On March 21, 1994, Freehold native Bruce Springsteen was honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Original Song for his soundtrack composition, “The Streets of Philadelphia.” The song was featured in the movie Philadelphia, a drama about AIDS directed by Jonathan Demme, and starring Tom Hanks, who won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance. The awards were held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, Calif., honoring films released in 1993. The song also won four Grammy awards.
Bruce Springsteen is shown in the photo above accepting his Academy Award from presenter Whitney Houston, another favorite child of New Jersey, born and raised in Newark. In 2004, “The Streets of Philadelphia” finished at number 68 on the American Film Institute’s “100 Years…100 Songs” survey of top tunes in American cinema. The song is also listed among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.”
Sources:
The 66th Academy Awards. (1994). https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1994
Featured image source: Screen capture of Bruce Springsteen at the 1994 Academy Awards, courtesy Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYG3oigQDzc.
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