The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. It is awarded to the best original song or score created specifically for a television program.
The award has gone by several names: Outstanding Achievement in Music, Lyrics and Special Material (1970–1973) Best Song or Theme (1974) Outstanding Achievement in Special Musical Material (1975–1978) Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics (1981–1991) Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics (1992–1995) Outstanding Music and Lyrics (1996–2005) Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics (2006–present)
Winners and nominations 1970s Year Program Song Composer / Lyricist Network 1970 Love, American Style ABC Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Billy Barnes (music & lyrics) NBC Spoon River CBS 1971 The First Nine Months Are the Hardest Ray Charles NBC The Dean Martin Show Lee Hale NBC The Name of the Game Pure Goldie Billy Barnes 1972 The Funny Side Ray Charles (music & lyrics) NBC Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Billy Barnes CBS The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour Earl Brown 1973 Liza with a Z NBC The Marcus-Nelson Murders "Don't Give Me a Road I Can't Walk" CBS The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour "The Gloria Majestic Story" Earl Brown 1974 Ironside "Light My Way" NBC The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman "The Love That Lights Our Way" Fred Karlin CBS Kojak Billy Goldenberg 1975 Queen of the Stardust Ballroom CBS Cher CBS Chico and the Man Theme NBC Police Woman Theme Morton Stevens Shirley MacLaine: If They Could See Me Now CBS 1976 The Carol Burnett Show "Cinderella Gets It On!" CBS Gypsy in My Soul CBS 1977As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award. The benchmark was not met and no award was given. America Salutes Richard Rodgers: The Sound of His Music Larry Grossman CBS An Evening with Diana Ross NBC How the West Was Won Theme Jerrold Immel ABC Minstrel Man "Early in the Morning" CBS Police Woman "Leave Me Tomorrow" NBC 1978 Outstanding Achievement in Special Music Material The Carol Burnett Show "Hi-Hat" CBS The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots "See You Tomorrow in Class" ABC Donny & Marie "Leading Lady" Earl Brown ABC Poldark (Masterpiece Theatre) Theme Kenyon Emrys-Roberts PBS Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women "Until the Music Ends" NBC Outstanding Achievement in Coverage of Special Events - IndividualsAs a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award. The nominee did not meet the benchmark and no award was given. The 50th Annual Academy Awards "Look How Far We've Come" ABC
1980s Year Program Song Composer / Lyricist Network 1980 Outstanding Individual Achievement - Special EventsAs a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award. The nominees did not meet the benchmark and no award was given. The 52nd Annual Academy Awards "Dancin' on the Silver Screen" ABC 1981 Linda in Wonderland "This Is My Night" CBS All Commercials... A Steve Martin Special "Truman Capote Jeans" Earl Brown NBC Perry Como's Christmas in the Holy Land "The City of Tradition" Ray Charles ABC Homeward Bound "Home" CBS The Way They Were "In the Beginning" Syndicated 1982 Shirley MacLaine... Illusions "On the Outside Looking In" CBS Advice to the Lovelorn "If This is Love" NBC The Gift of Life "Just a Little More Love" CBS The Greatest American Hero "Dreams" Stephen Geyer ABC Night of 100 Stars "What's Your Line?" Kohan ABC Walt Disney... One Man's Dream "Marceline" CBS 1983 Two of a Kind (GE Theater) "We'll Win This World" CBS The 55th Annual Academy Awards "And It All Comes Down to This" ABC Bare Essence "In Finding You, I Found Love" CBS Cheers "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" NBC