Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s sizzling performance of “Shallow” at the Oscars has skyrocketed the song all the way to the top of the Hot 100 for the first time. The tune, which was written and composed for the film A Star Is Born, had not previously made it past the No. 5 spot on the chart that ranks the most popular songs in the U.S. every week. That is, not until the ASIB duo launched the Twitterverse into a frenzy of speculation with their achingly intimate Oscars performance.
“Yes, people saw love and guess what? That’s what we wanted you to see,” Gaga said on Jimmy Kimmel Live about the memorable duet. Kimmel asked, “You had such a connection with Bradley, that instantly, and I guess this is a compliment, people started saying oh, they must be in love.” Gaga rolled her eyes…
“[‘Shallow’] is a love song, A Star Is Born is a love story. It was so important to both of us that we were connected the entire time…” She added: “I’ve had my arms wrapped around Tony Bennett for three years touring the world. When you’re singing love songs, that’s what you want people to feel.”
Gaga continued laughing, “I’m an artist and I guess [Bradley and I] did a good job… fooled ya!”
Could the steamy rendition have been no more than an act calculated to fit the demand of “Let’s give ‘em something to talk about?” A source told US Weekly, “They were in character putting on an Oscar performance.” One witness who seemed confident was Irina Shayk, Cooper’s partner and mother of their toddler daughter. The model gave the pair a standing ovation for their performance. The next day Shayk and Cooper were seen out and about driving in Los Angeles together.
Here’s another clue that the coziness was carefully staged.
The unusual set-up for the performance began with a camera shot from behind the piano as Gaga and Cooper rose from their seats. Mark Ronson, one of the songwriters for “Shallow,” said Cooper directed the unconventional camera angle for his duet with Gaga.
“I think it was Bradley’s idea,” Ronson revealed on the Ellen DeGeneres show the day after the Oscars. “I think he had a specific vision. I heard Lady Gaga talking about it, so I think it was his thing. And I think that’s probably the only time they’ll perform the song together, so it made it feel really special.” Ronson added, “… it was so brave of him to go and do that.” Cooper was outspoken about his fears of performing live in front of an audience before the Academy Awards.
Even the longing looks during the performance were meticulously scripted.
Although he established his reputation as a director on “A Star Is Born,” Cooper did not receive an Academy Award nomination for that job. He was nominated but did not win as “Best Actor.” Lady Gaga won her first-ever Oscar for Best Original Song.