Elton John and Brandi Carlile were nominated for an Oscar for Best Song

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18 December 2024

Press/Hanna Hanseroth

Elton John and Brandi Carlile’s song Never Too Late, from the documentary of the same name, has been nominated for Best Original Song at the 2025 Academy Awards.

The Academy announced the shortlists for several categories for the 2025 awards last night (December 17). Among the shortlists revealed are Best Original Song and Best Original Score.

There are some heavy hitters from the pop world joining John & Carlile on the Best Original Song shortlist, including Kneecap, Pharrell Williams, Robbie Williams, Selena Gomez and Trent Reznor.

After watching an early clip of the ongoing documentary, Brandi was inspired to write an original song with influence and guidance from Bernie Taupin’s style. Brandi brought the lyrics and concept to Elton to continue writing together, while Andrew Watt added additional writing and production.

John told Billboard that Carlile’s song “just summed up the whole documentary perfectly. “What she saw, she wrote down in a very concise way and summed up that whole hour and 40 minutes of time in one song, which was incredible.”

“I was moved by what I saw. I especially loved some of the historical footage, and it just sent me back through my whole childhood,” Carlile said. “I felt like my life of admiring Elton flashed before my eyes. And I came to the conclusion that I had something to say about him and that I wanted him to say it,” she says.

Best Original Song Oscar Shortlist

Aaron Pierre & Tiffany Boone – Tell Me It’s You (Mufasa: The Lion King)
Adrian Quesada & Abraham Alexander – Like a Bird (Sing Sing)
Auli’i Cravalho with Rachel House – Beyond (Moana 2)
Camille, Zoe Saldaña & Karla Sofía Gascón – El Mal (Emilia Pérez)
Elton John & Brandi Carlile – Never Too Late (Elton John: Never Too Late)
Kneecap – Sick in the head (kneecap)
Kristen Wiig – Harper and Will Go West (Will & Harper)
Lainey Wilson – Out of Oklahoma (Twisters)
Maren Morris – Kiss the Sky (The Wild Robot)
Pharrell Williams & Princess Anne High School Fabulous Marching Cavaliers – Piece by Piece (Piece by Piece)
Robbie Williams – Forbidden Road (Better Man)
Saoirse Ronan & Nicholas Britell – Winter Coat (Blitz)
Selena Gomez – Mi Camino (Emilia Pérez)
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Compress / Repress (Challengers)

Best original score shortlist

Aaron Zigman – The Six Triple Eight
Amelia Warner – Young Woman and the Sea
Andrea Datzman – Inside Out 2
Alberto Iglesias – The Room Next Door
Benjamin Wallfisch – Alien: Romulus
Bryce Dessner – Sing Sing
Chanda Dancy – Blink twice
Clément Ducol & Camille – Emilia Pérez
Cristobal Tapia de Veer – Babygirl
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Danny Elfman – Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Hans Zimmer – Blitz
Harry Gregson-Williams – Gladiator II
John Cardon Debney – Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Robin Carolan – Nosferatu
Tamar-kali – The fire within
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
John Powell & Stephen Schwartz – Wicked