I'll Never Love Again

"I'll Never Love Again" is a song created for the 2018 film A Star Is Born–starring Bradley Cooper as Jackson and Lady Gaga as Ally–, as well as its soundtrack. It was written by Gaga, Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey, and Aaron Raitiere, and produced by Gaga and Benjamin Rice. The soundtrack contains the film version of the song, which also features vocals from Bradley Cooper, as well as an extended version with only Gaga singing the song.^[1][2] Gaga later recalled that Cooper was still deciding how to end the film musically during production, as the script was being rewritten and the team had a "trove of songs" to choose from. According to her, even on the day of filming the final scene, Cooper was still changing which song would be used for the finale while she prepared at the piano in her trailer.^[3]

When Gaga was getting ready to film the final scene of A Star Is Born, where she sings "I'll Never Love Again", the singer got a telephone call that her childhood friend Sonja Durham was in her last moments of Stage IV cancer. Gaga left the set and drove to meet Durham, but she arrived ten minutes after her friend died. She asked Durham's husband if she should return to filming; he replied, "You've gotta do what Sonja would want you to do", so she returned to the set. Co-star and director Bradley Cooper was supportive of Gaga's loss but Gaga was adamant about finishing the scene, so she stepped on the set and sang "I'll Never Love Again". Gaga said, "[Sonja] gave me a tragic gift that day and I took it with me to [the] set, and I sang that song for Jackson and for her on that very same day within an hour."^[4]

The scene was filmed at the Shrine Auditorium and Gaga's grief shaped the emotional intensity of the performance. Unsure of what tempo, key, or delivery would feel right in the moment, Gaga asked engineer Alex Ruder to prepare seven versions of the master in four tempos and three keys, so playback could be adjusted as needed during filming. Benjamin Rice said the song had to be sung live on set, believing that a pre-recorded vocal would not have conveyed the same emotion, since the final take captures Gaga crying and sounding "very emotional and tender".^[5] He added that the Shrine Auditorium's connection to Judy Garland's performance of "The Man That Got Away" in the 1954 version of A Star Is Born gave the venue a "poetic resonance". Rice also recalled that when the crew arrived at the venue on the morning of filming, Cooper decided to rework the set-up for the scene with producer Karen Murphy, and that the changes were carried out within hours. He described the day as "distinctly emotional" and said Gaga brought a "raw heart" to the performance that is visible in the finished film.^[6] As with the other live performances in the film, the scene was staged for an audience of extras who could not hear the backing track and often could not hear Gaga's vocals either, as the production avoided playing the music over the venue's public-address system during takes.^[5]

"I'll Never Love Again"

A 24-second sample of the song, highlighting Gaga's soft lower-register vocals over the piano-led arrangement during the first chorus.

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A Star Is Born concludes with a tribute concert held in Jackson Maine's memory after his suicide. Introducing herself as "Ally Maine", Ally, wearing a periwinkle gown, performs "I'll Never Love Again", a song reflecting their relationship that they had worked on together while he was in recovery. The climactic performance is intercut with a flashback of Jackson singing the song to her for the first time at the piano, a device that Kristen S. Hé of Vulture viewed as deliberately tear-jerking but effective in underscoring their dynamic: Jackson recognizes Ally's artistic potential, while she is the one who fully brings it to life. The film ends with Ally gazing toward the audience.^[7][8] On October 19, 2018, a music video was released for the song–initially as an Apple Music exclusive–, showcasing these scenes and other clips from the film.^[9][10][11]

Musically, "I'll Never Love Again" has been described as a melancholic torch song and power ballad, inspired by the music of the 1970s.^[12][13][14] It starts as a piano ballad, before the arrangement gradually expands with strings, including violins, violas, cellos, and double basses.^[15][16] Gaga's singing style ranges from soft cooing in her lower register to belting.^[8] Bethonie Butler of The Washington Post wrote that Gaga transitions into "a honey-tinged, almost jazzlike section that feels as though she ad-libbed it in the studio" in "I'll Never Love Again", and described her performance as consisting of "passionate but controlled vocal runs".^[2] The song is performed in the key of G major with a moderate tempo of 54 beats per minute in common time. It follows a chord progression of G_add2–Em₇–C_maj9–D_9sus in the verses and G_add2–Em_7(no3)–C_maj9/E–D_9sus in the chorus. Gaga's vocals span from G₃ to E₅.^[17] The lyrics talk about love and loss.^[18]

After the soundtrack's release, the song debuted at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States^[37] and had sold 226,000 copies while accumulating 66 million streams there as of February 2019.^[38] It was later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[38] In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number 27 on the UK Singles Chart^[39] and was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for more than 600,000 track-equivalent units.^[40] In Australia, the song debuted at number 32 and peaked at number 15 on the ARIA Singles Chart the following week,^[41] later receiving a triple Platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for 210,000 units sold.^[42] It also reached number 43 in Canada,^[43] number 14 in Switzerland,^[44] number 13 on New Zealand's Hot Singles chart,^[45] number 18 in Malaysia,^[46] and number 34 in Portugal.^[47]

In France, the song was released as the third single from the soundtrack on May 27, 2019,^[48] where it peaked at number 61 on the SNEP chart,^[49] and was later certified Diamond by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP).^[50] Additionally, it reached the top ten in Hungary,^[51] Ireland^[52] and Scotland,^[53] the top five of digital charts in Greece,^[54] Luxembourg^[55] and Spain,^[56] and the chart summit in Slovakia.^[57] It also reached number five on Billboard's Euro Digital Songs chart.^[58]

On year-end charts, "I'll Never Love Again" placed at number 42 on Hungary's Single Top 40 chart in 2018,^[59] and, in 2019, appeared on the year-end charts in France,^[60] Hungary,^[61] Portugal,^[62] and on Billboard's US Digital Song Sales chart.^[63] The song also received additional certifications in several countries, including Gold in Austria,^[42] Denmark,^[64] and Norway,^[65] Platinum in Italy,^[66] New Zealand,^[67] and Portugal,^[68] 3× Platinum in Poland,^[69] and Diamond in Brazil.^[70]

In October 2018, Filipino singer and Broadway actress Lea Salonga performed the song live during her 40th Anniversary Concert.^[71] In April 2019, Molly Hocking released a cover of the song after winning the eighth series of The Voice UK. This acted as her winner's single.^[72]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the A Star Is Born soundtrack album.^[16]

• List of top 10 download singles in 2018 (France)