Diane Warren is not a “household name.” However, there’s a very good chance you know plenty of the songs she’s written.

Simply put: Warren is the keeper of some of the biggest ballads and bombastic tunes of the past five decades. (Google her once you’re done reading this and prepare to be in awe.) The accomplished songwriter has written for a diverse roster of artists. Counted on that roster are some of the biggest divas of all time including Cher, Celine Dion, Patti LaBelle, Gloria Estefan, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.

Additionally, Warren has also dipped her toes into the rock waters. She’s written songs for Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, KISS, Chicago and Cheap Trick.

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Besides churning out hits, Warren has been nominated a bunch for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards. In fact, she’s been nominated a whopping 15 times. Unfortunately and surprisingly, none of those nominations have yielded a win.

Warren was honored at the 13th Governors Awards in January 2023 with an Honorary Oscar. The award was presented to her by Cher. Her speech can be seen here, but it does contain NSFW language. So, consider yourself warned. Per Billboard, she’s one of only five people in history to win an Honorary Oscar and be nominated for a competitive Oscar in the same year.

Cher presents Diane Warren with an award onstage during the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 13th Governors Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on November 19, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.

Despite not winning a competitive Oscar (yet), Warren isn’t frustrated. She told The Hollywood Reporter about her remarkable streak, “They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and hoping for a different result. So, I guess I’m certifiably insane.” The songwriter also noted how she never loses her excitement for the Oscar nominations every year.

Warren is nominated, again, for Best Original Song at the 96th Academy Awards. With the Oscars taking place this Sunday (March 10), here’s a look at all 15 songs Diane Warren has written/co-written that have been nominated for Best Original Song.

• 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' (1988)

  Co-written with frequent collaborator Albert Hammond, this ballad from Starship was featured in Mannequin, which starred Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall. (Fun fact: “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” was the first song Warren wrote that became a number-one hit.) The song that took home Best Original Song in 1988 was another megahit: “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack.

• 'Because You Loved Me' (1997)

  “Because You Loved Me” was another song Warren wrote that topped the charts. Celine Dion lent her legendary vocals to this ballad featured on the soundtrack for Up Close & Personal, which starred Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer. The song that won Best Original Song in 1997 was “You Must Love Me,” a new ballad written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice for the film adaptation of Evita.

• 'How Do I Live' (1998)

  Warren wrote this ballad for the Nicolas Cage movie Con Air. The song was written with LeAnn Rimes in mind, but the film studio wanted a more mature singer for the song. (Rimes was just 14 at the time.) Trisha Yearwood was then tapped to record the tune, and her version is featured in the movie. However, it didn’t stand a chance against the frontrunner and eventual winner of Best Original Song in 1998: “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic.

• 'I Don't Want To Miss A Thing' (1999)

  Frankly, Warren was robbed in 1999. She penned the massive power ballad “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” that Aerosmith recorded for Armageddon. Instead, “When You Believe” from The Prince Of Egypt took home the Oscar.

• 'Music Of My Heart' (2000)

  This Warren song was sung by Gloria Estefan and one of the biggest boy bands of the time, *NSYNC. The song was featured in Music of the Heart, which starred Meryl Streep and Angela Bassett. However, taking home the Oscar for Best Original Song was “You’ll Be In My Heart” by Phil Collins.

• 'There You'll Be' (2002)

  Faith Hill lent her beautiful voice to “There You’ll Be,” which was featured in Pearl Harbor. While Warren didn’t win the Oscar in 2002, she was beaten by Randy Newman for “If I Didn’t Have You” from Monsters, Inc. It was Newman’s first Academy Award win after being nominated 11 previous times.

• 'Grateful' (2015)

  “Grateful” was sung by Rita Ora and featured in Beyond The Lights, which starred Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Nate Parker. In 2015, though, there was no stopping “Glory” from the Martin Luther King Jr. biopic Selma which was written and performed by Common and John Legend.

• 'Til It Happens To You' (2016)

  Warren co-wrote “Til It Happens To You” with Lady Gaga, who also performed the moving ballad. The song is featured in the documentary The Hunting Ground which delves into rape crimes on college campuses in the United States. Winning Best Original song in 2016 was “Writing’s On The Wall” from the James Bond film Spectre co-written and performed by Sam Smith.

• 'Stand Up For Something' (2018)

  Warren co-wrote “Stand Up For Something” with Common, who is featured on the track with Andra Day. The song was featured in Marshall, the biopic of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall who was portrayed Chadwick Boseman. The Oscar for Best Original Song ended up going to “Remember Me” from the Disney/Pixar film Coco.

• 'I'll Fight' (2019)

  Following being involved with the Thurgood Marshall biopic, Warren wrote a song for a documentary about another legendary Supreme Court Justice: Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Featured in RBG was Warren’s “I’ll Fight,” which was sung by Jennifer Hudson. Despite being a moving song, it was defeated by “Shallow,” the monster hit from A Star Is Born sung by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.

• 'I'm Standing With You' (2020)

  Warren entered the 2020s as a constant contender for Best Original Song. In 2020, she was nominated for “I’m Standing With You” from the film Breakthrough. The song was sung by This is Us actress Chrissy Metz, who also stars in the film. Winning Best Original Song in 2020 was “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” from the Elton John biopic Rocketman.

• 'Io Si' (2021)

  Warren co-wrote “Io Si (Seen)” with lyricist/singer Laura Pausini for the film La vita davanti a sé/The Life Ahead starring Sophia Loren. This year, the Academy Award went to “Fight For You” from Judas and the Black Messiah sung/co-written by H.E.R.

• 'Somehow You Do' (2022)

  In 2022, Warren was nominated for “Somehow You Do.” The song was sung by Reba McEntire and featured in the film Four Good Days starring Glenn Close and Mila Kunis about a mother helping her daughter battle substance abuse. The winner of Best Original Song that year was “No Time to Die” by Billie Eilish for the James Bond film of the same title. Eilish co-wrote the song with her brother, Finneas O’Connell.

• 'Tell It Like A Woman' (2023)

  Rounding out Warren’s lengthy list of songs she wrote/co-wrote nominated for Best Original Song is “Applause.” The song is sung by Sofia Carson and is featured in Tell It Like A Woman, which features an all-star cast of Eva Longoria, Marcia Gay Harden, Cara Delevingne and EGOT Jennifer Hudson. “Applause” faces some stiff competition against the other four nominees for Best Original Song: “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; “This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once; “Naatu Naatu” from RRR; and “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick.

• 'The Fire Inside' (2024)

  Warren’s latest nomination is for “The Fire Inside,” which is performed by Becky G. The track is featured in Flamin’ Hot. Directed by Eva Longoria, Flamin’ Hot tells the story of Richard Montañez, a janitor at a Frito Lay factory who went on to create Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Flamin’ Hot is available to stream on Hulu.

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