The Music of the Oscars 2020: Billie Eilish, Elton John, Eminem, Cynthia Erivo Entertain the Masses

The 92nd Academy Awards took place Sunday in Hollywood, and it was another night of glitz and glamor for the movie business as the Oscars aired on ABC.

It was also a historic evening, as the Korean film Parasite won Best Picture, making it the first foreign-language film to earn the coveted award, beating out potential winners 1917, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Irishman, Joker, Jojo Rabbit and others.

There were also several notable musical performances on the night, spanning generations and styles in a series of appearances that sparked many conversations online and in households around the world.

Here are some of the highlights:

Sir Elton John performed the Rocketman song “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePIhBSeg2C4

A bit later in the evening, Sir Elton won his second Oscar (the first coming in 1995 with “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” from The Lion King). John accepted this award with musical partner Bernie Taupin — marking Taupin’s first-ever Oscars win!

When it was time for the In Memoriam segment remembering Hollywood figures who have passed on within the past year — including legends like Kirk Douglas, who passed at 103 earlier in the week— 18-year-old alternative/pop superstar Billie Eilish sang the Beatles‘ “Yesterday.”

It was a performance that showed range and depth far outside the realm of what we’ve come to expect from Eilish thus far in her young career, which is intriguing considering she and brother/producer Finneas O’Connell are working on the next James Bond theme song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKmqtaxIS3Y

Beloved singer Randy Newman sat behind the piano kit to perform a version of “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” his Oscar-nominated song from the film Toy Story 4, marking Newman’s return to the Academy Awards stage, where he’s won two Best Original Song Oscars over the years:

Actress/singer/songwriter Cynthia Erivo, nominated two times at these Oscars for Actress in a Leading Role and Best Original Song — for her portrayal of Harriet Tubman in the 2019 film Harriet and its lead song, “Stand Up,” brought the house down with an amazing performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7S1kehYR2M

There was even a performance nobody saw coming — when Eminem showed up unannounced to perform “Lose Yourself,” which won an Oscar in 2002 for Best Original Song (as featured in his film, 8 Mile).

Standing ovation! 👏 15-time GRAMMY winner @Eminem gave a surprise performance at the #Oscars of his Oscar and GRAMMY-winning song "Lose Yourself" that had everyone nodding: https://t.co/iPjts7zMCt pic.twitter.com/52lhb8zUlq

— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) February 10, 2020

Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity… Thanks for having me @TheAcademy. Sorry it took me 18 years to get here. pic.twitter.com/CmSw2hmcZo

— Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) February 10, 2020

His surprise appearance came after a segment highlighting the role of music in the Academy Awards:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pat5z1XTIyY

In all, the 92nd annual Academy Awards was another star-studded celebration of Hollywood, but the musical selections seemed a bit more inspired than usual, in terms of the songs themselves and the musicians who graced the stage to deliver the memorable performances.

Click here for the full list of winners.