Check This Out: "A Star is Born" (2018) Releases First Song "The Shallows," and Solidifies Its Status as Oscar Front Runner

Scene from A Star is Born (2018)

With every single day, it seems like the day when Oscar season starts to get serious is getting closer, and there's a good chance that the kickoff date is October 5's release of Bradley Cooper's A Star is Born remake. It has been dominating the film festivals with a lot of love from critics and audiences who are already making this sound like the film to beat. Whether it's true for Cooper and co-star Lady GaGa in what's being described as dynamic performances, one thing seems a bit more obvious: the one category that's going to be hard to beat from the film is Best Original Song. Nowhere is this more evident than today when the film released a video for its first song, "The Shallow": a duet that you likely recognize from the trailers, but up until now haven't been able to hear in full. Well, here's the song in full. Just don't expect it to leave your brain for the next five months, so be warned. 

The history of A Star is Born is almost directly in line with the Best Original Song category. With exception to the William A. Wellman original, every adaptation has managed to earn a nomination in this category. The George Cuckor/Judy Garland version featured the incredible, soul bearing "The Man Who Got Away" and the Barbra Streisand/Kris Kristofferson version won with "Evergreen (Theme From A Star is Born)" in the early 70's. Considering that Lady GaGa would be a returning nominee to this category, there's a lot of hope for anyone expecting her to win an Oscar this upcoming year. This is pretty much a role molded to her type of charisma.

So before continuing, check out the song "The Shallows" below, which may take you a few listens before continuing. It's that good.

This is all just speculation on one song. For all that's known, there's three or four songs on the soundtrack that are better. However, the marketing would suggest that this is the major song. Much like how La La Land banked on "City of Stars" in majority of their marketing, "The Shallows" seems primed to be the front runner from the film. If nothing else, the impact of the song will hit the listener in the final 90 seconds once Lady GaGa hits those high notes. It's incredible and reflects what makes her such a talented singer. There's a lot that's undeniable about the track, including the infectious chorus and the slow build that is likely to have a bigger emotion in the context of the film. Either that, or this is primed to be such a radio staple that it will be like Frozen's "Let It Go" or Skyfall's "Skyfall" and be undeniable because of how much it has transcended the zeitgeist.

I'm already getting the impression that A Star is Born will be a big player in most of the major categories. In a delusional sense, I do feel like we're months away from Lady GaGa achieving the rare Best Actress/Best Original Song double win. I know that the race is still being shaped, but it does feel possible, especially since Cooper has a strong hold on Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and a co-writing credit on Best Adapted Screenplay (an honor that is most notably shared with fellow Warren Beatty, who did it twice with Heaven Can Wait and Reds). The film does sound insane in that regards, but the speculation is not to be outdone by the reality that Oscar season still has three months of movies to change gears just a little. Maybe First Man will be an unstoppable force, of If Beale Street Could Talk becomes more of a crowd pleaser, or even Adam McKay's Dick Cheney movie has the same surprise success as The Big Short. Whatever the case may be, they all have to knock A Star is Born out of its incredible lead.

So, what do you think of the song? Personally, I have been eagerly awaiting Lin Manuel Miranda's EGOT win for three years now, and I'm disappointed to know that whatever he produces in Mary Poppins Returns isn't likely to be as established a pick as this. I'm sure Miranda's music will be great, but "The Shallows" has the added bonus of time to ingrain itself into pop culture. It has, in a fragmented way, but now is here officially to stay. 

I also want to take this moment to promote some upcoming A Star is Born content that I will be writing. Coming next week will be a review for the film, as well as a track-by-track review of the soundtrack to determine what songs could possibly be making that Oscar line-up. Then the week after (Oct. 8) will be a commemorative look back at all four A Star is Born films that looks at what makes them similar and different, as well as other things that could be interesting. So, prepare for some great A Star is Born coverage by watching all three of the available adaptations if possible, through FilmStruck (the Wellman and Cuckor ones are there) and Netflix (the Streisand one is currently available here). It's going to be a good time looking at Hollywood's favorite franchise and see what has changed and stayed the same over the many, many decades.

Until then, keep listening to "The Shallows."