Sufjan Stevens Will Perform “Mystery Of Love” At The Oscars
Sufjan Stevens will get his Elliott Smith moment at this year’s Oscars. 20 years ago, Smith, of course, had one of ’90s indie rock’s most transcendent cultural moments, when he performed “Miss Misery,” his surprise Best Original Song nominee from the Good Will Hunting soundtrack, at the 1998 Oscars. He wore a white suit, looked fragile, and shared a stage with Celine Dion, whose juggernaut barnstormer “My Heart Will Go On” won the award. Maybe it won’t look quite so incongruous when Stevens takes the stage in a week and a half, but it’ll be something.
We already knew that Stevens was nominated for Best Original Song; “Mystery Of Love,” one of Stevens’ contributions to the movie Call Me By Your Name, is up for the award. And we already knew that Stevens would attend the ceremony. But today, we get confirmation. The Asthmatic Kitty website announces that Stevens will perform the song on the show.
According to the Associated Press, all five of the original performers will be on hand to perform their nominated songs at this year’s awards. Mary J. Blige, also nominated for Best Supporting Actress, will sing Mighty River, from Mudbound. Previous Best Original Song winner Common will team with Andra Day for “Stand Up For Something,” from Marshall. Miguel, along with Gael Garcia Bernal and Natalia Lafourcade, will sing “Remember Me,” from Coco. And Keala Settle will belt out the Greatest Showman showstopper “This Is Me,” the favorite to win the award.
This year’s Oscars will air 3/4 on ABC. Now let’s all rewatch the Elliott Smith moment together: