"I wrote that little intro." That "little intro" is an acoustic guitar riff inspired by Eric Clapton. "The way the song was different than the way it turned out once we put my band and the musicians ," Nelson says when Thrillist speaks with him at the Toronto International Film Festival. The song evolved when soundtrack producer Lukas Nelson - whose Promise of the Real appears as Jack's backing band - came into the picture. (The other eclectic writing credits on the song include Dirty Pretty Things' Anthony Rossomando and Miike Snow's Andrew Wyatt.) But that was just the first draft.
"Shallow" finds Lady Gaga once again collaborating with producer Mark Ronson, who she worked with on her 2016 album Joanne. (Think, Judy Garland singing "The Man That Got Away.") "Shallow" is this version's most iconic. The history of A Star Is Born - this is the third remake - is filled with iconic moments. It's a chilling, indelible moment - arguably the best in the film. She takes the microphone with a fury and starts belting her memeable pop aria. Just before the bridge, Jackson nods to her. At one point she puts her hands over her face. She almost catches herself by surprise while she's singing to the massive audience. Then, with purpose and determination, Ally strides on stage. Jackson's just told his new love Ally (Lady Gaga, who else?) his plan to debut the song they wrote together during their first meeting at this concert. With those words, Bradley Cooper's Jackson Maine walks out on stage at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles and strums the opening notes of "Shallow" in A Star Is Born, the adaptation Cooper also wrote and directed.