Elton John loses Academy Award to song from ‘Emilia Pérez’

Elton John lost his shot at his third best original song Oscar Sunday night at the 97th Academy Awards.

Elton was nominated for “Never Too Late,” from his Disney+ documentary of the same name. Elton’s friend Brandi Carlile started writing the song after seeing a rough cut of the documentary, and it impressed him so much that he changed the name of the film to match it. Elton, Bernie Taupin and producer Andrew Watt then finished the song.

But “Never Too Late” lost to “El Mal,” a song from Emilia Pérez that was performed by best supporting actress winner Zoë Saldaña in a show-stopping number in the musical.

Coincidentally, the best original song category was presented by Rolling Stones legend Mick Jagger, a longtime friend of Elton’s. In fact, Elton played on the Stones’ most recent album, the Grammy-winning Hackney Diamonds, which was produced by “Never Too Late” co-writer Watt.

Despite his loss, Elton still had a good night: He and husband David Furnish hosted the annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar Viewing Party, which has raised millions of dollars over the years for HIV-AIDS research and awareness. Elton’s pal and best new artist Grammy winner Chappell Roan provided the entertainment.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, in addition to her own hits, Chappell performed Elton’s classic “Your Song,” adding, “I think it’s like, I don’t know, maybe the best song of all time. I dedicate it to my parents because they introduced me to Elton John, so I would not even be here were it not for them, and obviously, Elton, this is your song.”