Elton John (photo: Greg Gorman)
At Sunday night’s 92nd Annual Academy Awards, Elton John and his longtime writing partner Bernie Taupin won Best Original Song for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” their new tune written for John’s biopic Rocket Man. It was John’s fourth nomination and second win, as he won an Oscar for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King back in 1995. Sir Elton performed “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” as well as part of the show, which aired on ABC.
The night began with a show-stopping performance from Janelle Monáe, starting with a tribute to Mr. Rogers by singing “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” then seguing into a version of her own “Come Alive (The War Of The Roses),” with a cameo from Billy Porter singing a piece of Elton’s “I’m Still Standing.” The performance also included dancers representing Oscar-nominated songs as well as multiple critically acclaimed movies that were snubbed, such as Midsommar and Us.
Eminem made a surprise appearance, performing his classic “Lose Yourself” backed by an orchestra. Em won the Oscar for “Lose Yourself” in 2003, from his film 8 Mile, but was a no-show at the ceremony that year, so this appeared to be a “make-good” 17 years later.
Billie Eilish was a recent addition to the Oscars lineup and it was revealed that she was chosen to perform during the annual In Memorium segment. Accompanied by her brother Finneas on piano, Eilish sang a subdued, tasteful version of The Beatles‘ “Yesterday” over the montage.
