Last week, an obscure song from an obscure movie was nominated for an Academy Award: “Alone Yet Not Alone” (listen below). The big surprise was not so much that it was from a little known independent movie but that it was from a Christian movie. Not only that, the song is sung by none other than evangelical mainstay Joni Eareckson Tada.
As you might imagine, Hollywood was pretty miffed after the announcement. After all, Oscar-nominees comprise a really exclusive club. And it’s almost unthinkable to imagine that Joni Eareckson Tada would beat out the likes of Taylor Swift, Celine Dion, and U2. But that’s exactly what happened. The question is this. How did it happen?
The Los Angeles Times reports that this came about because of a grassroots campaign on the part of the composer, who happens to be an industry insider. He used his considerable connections within the Academy to lobby for the song, and it worked. If you haven’t heard the song yet, you can do so below. To read the backstory on the nomination, you can read the Times story here: “The Curious Case of ‘Alone Yet Not Alone’.”
7 Comments
Julie Anne Smith
I like Joni, but I do not like how this went down behind the scenes. It reminds me of a kid who runs to the front of the line and takes cuts. The world is watching Christians and their behavior. Where’s the integrity?
Aaron A. Smith
That’s a nice tune.
senecagriggs
I read the Times article; I missed the part suggesting a Lack of Integrity. It appears it was pretty straight forward, nothing out of bounds. I was impressed by Joni ability to sing; I wouldn’t think she has a lot of vocal power because of her physical limitations. Great song
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Reg Schofield
The Oscars have always been about back door lobbying and politics . This song is decent but to me its very derivative of what has been done before and better . I haven’t watched the Oscars in years , so I dont really pay any attention .
Kelley Kimble
So how did the other songs get nominated? I’ve only heard one of them, and to me it just sounds like another pop dance-beat song that little girls will be performing to for the next couple of years. I hope it wins, against all odds. Even so, I expect “Alone Yet Not Alone” will surface in churches soon.
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