David Byrne is known for innovative presentations of his music, and he didn’t disappoint Sunday night at the 95th annual Academy Awards.
Byrne performed his Best Original Song “This Is a Life,” from the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once, accompanied by Son Lux — whose member Ryan Lott co-wrote the song with Byrne — and one of the movie’s stars, Stephanie Hsu, standing in for the song’s other writer, Mitski.
Hsu sang the song in a floor-length gown which appeared to be covered with feathers, while Byrne wore a white suit. When he moved his arms, he revealed that he was wearing “hot dog fingers” on his hands, aping one of the most memorable scenes in the film.
As Byrne and Hsu sang the song, a group of dancers performed balletic fight choreography in front of them, and large video screens displayed a number of key images from the movie: An everything bagel, googly eyes and a raccoon, among other things.
If “This Is a Life” wins the Oscar, it’ll be Byrne’s second: In 1988, he won Best Original Score for his work on The Last Emperor with composers Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su.
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