Musical Analysis #1 - Shallow
"Shallow"
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
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The length of this song is quite short, but the amount of emotion and energy that is revealed in these lyrics gives me goosebumps. This song does a great job of depicting the struggles that these characters face as individuals and in their relationship with each other.
As the song progresses, and their relationship, as portrayed in the movie, the song starts to pick up and the piano is then heard in the piece. Lady Gaga's vocals create a powerful change of pace, with many added vibratos - giving the song more depth. The bridge in this song mirrors the climatic part between Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in their relationship in A Star is Born.
I have always been a huge fan of Bradley Cooper as an actor, for his abilities and looks (insert heart-eyed emoji here), so naturally, I was drawn to this song. It is nice to see someone push the limits outside of their comfort zone and do it so well. Lady Gaga, on the other hand, was never a favorite of mine; I didn't mind her music, but her antics were a little much. Nonetheless, I appreciate her self-expression. It wasn't until I watched, "A Star As Born," the movie for which this song was written, that my appreciation for Lady Gaga started to develop. Like Bradley Cooper, she branched out and played a starring role in her first movie, and that is certainly something to be admired. Also, I love that this song is only recorded live; it gives the song such a raw and authentic feel that you don't get from songs recorded in studios - Have you ever wondered why you only hear a live version of the song?
Referring to Lady Gaga:
"...but the singer also made another non-negotiable request: that all songs from the movie be recorded live. That means there would be no lip-synching and re-dubbing the studio-recorded songs later."
-Angelica Florio, Bustle Entertainment
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Lyrics
For me, lyrics are the most exciting element in music. Being able to sing along to a song can be so empowering; just getting lost in the moment and letting yourself go. The words to this song hit deep for me on a personal level with family. The lyrics are powerful, as they portray a tense and dramatic conversation between two characters who are going through hard times and seemingly in love.
When Bradley sings:
“I'm falling
In all the good times I find myself
Longin' for change
And in the bad times I fear myself”
In all the good times I find myself
Longin' for change
And in the bad times I fear myself”
There is a double meaning, here. In the movie, Bradley's character is falling in love with Lady Gaga's character, while he is also falling deeper into his hedonistic lifestyle.
When Lady Gaga sings:
‘I'm off the deep end, watch as I dive in
I'll never meet the ground
Crash through the surface, where they can't hurt us
We're far from the shallow now.’
I'll never meet the ground
Crash through the surface, where they can't hurt us
We're far from the shallow now.’
The idea here is that Lady Gaga's character is comparing a relationship to diving into the deep end, and feeling safe at the surface of the water, whereas, the shallow is referring to her tension-filled relationship with Bradley's character.
"I'm not afraid to write my feelings in a song"
-Taylor Swift
Rhythm
I love songs that start slow and then pick up; it allows you to feel calm and relaxed and then lifts you up, adding liveliness to how you're feeling. Shallow is in a time signature of 4/4, known as, common time. The overall tempo is 96 BPM, or Andante, a steady "walking" tempo. The melody in this tune has a nice, simple feel to it. I would describe it as a conjunct melody - it is smooth, and easy to sing or follow.
An acoustic guitar plays a repeated chord and accompanies both singers. It isn't until Lady Gaga sings the word, "void" in her first verse that we hear a cello start to play, emphasizing the word void.
"Rhythm is something you either have or don't have, but when you have it, you have it all over."
-Elvis Presley
Song Structure
There are nine parts to this song: Within those nine parts, the song is further divided into Chord Sequences due to a lot of repetition in the song.
First Chord Sequence
Intro
Verse 1: "Tell me something, girl"
Pre-Chorus 1: "I'm falling"
Interlude
Verse 2: "Tell me something, boy"
Pre-Chorus 2: "I'm falling"
Second Chord Sequence
Chorus 1: "I'm off the deep end"
Third Chord Sequence
Bridge: "Oh, oh, oh"
Second Chord Sequence
Chorus 2: "I'm off the deep end"
The bridge does a nice job of breaking up this song; it adds more variety and allows for a transition between the Second Chord Sequences. I was surprised to see it used that far into the song, but it was done perfectly; the peak of the song and it dying down mimics the film.
"That is what intrigues me; songwriting, song structure, and expression."
-Geddy Lee, Rush
About the song
"Shallow" is the lead single in the soundtrack for the film A Star Is Born, starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. The song was written by Lady Gaga herself, along with Andrew Wyatt, Anthony Rossomando, and Mark Ronson.
