The following may contain very mild spoilers for A Star is Born, so you might want to bail out now if this story is still new to you, and you want to stay preserved.
The music in A Star is Born acts like a separate character. The songs written by Ally (played by Lady Gaga) mesh with the established musical career of Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper, who also directs), and it gives their fledgling romantic relationship a foundation on which to build... even if it will lead to discontent before all is said and dine. What's miraculous about A Star Is Born, though, is that it covers a wide range of musical genres, even though it's focused on two singers, so when CinemaBlend sat down across from Cooper and Lady Gaga to discuss this film, we talked about how they made sure the musical stylings worked in tandem, and Cooper told us:
It's part of the journey. It's part of the journey that we wanted to tell about being an artist. It's wayward. And especially through Ally's eyes. We see her singing covers at the beginning, and then she navigated towards Jackson's world. And she's creating, autonomously, within Jackson's world. But that's not all she... it's also about how expansive one's talent can be if you can dream that big. And Ally at the end of the movie is just starting. What she's going to create is going to be even larger than what we've seen prior.
Both characters in A Star is Born go through life-altering transitions. Ally (Lady Gaga), to give an example, is plucked from obscurity -- she works a thankless waitressing job while singing cover songs at a drag club -- because Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) recognizes her ability as a singer/songwriter. Her journey is emotional, and when Lady Gaga elaborated in Cooper's answer to us, she explained:
You know, when we crafted the soundtrack, for this film together, it really, in a way, all stemmed from Jackson's sound. When she meets him, and they fall in love, and he takes her on this journey to go on the road with him, she's singing her own songs but she's growing with him and she's with his band. ... We crafted the music so that you would see an arc to the journey. You would see, 'This is her singing a cover, this is Bradley's music, this is Jackson's sound, this is a Jackson-and-Ally together [song], this is Ally when she's with Jackson...' And then you see everything starts to pivot.
Where will it pivot? Those of you who have seen the previous versions of A Star is Born will know. Even if you do know, though, you will connect with the performances in Bradley Cooper's directorial debut more than you ever did in a previous version. Here, hear it from Cooper and Gaga, themselves:
Later this week, when A Star is Born opens in theaters, you should see it, then pick up a copy of the soundtrack on your way home. They're perfectly paired, with the original songs telling the story of Jackson and Ally, and you will want to use them to remind yourself about this special movie once you've arrived back home. A Star is Born opens in theaters on October 4. It's a must-see film.