Happy Endings Theme Song CBS Quincy, M.E. "Quincy's Wedding Song" NBC Suzanne Somers... and 10,000 G.I.'s "We're Not So Dumb" CBS 1984 Here's Television Entertainment "Gone Too Soon" NBC Burnett Discovers Domingo "No Time Now" CBS Fame "I Still Believe In Me" Syndicated Fame "Whatever Happened to the Heroes?" Two Marriages "Home Here" ABC 1985 Love Lives On "Wildflower" & "Lullaby" NBC Disneyland's 30th Anniversary Celebration "Thank You (For Thirty Happy Years)" NBC Moonlighting "Moonlighting" ABC Motown Returns to the Apollo "Tall, Tan, and Teasing" NBC 1986 Andy Williams and the NBC Kids Search for Santa "My Christmas Wish" NBC All-Star Party for "Dutch" Reagan "America Is Changing Back to What She Used to Be" CBS America Picks the #1 Song "Take It to the People" Ray Charles ABC Growing Pains "As Long As We Got Each Other" The Third Annual NBC All-Star Hour "One Big Happy Family" NBC The 12th People's Choice Awards "The People's Choice" Brown CBS 1987 Liberty Weekend: Opening Ceremonies "Welcome to Liberty" ABC The 59th Annual Academy Awards "Sing Me the Song, the Song from the Movie" ABC Jack and Mike "This Love's for Real" Nan Schwartz Liberty Weekend: Closing Ceremonies "Liberty! Remember, Rejoice, Renew"Earl Brown 1988 Julie Andrews: The Sound of Christmas "The Sound of Christmas" ABC Growing Pains "Swept Away" ABC Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC "Comedy Ain't No Joke" NBC NBC Investigates Bob Hope "A Man Is Innocent/Until Proven Guilty" 1989 Beauty and the Beast "The First Time I Loved Forever" CBS Dadah Is Death "In The Light of Our Love" CBS Roseanne "I'll Never Change My Mind" ABC Sesame Street… 20 Years & Still Counting "Look Through the Window" Joe Raposo NBC Shining Time Station "Start Where You Are" PBS
1990s Year Program Song Composer / Lyricist Network 1990 From the Heart... The First International Very Special Arts Festival NBC Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer ""I'll Be the One" Dick DeBenedictis NBC Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th Anniversary Celebration "You Were There" ABC Twin Peaks "Into the Night" 1991 Cop Rock "He's Guilty!" Randy Newman ABC Cop Rock "Nowhere to Go, Nothin' to Do" ABC Life Goes On "Bittersweet Waltz" The Lost Capone "I Didn't Hear You" TNT Matlock "Love and Justice" Dick DeBenedictis NBC 1992 Cast a Deadly Spell "Why Do I Lie?" HBO The Carol Burnett Show "Rock Out of That Rockin' Chair" CBS A Salute to America's Pets "Love Without Strings" ABC The Walt Disney Company Presents the American Teacher Awards "We Have Come to Learn" Disney 1993 Liza Minnelli Live from Radio City Music Hall "Sorry I Asked" NPT Blind Spot "Good Things Grow" CBS Bob Hope: The First 90 Years "Where There's Life, There's Hope" NBC The Heights "How Do You Talk to an Angel" Fox I'll Fly Away "State Until You Come Home" Stephen James Taylor NBC 1994 Trisha Yearwood: The Song Remembers When "The Song Remembers When" Hugh Prestwood Disney Carol Burnett: The Special Years "One Lucky Lady" CBS The Corpse Had a Familiar Face "Something Is Out There" Murder, She Wrote "The Game's Not the Same" The Simpsons "Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart?" Fox The Tony Awards "Celebrate Broadway" CBS 1995 Barbra Streisand: The Concert "Ordinary Miracles" HBO Cagney & Lacey: Together Again "All the Days aka Rooftop Source" Nan Schwartz Mishkin CBS Robbie Robertson: Going Home "Pray" Robbie Robertson Disney A Season of Hope "For a Love Like You" CBS The Simpsons "We Do (The Stonecutters Song)" Fox 1996 Bye Bye Birdie "Let's Settle Down" ABC Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree "The Perfect Tree" CBS People: A Musical Celebration "Children of the World" Disney The Simpsons "Señor Burns" Fox The Walt Disney Company and McDonald's Present the