Matthew Heineman’s moving documentary “American Symphony” was recently acquired by Netflix after its debut at the Telluride Film Festival, cementing itself as one of the early frontrunners for the Oscars. The film’s main subject, Oscar-winning soul singer Jon Batiste, is now in the running for Best Original Song with “It Never Went Away”.
Batiste sings the emotional number, which he co-wrote with Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Dan Wilson.
“‘It Never Went Away’ is a lyric that describes a love that transcends any condition of the physical world,” Batiste tells Variety. “It explores the questions of our mortality while speaking to the enduring quality of our deepest callings and desires. The part of us that protests the ills of the physical world is really a testament to our eternal nature.
The film follows multi-instrumentalist Batiste from the beginning of 2022, when he finds himself celebrated with 11 Grammy nominations, including album of the year. In the midst of this triumph, Batiste is immersed in his most ambitious challenge yet: composing an original symphony for a performance at the storied Carnegie Hall. But this extraordinary journey is upended when Batiste’s partner, Suleika Jaouad, learns that her long-dormant cancer has returned.
With the addition of Batiste, the original song race is crowded with some of the biggest names in music vying for the Academy’s attention. They include Billie Eilish (‘Barbie’), Justin Timberlake (‘Trolls Band Together’), Diane Warren (‘Flamin’ Hot’) and Lenny Kravitz (‘Rustin’).
Batiste was the bandleader and musical director of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” for seven years. In 2021, he became the second black composer (after Herbie Hancock) to win the Academy Award for Best Original Score for the animated film “Soul” (2020), which he shared with fellow composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Batiste’s latest studio album, World Music Radio, features collaborators including Jon Bellion, Lana Del Rey and Lil Wayne.
Wilson, best known as the lead singer of the 90s rock band Semisonic, has built an impressive resume as a songwriter. He’s a multiple Grammy winner, including Song of the Year in 2007 for Dixie Chicks’ ‘Not Ready to Make Nice’ and Album of the Year in 2012 as one of the producers of Adele’s ’21’.
Verve Records and Interscope Records will release the song. “American Symphony will premiere on Netflix on 29 November.
