Musical Poetics
Shallow x Lady Gaga: a look at the work of A Star Is Born
Shallow unites the voices of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper with the story of A Star Is Born. I analyze the arrangement, the scenes, the live performance, and my cover.
In this article
I heard Shallow for the first time in the trailer of A Star Is Born. What captivated me was the transition from an almost restrained conversation to a chorus sung at the top of their lungs. The music gains another kind of power because we follow Ally and Jackson at the moment their voices meet.
My cover of Shallow
The lyrics and the scale change in the arrangement led me to record a cover. Before getting into the analysis, you can listen to my rendition of the song:
When comparing my cover to the scene in the film, I return to three elements: the arrangement, the vocal interpretation, and how the story changes what we hear.
The arrangement and story of the film
The sounds of country It is rock They appear at different points in Lady Gaga's career, including in Joanne. In Shallow, The acoustic guitar, the piano, and the entrance of the electric guitars help to build a transition from intimacy to spectacle. More than fitting the track into a single genre, it's worth listening to how these timbres accompany the scene.
In my interpretation, the lyrics question whether there's something beyond the surface of the expectations surrounding the characters. The answer doesn't just come from the words: when the voices come together in the chorus, the song makes the growing closeness between Ally and Jackson audible. This interpretation also depends on the film's context.
The more spaced-out beginning gives way to a chorus of great intensity. This change seems welcoming to me because it allows one to hear the effort and expansion of the voices. Acoustic instruments can contribute to this impression, but they are not, in themselves, a guarantee of emotion or sincerity.
In the film, the song appears in stages: Ally presents a melody idea to Jackson, then the two sing it in front of an audience. Listen again. Shallow After these scenes, the perception of the lyrics changes, as the music begins to reflect the relationship between the characters.
Watch the song's performance in the film and observe the transition between the two voices:
Two voices, two characters
Bradley Cooper's voice surprised me with its restraint in the verses. Lady Gaga responds with an interpretation that grows without erasing that difference. She also received... Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Ally.
I hear hesitation in some of Ally's entrances and more projection when the character takes on the chorus. These are acting choices that make sense in the scene. It's impossible to deduce a physical condition of the singer solely from the audio, nor to claim that a version was "corrected" without knowing the recording and editing sessions.
But, beyond interpretation, what led to this choice?
The closeness between voice and character can be felt in the work, but the specific intention of Gaga, Cooper, and the team requires behind-the-scenes sources. I prefer to stick with what the film allows us to observe: pauses, glances, and changes in intensity articulate music and narrative.
This difference between what we hear and what we can say about the process also appears in my An analysis of the feeling of closeness in pop music..
The Oscar for Best Original Song
In 2019, Shallow won Oscar for Best Original Song. The Academy credits Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, and Andrew Wyatt for the music and lyrics. The award recognizes the composition; the film scene shows how it works dramatically.
At the Oscars ceremony, Gaga and Cooper sang the song together. The performance changes the context of the song: without the film's editing, the relationship between their voices becomes what sustains the performance before the audience.
Another live performance of Shallow
The part where Ally sings the song in a different key in the film made me want to hear a live version with more guitar work. It's one possible interpretation, not a replacement for the original scene.
At the 2019 Grammy Awards, Gaga performed. Shallow in a more intense arrangement. In that edition, the song won. Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Song for Visual Media. Compare the video below with the film's presentation to see how the same refrain can be interpreted in different ways.
Read more Musical analyses and creative narratives on the blog..