"Shallow" (the soundtrack's lead single and most popular song, with Gaga even having performed it live at the 61st GRAMMYs recently) is no exception. In the film, the song is heard sung between both Jackson and Ally the first time that Ally performs for a large audience, which is essentially what launches her career as a musician, and all of the applause heard throughout the film scene is also present in the soundtrack recording. The soundtrack features some of the dialogue heard in the film in between the songs (including a track titled "Parking Lot" that features Ally singing a verse from "Shallow"), but there is a streaming only version of the soundtrack that excludes the dialogue, and that version does feature a radio edit of "Shallow" that excludes most of the applause, but applause is still heard when Ally first crescendos the first time that she sings the chorus. I, however, absolutely love "Shallow" as it is definitely one of the strongest songs that Gaga has ever written and is well deserving of the praise that has been heaped upon it (including several award nominations and wins). Her powerhouse guttural vocals are some of the best of her career thus far (especially during the memorable buildup heard in the film trailer), and her voice sounds great alongside Bradley Cooper's gruff voice. The song is a folksy country pop song featuring acoustic guitar (as well as what is probably the dobro, giving it a bit of a twangy flavor), strings, and percussion - a minimalist approach that works perfectly. I especially love the line at the end of Gaga's first verse: "Ain't it hard keepin' it so hardcore?" This is Ally encouraging Jackson to soften up and let her in, and the song demonstrates the relationship between the two of them in so many ways. I love how the word "shallow" is intended to have more than one meaning - as not only far from shallow water but also as far from people who judge based on appearance, significant because Ally says that she has been called ugly many times throughout her life, which has held her back from pursuing a career as a musician.
"Music to My Eyes" and "Diggin' My Grave" are back to back duets between Gaga and Bradley and are both country-rock songs, with "Music to My Eyes" much softer than the aggressive "Diggin' My Grave" (which, although, a fun song, does little to demonstrate the relationship between Ally and Jackson, as it is essentially about someone who is angry with their lover for spending too much money). "Music to My Eyes" fits Ally and Jackson perfectly because the phrase being changed from "music to my ears" to "music to my eyes" indicates the basis of the relationship between Jackson and Ally - not only their love for each other's music but also their physical attraction to each other, significant because Jackson is likely the first person to tell Ally that she is beautiful. These two songs are the first two Gaga songs on the soundtrack that are strictly studio recordings with no applause or sounds from the film, and also interesting is that Gaga is only heard singing on them on the soundtrack; in the film, only Jackson is heard singing them. "Always Remember Us This Way" is a beautiful song sung only by Lady Gaga. It did take some time to grow on me, but once it did, I realized how beautiful that it is and now really like it. As do a few of the soundtrack's tracks (as previously stated), the track features a bit of applause, but it isn't as pronounced as some other tracks. The song is a soft country-rock song about being in love with someone and remembering the good times when you have to be away from them (which foreshadows the film's ending, but I won't discuss that here out of respect for any potential readers who have not yet seen the film.) Gaga's voice in the verses here has been compared to that of Shania Twain, which I can definitely hear, but the melody of the chorus reminds me a great deal of the melody of the chorus of the song "Silence Looks Good on You" (sung by Rachel Taylor), which is very likely a coincidence but is something worth mentioning.
"Look What I Found" is one of my favorite songs from the A Star Is Born soundtrack. Another Gaga solo, it is upbeat and piano driven, which is probably one of the reasons why I love it. (Gaga's talent on the piano is one of the reasons why I initially fell in love with her a decade or so ago.) In the film, Ally's manager encourages her to move away from the country-rock style of music that she had been making with Jackson and move toward a more radio-friendly pop sound, and this song is really when you first begin to hear that transition take place. I love this song because you can hear Ally's happiness both in the melody and in the lyrics as she expresses how she has finally found someone who loves her for who she is: "Look what I found - somebody who loves me!" "Heal Me" is a soft and soulful song with an R&B beat, and Gaga's vocals soar gracefully in the song's angelic chorus. The lyrics remind me a great deal of Lady Gaga's hit single "The Cure" because both songs are essentially about the same subject but from different perspectives, with "Heal Me" being from the perspective of the person in need of being healed and "The Cure" being from the perspective of the person doing the healing. (This is especially interesting given that both songs share many of the same songwriters - Lady Gaga, DJ White Shadow, Mark Nilan, and Nick Monson.) The next song on the soundtrack is another duet between Gaga and Bradley Cooper - a piano ballad with a jazzy rhythm titled "I Don't Know What Love Is." Although not really a highlight on the soundtrack for me personally, it is still a good song, and Bradley Cooper's verse is actually my favorite part of it: "If I had the courage, I'd know just what to do. Sometimes I have to crawl, and everyday I fall tryin' just to stand by you." His voice just works really well in this song, and I love the lyrics here. I also love the lyrics of the chorus: "I don't know what love is, but I think it might be you."
