The 2024 Oscars starred two show-stoppers. The first being Messi, a seven-year-old border collie who acted in the film Anatomy of a Fall. The second being Ryan Gosling. His performance of “I’m Just Ken” brought LA’s Dolby Theatre to its knees.
Ryan Gosling’s 2024 Oscar Performance
If you’re not in-the-know, “I’m Just Ken” is the 1980s-inspired power ballad from Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. In the anthem, written by Mark Ronson, Ryan Gosling’s version of Ken bemoans the fact he will always be in Barbie’s shadow.
At the Oscars, Gosling, wearing a bedazzled pink suit, seemed to put it all into his performance. He grooved with cowboy-hatted hunks, karate-chopped pink pieces of wood, and spirited into the audience. There was even a surprise guitar solo by Slash from Guns ‘N Roses.
However, despite being such a high point, “I’m Just Ken” didn’t win the Oscars’ Best Original Song award, an honour it was nominated for. This prize instead went to another hit from the Barbie soundtrack, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell’s “What Was I Made For”.
To be fair, “What Was I Made For” is also an incredible ballad, equally deserving of said award. This song explores what it means to feel lost with nowhere you belong, a sentiment ever-present in Gerwig’s Barbie.
Like Gosling, Eilish and O’Connell performed their song at the 2024 Oscars. Their rendition was soft, gentle, and drenched in melancholia.
After this song concluded, the energy of the Oscars picked up again. Everyone was delighted that Eilish and O’Connell won the Best Original Song award. During Eilish and O’Connell’s acceptance speech, they beamed.
“Thank you so much to the Academy,” Eilish said. “I just didn’t think this would happen. I was not expecting this. Greta, where did you go? I love you! Thank you for this. I’m so thankful for this song and for this movie and the way that it made me feel.”
Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell’s Second Win
It’s worth noting that this award isn’t Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell’s first Oscar win. In 2022, they won a Best Original Song award for creating “No Time to Die” for the James Bond film of the same name.
In 2024, the other songs that Eilish and O’Connell bested were Flamin’ Hot’s “The Fire Inside”, American Symphony’s “It Never Went Away”, and Killers of the Flower Moon’s “Wahzhazhe”.
Related: Why Robert Downey Jr Thanked His Veterinarian in His ‘Oppenheimer’ Win Speech
Related: The First Winner of the Oscars — Da’Vine Joy Randolph Wins Supporting Best Actress Award
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