The first time Lady Gaga's Ally takes the stage alongside Bradley Cooper's Jackson Maine to duet their original song in A Star is Born, it's completely electric. As the pair sings "Shallow," audiences can feel every emotion of Ally's nervousness, excitement and raw talent as they belt out the film's signature tune. It's one of those unique onscreen music moments that will likely be singed into the memory of many for years to come.
During an episode of Variety's Actors on Actors, Lady Gaga recently explained to Lin-Manuel Miranda why she loves her song "Shallow" so much. Specifically, how Jackson heard her melody from their first night, and wrote a song around it. In her words:
This is a conversation between a man and a woman, and he actually listens to her. And I think we live in a time when this is something that's really important to women. Women want to be heard.
"Shallow" begins with a genuine moment between Ally and Jackson as they sit in the middle of a parking lot of a grocery store. Ally begins to write it, as she sings a verse inspired by Jackson and then belts out the jaw-dropping chorus, while Jackson listens intently to her words.
Later on, Jackson pens his own lyrics to the tune about Ally on stage, much to her surprise as she stands on the sidelines and is soon invited over to finish the duet. As Gaga explains, it signifies a conversation between the couple as they form an early connection and understanding of one another. See it again for yourself below:
Yes, it's actually that good every time. What's beautiful about the song and the sequences pertaining to "Shallow" is how it represents a mutual respect and interest Jackson and Ally have for one another. They ask each other questions in the song: Jackson's "Is there somethin' else you're searchin' for?" shows an understanding of her passion for music and Ally's "Aren't you tired tryin' to fill that void?" detailing her grasp of the beginning of his career spiral.
It's a rare to see such a genuine and honest relationship on screen, and perhaps one of the reasons why Bradley Cooper's directorial debut has received with open arms commercially and critically.
In the interview with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lady Gaga talked about how "shocking" and "amazing" it is to have people to latch on to the movie and "Shallow" in particular because she finds it to be one of the most authentic pieces she's ever written. Gaga also gushed about how the Star is Born team were really committed to telling an honest story too.
Since A Star is Born is now a frontrunner in this year's Oscars, fingers crossed we'll soon see Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga perform "Shallow" live to pay tribute to the film's most memorable song.