"Is That Alright?" is a piano ballad sung solely by Gaga. The song is a love song featuring a powerful and emotional melody in its chorus in which Gaga belts, "I want you to look right in my eyes, to tell me you love me, to be by my side. I want you at the end of my life. I want to see your face when I fall with grace at the moment I die. Is that alright?" (The song is especially emotional after seeing the film and knowing how it ends, but I, as I said before, don't want to spoil the ending, although if you have seen prior adaptions of A Star Is Born, then you already know.) "Why Did You Do That?" is another one of my favorite songs from the soundtrack, especially because it is so damn catchy. Gaga's typically powerhouse vocals (Seriously - how does she have those pipes when her spoken voice is so soft?) carry this soulful pop song through as she affectionately pretends to be angry with her lover for making her fall in love with him: "Why did you do that to me?" she repeatedly protests. One line in particular reminds me of the meaning behind Kelly Clarkson's song "Miss Independent" (the meaning being falling in love causing your need of and love for independence to dissipate) - "...'cause ever since I met you, I've been prayin' on my knees that you would always stay around, that you would never leave, but I'm the kind of girl that always needs to be free." In the film, Jackson does not seem to like the song, criticizing it during a particular scene. He tells Ally that a line near the beginning of the song - "Why'd you come around me with an ass like that?" - is crude and is indicative that Ally is sacrificing her artistry for fame. Although the line was written by Ally in the universe of the film (which is indicated as such when she comes to the line's defense and she and Jackson argue about it), it, in real life, was penned by iconic songwriter Diane Warren, with whom Gaga previously collaborated on "Til It Happens to You." With it being such an earworm, I am surprised that it hasn't been released a single.
I tend to think of "Why Did You Do That?" and "Hair Body Face" as sister songs on the soundtrack not only because they are back to back (even on the soundtrack with dialogue, and I also placed them back to back on my fanmade Lady Gaga album Ally) but also because they are both upbeat radio-friendly pop songs that stick out in comparison to most of the other songs that the soundtrack has to offer. In some ways, Lady Gaga is Ally. Gaga, like Ally, started with a more soulful and rock-star approach to music before transitioning to more radio-friendly pop music before hitting it big, and also like Ally, Gaga comes from an Italian family and suffers from insecurities about her appearance. "Hair Body Face" is essentially about those insecurities, which is one reason why I love it - even though it was likely written for Ally, it is also very much relatable for Gaga herself. (Gaga even previously used her hair as a symbol of her confidence and autonomy on the Born This Way track "Hair.") The song, as previously stated, is an upbeat pop song with an R&B-esque rhythm, and its lyrics relay a certain confidence in oneself that arises from being accepted for who you are by the person whom you love: "I'm not mad as long as I am perfect in your eyes," she reasons. "Before I Cry" is likely, in the universe of the film, Ally's response to the aforementioned argument between her and Jackson, an argument that turns nasty especially when Jackson uses her insecurity against her when he calls her ugly: "I can't believe the things you said," Gaga sings, opening the song. The song's lyrics plead with the speaker's lover to try to make amends so that their relationship can be salvaged. It's a slow pop-soul song in similar fashion as "Heal Me," and while not a bad song by any means, it is one of the weaker tracks on the soundtrack in my view; it just doesn't click with me like some of the other songs do.
Gaga's final song in both the film and on the soundtrack is titled "I'll Never Love Again." Ally gives a live performance of the entire song at the very end of A Star Is Born, and the soundtrack features both that version and an extended version. "I'll Never Love Again" is a soft piano ballad, with the staccato piano notes seeming to weep alongside Gaga's soft and gentle melody, the lyrics of which speak about feeling like you have already met your soulmate and therefore feel no need to ever search for anyone else. Parts of the song remind me of Christina Aguilera's usual R&B/soul style, and the melody of the chorus is tremendously similar to that of R. Kelly's song "I Believe I Can Fly." I am also reminded of Lady Gaga's song "Speechless" because the chorus of that song features the same line - "I'll never love again" - and I also feel like the meaning of "Speechless" fits perfectly alongside this film. I definitely appreciate the narrative purpose of this song in the film, and I definitely got teary-eyed during Ally's performance of it at the end of the film. All in all, I am very impressed with what the soundtrack to A Star Is Born accomplishes - showcasing Lady Gaga's already established ability as a songwriter and powerhouse vocalist and debuting Bradley Cooper's talent as a raw and guttural vocalist (with the film itself revealing his directing talent). It is so strange when I think about the fact that Beyoncé was originally set for the female lead role before that version of the film (which Clint Eastwood was set to direct) was canceled because it would have been a very different film with a very different soundtrack - not only because Beyoncé and Lady Gaga have very different singing voices but also because Lady Gaga had a hand in writing all of her songs with the exception of "Diggin' My Grave." The soundtrack is essentially an album's worth of material, and as a massive Gaga fan (or should I say little monster?), that is definitely rewarding. (I am sure that there are some fans who might even consider the soundtrack a Lady Gaga album, which, in some ways, it is.)
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