I'll Never Love Again


"I'll Never Love Again" is a song from the 2018 film A Star Is Born, performed by its stars Lady Gaga and director Bradley Cooper whose character sings the final chorus in the flashback scene. The soundtrack contained both versions of the song including the extended version that featured Gaga as the sole performer. Gaga wrote the song with Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey, and Aaron Raitiere. Both tracks were produced by Lady Gaga and Benjamin Rice.
The song has received widespread critical acclaim and has reached the top of the Slovakian digital charts, the top-ten of the record charts in Hungary, Ireland and Scotland, and the digital charts of Greece, combined-Europe, Luxembourg and Spain. The song received a limited release as the album's third single in selected territories on May 27, 2019.
The song won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media, a year after the album's lead single "Shallow" won in the same category.

Background and composition

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". The singer said, " gave me a tragic gift that day and I took it with me to set, and I sang that song for Jackson and for her on that very same day within an hour."
Along with the film version, the soundtrack also contains an extended version. Gaga wrote the song with Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey, and Aaron Raitiere. Both tracks were produced by Lady Gaga and Benjamin Rice. 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 Gadd2–Em7–Cmaj9–D9sus in the verses and Gadd2–Em7–Cmaj9/E–D9sus in the chorus. Gaga's vocals span from G3 to E5. Brian Truitt of USA Today described the song as a "weepy" ballad.

Release and performance

The song was first chosen as the third single from the soundtrack on May 27, 2019 in France beginning a distribution across selected territories. It has so far reached the top ten in Hungary, Scotland and Ireland, and the top ten of digital charts in Greece, Spain and Luxembourg, reaching the chart summit in Slovakia.

Critical reception

The song received universal acclaim. In her review of the film, Melina Newman of Billboard called the ballad "stunning". The magazine's Tatiana Cirisano ranked Lady Gaga's performance of "I'll Never Love Again" as the film's best scene and wrote, "Not only are the lyrics devastatingly beautiful, but Gaga/Ally showcases her full, skyscraper-high range." Jon Pareles of The New York Times compared the song to Harry Nilsson's "Without You" and Eric Carmen's "All by Myself", and complimented Gaga's "old-school finesse, timing, emotionality and lung power". Pitchfork Larry Fitzmaurice called the song a "stunning, heart-wrenching closer" and wrote, "... even though 'I'll Never Love Again' is plenty effective on its own, the dialogue-included version of the song dramatically cuts out in its final seconds the same way the film does: jumping back in time from Gaga's time-stopping performance to a pivotal and heartbreaking scene that only enhances the song's emotional quotient".
In his film review, Ty Burr of The Boston Globe said Gaga's "climactic memorial" performance of the song "will leave you a soggy mess whether you like it or not". Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter predicted the song would earn Gaga an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. USA Today Patrick Ryan wrote, "And with 'I'll Never Love Again,' the film's devastating emotional closer, Gaga gets her own Whitney Houston moment, powering through a formidable number about love and loss with searing vulnerability and grace. It's a transcendent achievement that could single-handedly net the singer-turned-actress her first Oscar, reminding us yet again that she's one of the best vocalists right now in any genre, pop or otherwise."

Commercial performance

The song debuted at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States and has since sold 226,000 copies in the country, while accumulating 66 million streams. Additionally, the song has reached the top ten position in Hungary, Ireland and Scotland.

Credits and personnel

Management

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the A Star Is Born soundtrack album.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Hungary 28
US Digital Song Sales 70

Certifications and sales

Cover versions