Oscars 2013 Profiles: Best Song

Tunes from ''Chasing Ice,'' ''Les Miserables,'' ''Life of Pi,'' ''Skyfall,'' ''Ted'': A quick guide
By Rob Brunner
January 28, 2013 at 05:00 AM EST

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''Before My Time''

James Balog; inset: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Film: Chasing Ice
Music and Lyrics: J. Ralph
For a doc about climate change, composer Ralph tapped actress Scarlett Johansson and classical-violin superstar Joshua Bell to perform this chilly ballad.

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''Suddenly''

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Film: Les Misérables
Music: Claude-Michel Schönberg
Lyrics: Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil
Oscar nominee Hugh Jackman sings Les Miz‘s only award-eligible tune — written for the film by the musical’s original composers — just after Jean Valjean takes in the orphan Cosette.

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''Pi's Lullaby''

Gireesh Gv/Getty Images

Film: Life of Pi
Music: Mychael Danna
Lyrics: Bombay Jayashri
Indian vocalist Jayashri croons over a soothing wisp written by Danna, a Canadian film composer whose credits include (500) Days of Summer and Moneyball.

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''Skyfall''

Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Film: Skyfall
Music and Lyrics: Adele and Paul Epworth
Adele doing a Bond song seems like a no-brainer, but the singer actually had to be talked into accepting the gig by her boyfriend, Simon Konecki. The result is the first Oscar-nominated 007 tune since 1981’s ”For Your Eyes Only.”

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''Everybody Needs a Best Friend''

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Film: Ted
Music: Walter Murphy
Lyrics: Seth MacFarlane
After MacFarlane and Norah Jones dueted on the Ted writer-director’s 2011 jazz-vocals album, they reteamed for a retro big-band track boasting Jones’ vocals.

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