Academy says “Forbidden Road” was bumped from the shortlist because it “incorporates material” from Jim Croce’s “I Got a Name”
Robbie Williams’ “Forbidden Road,” which was penned for his upcoming primate-infused biopic Better Man, has been knocked off the Oscars shortlist for Best Original Song.
The song no longer appears on the official Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences webpage for this year’s Oscar shortlists, and members of the Academy’s Music Branch received a letter this morning (obtained by Rolling Stone) announcing the disqualification. The reason stated in the letter is that “Forbidden Road” allegedly “incorporates material from an existing song that was not written” for Better Man.
Though the letter did not name the other song, an Academy representative confirmed that it was “I Got a Name,” a 1973 Jim Croce song penned by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel, which served as the theme for the film, The Last American Hero. Fox also happens to be one of the three governors for the Academy’s music branch.
Reps for Williams and Fox did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s requests for comment.
The Oscars’ Best Original Song category has strict eligibility rules, stating that a track must contain words and music that are “original and written specifically for the motion picture.” The letter sent out to music branch members said the executive committee “met and reviewed materials” and determined that “Forbidden Road” does not meet these criteria.
“This is a decision that both honors our rules and protects the special nature of the Original Song and Score categories,” the letter states.
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Better Man is set to open in select theaters on Christmas, with a wide release scheduled for Jan. 17, 2025. The movie was directed by Michael Gracey and looks to be more or less a standard biopic, except that Williams has been replaced by a CGI-animated chimpanzee (Williams still voices himself in the film).
Better Man’s soundtrack will largely comprise new versions of Williams’ various hits, while “Forbidden Road” — which Williams wrote with Freddy Weller and Sacha Skarbek — was the one new original tune. “Forbidden Road” was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.