American Teacher Awards "Come on In" Disney 1997 The Simpsons "We Put the Spring in Springfield" Fox Boo to You Too! Winnie the Pooh "I Wanna Scare Myself" CBS Centennial Olympic Games: Opening Ceremonies "The Power of the Dream" NBC "Faster, Higher, Stronger" Mrs. Santa Claus "Mrs. Santa Claus" Jerry Herman CBS 1998 The Simpsons "You're Checkin' In (A Musical Tribute to the Betty Ford Center)" Fox The Closer "You Don't Know Jack" CBS Mr. Show with Bob and David "How High the Mountain" HBO Xena: Warrior Princess "Hearts Are Hurting" Syndicated "The Love of Your Love" LoDuca 1999 AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies: America's Greatest Movies "A Ticket to Dream" CBS Home Improvement "We've Got It All" Dan Foliart (music & lyrics) ABC Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular "Freedom Dot Com" FX Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You "Places in the Heart" ABC You Lucky Dog "Togetherness" Disney
2000s Year Program Song Composer / Lyricist Network 2000 Nickellennium "Up to You" John Kimbrough Nickelodeon The 14th Annual American Comedy Awards "My Bill Gates" ABC AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars "Without You" CBS Family Guy "We Only Live to Kiss Your Ass" Fox Freedom Song "Song of Freedom" Carole King TNT 2001 Yesterday's Children "A Dream That Only I Can Know" Patrick Williams CBS AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Barbra Streisand "On the Way to Becoming Me" Fox Dancing in September "Welcome Back (All My Soulmates)" HBO Gary & Mike "Mole Folks Song" UPN Robert Klein: Child in His 50s "Colonoscopy" HBO 2002 Family Guy "You've Got a Lot to See" Fox The Carol Burnett Show: Show Stoppers "A Mackie Rag"Ken & Mitzie Welch CBS The Fairly OddParents "I Wish Every Day Could Be Christmas" Nickelodeon Judging Amy "The Best Kind of Answer" Peter Himmelman CBS The Simpsons "Ode to Branson" Fox 2003 The Concert for World Children's Day "Aren't They All Our Children" ABC The Fairly OddParents "It's Great to Be a Guy" Nickelodeon "What Girls Love" It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie "Everyone Matters" NBC The Simpsons "Everybody Hates Ned Flanders" Fox 2004 Until the Violence Stops "Because You Are Beautiful" Lifetime The Fairly OddParents "Wish Come True!" Nickelodeon Futurama "I Want My Hands Back" Ken Keeler Fox Sesame Street Presents: The Street We Live On "The Street We Live On" PBS The Simpsons "A Vote for a Winner" Fox 2005 Reefer Madness "Mary Jane/Mary Lane" Showtime Malcolm in the Middle "The Marriage Bed" Fox The Muppets' Wizard of Oz "When I'm with You" ABC The Simpsons "Always My Dad" Fox Terror at Home: Domestic Violence in America "The Tears of the Angels" Michael Bolton Lifetime 2006 MADtv "A Wonderfully Normal Day" Fox Gideon's Daughter "Natasha's Song" BBC America High School Musical "Breaking Free" Jamie Houston Disney "Get'cha Head in the Game" Once Upon a Mattress "That Baby of Mine" ABC 2007 Saturday Night Live "Dick in a Box" NBC Family Guy "My Drunken Irish Dad" Fox MADtv "Merry Ex-Mas" Scrubs "Everything Comes Down to Poo" NBC "Guy Love"Paul F. Perry Fordham & Perry 2008 Jimmy Kimmel Live! "I'm Fucking Matt Damon" ABC Flight of the Conchords "Inner City Pressure" HBO Flight of the Conchords "The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)" MADtv "Sad Fitty Cent" Fox Phineas and Ferb "I Ain't Got Rhythm" Disney 2009 The 81st Annual Academy Awards "Hugh Jackman Opening Number" ABC A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! "There Are Much Worse Things to Believe In" Comedy Central The 2008 ESPY Awards "I Love Sports" ESPN Flight of the Conchords "Carol Brown" HBO A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa "I Wish I Could Be Santa Claus" Paul Williams NBC Saturday Night Live "Motherlover" NBC
2010s