On This Day, March 21, 1994: Bruce Springsteen wins an Oscar for ‘Streets of Philadelphia’

On This Day, March 21, 1994…

Bruce Springsteen added an Oscar to his trophy case, winning the Academy Award for best original song for “Streets of Philadelphia,” which he wrote for the Tom Hanks movie Philadelphia. The tune was one of two tracks from the movie to be nominated, the other being “Philadelphia” by Neil Young.

Philadelphia was one of the earliest mainstream films to deal with the HIV/AIDS crisis, and won Hanks an Oscar for best actor.

“Streets of Philadelphia” also won five Grammy Awards, including song of the year. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking The Boss’ 12th and, to date, last top-10 single.

Just two years later, Springsteen was nominated for his second Academy Award. This time he earned a nod for best original song for “Dead Man Walkin’” from the Sean Penn movie Dead Man Walking. It lost to “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas.

Springsteen will be spending his summer on the road, but not in the U.S. He kicks off a U.K./European tour on May 14 in Manchester, England.

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