plays during the start of the finale.
    • Wondrous Journeys has "It's Wondrous", which sings praises for "the magic what we call life" and pursuit of dreams.

    Visual Novel 
  • narcissu ~eon~ has all the trappings of one, despite being the theme for the comparatively small-time VN Narcissu 2. Power ballad, check. Sparkly synth, check. Covering a theme of the game itself, check. Being a Tear Jerker song despite the seemingly-hopeful tune, check.
  • All the Yarudora games have memorable Ending Songs, but the one that fits the trope out them all is "Kisetsu o Dakishimete", from the game of the same name. A love ballad sung by Oto Fumi in 1998, it's the only song in the Yarudora games to have entered the Japanese weekly Oricon charts, reaching the #64 rank and being charted for four weeks.

    Web Original 

    Western Animation 

    Other 
  • Award Bait Songs were so pervasive that in 2003, the Academy revised the rules. Nominees must be written specifically for the film and occur during the main action or as the first song in the credits. A later revision is that only two songs are eligible per movie (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Dreamgirls, and Enchanted had hogged the categories with three nominations each prior to this; the last two actually lost the category presumably due to vote splitting).
  • In the '90s, a pair of artists and a composer created an internet poll to gauge people's opinions of various musical elements. Then, based on the data gathered, they created "The Most Unwanted Song", filled with the most unpopular elements on the survey, and "The Most Wanted Song", filled with the most popular. The latter is total award bait.
  • The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has had a few, at least one of which was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Original Song:
    • The earliest known award bait song associated with the parade was "It's Thanksgiving Day", which Ed McMahon would sing at the end of the first hour of coverage, at least since 1979 or so. The last time he did it (1981), he sang it with a girl named Kaleena Kiff.
    • The successor to that song was another Milton and Anne DeLugg composition, "Giving Thanks". It was first performed by Mary Jo Catlett (yes, that Mary Jo Catlett) in 1983, and was reprised the next year by John Ratzenberger (yes, that John Ratzengerger). It was also the parade's closing theme for a few years.
    • "A Wonderful Day Like Today", sung by Clifton Davis in 1988, would be a much straighter example if not for it being more upbeat and having a cheesy talk-singing bridge. Like "Giving Thanks", it too was the parade's closing music until 1993.
    • The same with "Santa Claus Adventure" (1997) by Liz Callaway, minus the A Wild Rapper Appears! bridge (in fact, the song was more Disneylike in feel than "Wonderful Day", helped by Callaway's status as a veteran of Disney and non/Disney animated musicals).
    • "Just Beyond The Dream" (1999), by Lillias White, which was also featured in Macy's 2000 4th of July Fireworks show.
    • "When Hope Was There" (2003), by the USO Troupe of Metropolitan New York and Camp Broadway, written as a tribute to the recently-deceased Bob Hope. It's a bit more upbeat and patriotic than most Award Bait Songs, but it fits into this trope nonetheless.
    • "Free To Dream" (2004), by Deborah Voigt
    • "My Gift Of Thanks" (2005), by Michael Feinstein (who wrote it) and the Highbridge Voices
      • That year's parade also featured the above-mentioned "Remember When", as part of a segment paying tribute to the 50th anniversary of Disney Theme Parks.
    • "Key To This Wonderful City" (2007), by Feinstein and Anika Noni Rose is similar to "When Hope Was There" in that it's more upbeat than all of these examples, but still fits this mold.
    • "I Believe" (2008), by Kermit the Frog and Camp Broadway is one of the more popular examples to come out of the parade. The next parade featured both a Triumphant Reprise of the song and a duet version featuring Kermit and actress Tiffany Thornton. The latter version was also released to iTunes and Radio Disney during the 2009 holiday season.
    • "With You I'm Home" (2009), by Jane Krakowski.
    • Cheyenne Jackson's "Play To Win" from 2009 as well, though it's performed in a swinging Rat Pack crooner style that isn't usually associated with Award Bait Songs.
    • "Yes Virginia" (2010), by Ann Hampton Calloway is notable since it was inspired by the Macy's-funded TV special of the same name (which, bizarrely enough, aired on a rival network), but did not appear in it (the special debuted one year earlier).
    • For the 2012 parade, Thirza Defoe contributed the Pocahontas-esque anthem "Tree of Life".
    • Pat Benatar's "One Christmas Night" debuted in 2015.
    • During Obama's last day in office, Lin Manuel Miranda and Christopher Jackson perform "One Last Time" from Hamilton and the song becomes an award bait song midway through as seen here.


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"When the World's At Stake" is the Mother's heartfelt song about her desire to protect her family and its prosperity.

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