Elton John's 'Never Too Late' makes Oscar short list for Best Original Song

Eighty-nine songs were eligible to be nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards in 2025, but only 15 of them have made the short list — and one of them is by Elton John.

"Never Too Late," written by Elton, his friend Brandi Carlile, Bernie Taupin and producer Andrew Watt, is now officially eligible for an Oscar nomination. The song plays over the end credits of the documentary Elton John: Never Too Late, which is currently streaming on Disney+. However, the film itself didn't make the short list for Best Documentary Feature.

The Oscar nominations will be revealed Jan. 17.

If "Never Too Late" wins an Oscar, it'll be Elton's third. He previously won in 1995 for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King and in 2000 for "I'm Gonna Love Me Again" from his biopic Rocketman. Earlier this year, Elton officially became an EGOT winner when he scored his first Emmy Award, for his Farewell from Dodger Stadium special.

Of note: "Never Too Late" didn't receive a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song. Conversely, there's only one song that was nominated for a Golden Globe that didn't make the Best Original Song Oscar short list: "Beautiful That Way," written by Miley Cyrus for the film The Last Showgirl.