December 21, 2024
Robbie Williams' song Forbidden Road has reportedly been disqualified from the 2025 Oscars shortlist.
The track, featured in his biopic Better Man, was removed from Best Original Song category after the shocking discovery.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences discovered that the track included some material from an already existing song, which was not written for the film, according to a report by Rolling Stone.
The outlet shared that the disqualification was confirmed in a letter sent to the members of Academy’s Music Branch on December 20, 2024. The letter reportedly explained that Forbidden Road violated the requirement for original music and lyrics.
The song allegedly contains elements from I Got a Name, a track by Jim Croce that was written for the 1973 film The Last American Hero.
As per the rules only songs composed specifically for a film are eligible for the Best Original Song category.
It is worth mentioning that Robbie Williams' Better Man tells the story of his life and career, which will be released on Boxing Day.