The social media buzz surrounding Bradley Cooper's debut directorial effort, A Star Is Born, has been significant. The trailer received a whopping 10 million views on YouTube. Bot ready to be outdone, the first official music video off of the movie's soundtrack, "Shallow," dropped on Lady Gaga's YouTube page, and it has tallied 7.2 million views to date... and counting. I'll post it below, but I will also warn you that watching that video kind of ruins one of the best moments in A Star Is Born, so you might want to skip the embed and just read why it's better to avoid it.
The timing of the release of the soundtrack for A Star Is Born is significant. It's poised to drop on the same day that the movie opens, and that's largely because the songs in the movie tell the story of starcrossed lovers Jackson (Bradley Cooper) and Ally (Lady Gaga). Listening to the songs ahead of time will almost chart the course for the movie -- not that originality is a calling card for a movie that, yes, has been made three times prior to Cooper's new effort.
We're going to dive into real spoilers for A Star Is Born now, so back away if you really don't want to know anything.
But the trailer for "Shallow" is particularly revelatory, as it captures a moment in the movie where Ally first overcomes her fear and steps on stage with Jackson to perform one of her original songs. Prior to this point, she's only briefly revealed her talents to him. He knows what a gifted artist she is, but she isn't ready to spill those details yet. So he kind of forces her hand by starting to play a composition of her song during one of his concerts. And you can see the range of emotions dancing across Gaga's face in the movie, and in the music video.
But truthfully, it's far more effective when you see it play out in context in the moments of A Star Is Born. Just don't tell that to the millions of people who have enjoyed the music video for "Shallow" before seeing the movie.
A Star Is Born is making its way to theaters as we speak. Select AMC Theaters will allow you to see the movie as early as Wednesday, though it will be available everywhere on October 5. We would advise you to pick a theater that is screening the movie in Dolby Atmos, as Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga poured their hearts and souls into the sound of this film. See, and hear, for yourself as soon as you can.