The tune was nominated for four Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, Best Song Written for Visual Media, Best Pop/Duo Group Performance, and Song of the year. The awards don't stop there. "Shallow" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Critics Choice Movie Award for Best Song, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music.
"Shallow" is the 30th most streamed song on Spotify as of February 2021.
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Below is the Offical Music video for Shallow By Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
Click HERE for their live performance at The Oscars
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|Sources|
Asprou, Helena. “A Musical Analysis of 'Shallow' from A Star Is Born.” Classic FM, Classic FM, 6 Jan. 2019, www.classicfm.com/discover-music/a-musical-analysis-of-shallow-from-a-star-is-born/. Retrieved 1 Feb. 2021
Florio, Angelica. “Bradley Cooper Really Sings In 'A Star Is Born' & His Musical Training Was No Joke.” Bustle, Bustle, 28 Sept. 2018, www.bustle.com/p/bradley-cooper-really-sings-in-a-star-is-born-his-musical-training-was-no-joke-12047526. Retrieved 1 Feb. 2021
Lazarov, Teo. “Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper - Shallow Chords and Tabs Explained.” Chordify, Chordify, 4 Nov. 2020, chordify.net/pages/shallow-chords-tabs-gaga/. Retrieved 1 Feb. 2021
“Shallow (Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shallow_(Lady_Gaga_and_Bradley_Cooper_song). Retrieved 1 Feb. 2021
I enjoyed reading your blog. I like your creativity. While reading the lyrics about the tension in their relationship, it made me think of the hard time everyone is having to adjust to everything with this pandemic.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this song. My mother showed it to me after seeing the movie; I haven’t seen it yet, but I want to. I have a similar taste for Lady Gaga’s songs. Some of them are pretty good, in my opinion, but she does seem to take it a bit too far with her antics. I was very surprised when I learned that she was the singer for Shallow, since all the other songs I’d heard her sing were nothing like it. I agree with your analysis wholeheartedly. I love the way the song builds, going from quiet, with not many instruments, to loud and powerful, with several instrumental parts in the background. The way that Lady Gaga uses her voice is amazing in this song. At one point she isn’t even singing words, just aah at different pitches. I love that they only performed the song live, it adds so much to it. There is just a different sound to it because the background noise isn’t completely controlled. I found someone’s interesting blog about how difficult this song is to sing and why. The author explained that it’s so difficult because the chorus immediately goes to a high note, without any buildup, and then doesn’t come down for a long time. I also learned that the song stays in a certain range that makes the singer almost need to pronounce the words strangely, so that they sound right when they’re belting them out; which I found fascinating. The blog also gave some tips for learning to sing it, which I know I am no match for, but maybe you’d like to try. I’ll attach the link to it. Great post, and wonderful song!
ReplyDeletehttps://mollysmusic.org/blog/hard-songs-to-sing-shallow-by-lady-gaga/
Hi Jocylynn,
ReplyDeleteWhat an impressive song you chose for the post! I heard of Lady Gaga a lot, but this song is truly phenomenal! I also loved their live performance for Oscar. You did an in-depth introduction and thorough analysis for this song!
I like how you explained the lyrics. I wonder why they named it “Shallow”, as the whole song seems to value the freedom and safety in the “deep” end. Could it be that “shallow” sounds more musical and attractive in contemporary relationships? Regarding the structure (form) of the song, I like the dialogues between the male and female characters, which goes like a conversation, exploration, and a confession of their love to each other. I agree with you that Lady Gaga’s wide range of vocals and added vibratos created a powerful change of pace and emotions. She was truly unique as a performer and singer for this song. Lady Gaga sang at the inauguration of Joe Biden early this year. So, I investigated more background information of her at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Gaga . She is quite a character, may not be my favorite style though. As you mentioned that you appreciate Lady Gaga’s self-expression regardless of her antics. I agree that she did great for “Shallow” with Bradley. Again, I enjoyed your analysis for this song!
Robin
Hi Jocylynn,
ReplyDeleteI've never seen the movie, but you truly don't need to to understand the meaning behind the lyrics and furthermore the depth behind the song. I really enjoyed reading your analysis and hearing your perspective. I totally agree with your reading on how the rhythm, it definitely does feel like a relaxing, calming and easy song to listen to. I also never realized the added cello on the word void, but that totally makes sense. It does have the effect of making it feel all encapsulating and consuming. You provided me with some great insights here. Thank you! You've done a great job.