February 24, 2019 marked the biggest night of the year in Hollywood. The Academy Awards were held at the historic Dolby Theater and boasted higher ratings than 2018’s all-time low. While the huge event was hostless, the presenters were forced to really bring it, while each Best Original Song nomination served as the night’s only true entertainment.
“I’ll Fight” from the documentary RBG, “All The Stars” from Black Panther, “When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from Mary Poppins Returns, and “Shallow” from A Star Is Born were the nominees for Best Original Song.
A Star Is Born‘s Country Connection
What you may not know about “Shallow” and A Star Is Born, is that Lukas Nelson – Willie Nelson’s son – and his band Promise of the Real play Cooper’s band in the movie. Nelson was very vocal on social media about his involvement in the film and how honored he was to be in it. He also co-wrote several songs performed in the movie.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmtWsuDnqg2/
Impact of “Shallow”
While “All The Stars” was the only song that wasn’t performed due to timing and logistics for the song’s performers Kendrick Lamar and SZA, the most anticipated performance of the night had to be “Shallow,” which was to be sung by the movie’s stars Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.
Since its release, “Shallow” has become quite the phenomenon, with four Grammy nominations (and two wins), plus winning a Hollywood Music in Media Award, Satellite Award, and a Golden Globe.
Not only was it already the most awarded song nominated for an Academy Award, some of music’s biggest names have been covering it over the last few months, including Kelly Clarkson.
The Performance
As the guitar intro began during the 91st Academy Awards, the curtain was raised and Gaga’s piano was placed center stage. Gaga and Cooper, who play Ally and Jackson Maine in the film, walked to the stage from their seats in the front row. Cooper began the song, garnering applause after only singing the first phrase.
Gaga adoringly watched him sing his verse before she moved to the piano to play and sing hers, joining together for the chorus. After the powerful bridge, Cooper walked around the piano to sit next to his co-star at the piano bench where they shared her microphone to finish out the song.
Their incredible performance received an immediate standing ovation from the Academy Awards audience and we imagine many fans were standing in their living rooms, giving these two a round of applause from home.
What We Didn’t See
After the Oscars cut to commercial break, Gaga and Cooper returned to their seats when something happened that is truly wonderful and well-deserved – they received a second standing ovation from the entire audience.
Chris Gardner, a senior staff writer for The Hollywood Reporter, caught the moment on camera and tweeted it, where it has been viewed over half a million times. Apparently, this has never happened at the Oscars before.
“Something major just happened,” he wrote. “After ‘Shallow’ perf [sic], [Lady Gaga] & Bradley Cooper exited stage for commercial break. During break, they came back to their seats from stage then audience gave them another standing o. I’ve never seen that happen for any performers.”
Something major just happened. After “Shallow” perf, @ladygaga & Bradley Cooper exited stage for commercial break. During break, they came back to their seats from stage then audience gave them another standing o. I’ve never seen that happen for any performers. Cue embrace#Oscars pic.twitter.com/k9wNh66tn1
— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) February 25, 2019
To top it off, Gaga, along with co-writers Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, and Andrew Wyatt, won the coveted Oscar for Best Original Song. After this win, viewers noted that Gaga is halfway to EGOT status, needing a Tony and an Emmy to complete the rare achievement.
Watch the winning moment below.