At last year’s Oscars, the Best Original Song category was a lock: “Shallow” was going to win, come hell or high water. This year, things seemed a little less certain, but the song that ultimately earned a statuette did so because of its spectacle, star power, and superb musicality. Enter the one and only Elton John.
25 years after winning Best Original Song for his Lion King ballad “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” John reigned supreme once again at the awards show on Sunday night (February 9). His win came for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” the sole new song written for the fanciful jukebox musical about his life, Rocketman.
During his speech, Elton thanked his longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin, with whom he wrote the song, for being “the constant thing in my life,” and said that the win is “a dream for us.” He also shouted out Rocketman star Taron Egerton, who portrayed him in the biopic. Meanwhile, Taupin sweetly said, “Being here with this guy, I don’t have words for it. This is justification for 53 years of just hammering it out and doing what we do.”
Elton’s win came just minutes after he performed “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” on the Oscars stage. It was a characteristically dazzling display of his showmanship: He wore a bright purple suit with a rocket pinned on the lapel, had a full band backing him, and performed on a red piano in front of two giant stars reminiscent of his iconic sunglasses.
Getty Images“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” beat out Randy Newman’s “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from Toy Story 4, Diane Warren’s “I’m Standing with You” from Breakthrough, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez’s “Into the Unknown” from Frozen II, and Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo’s “Stand Up” from Harriet.
