Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real Play Major Role in “A Star Is Born” Remake

A new version of the feature film A Star Is Born is on the way starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, and a host of notable names from the the cool side of country music are included in the movie and soundtrack. The story first premiered in film form in 1937, then was remade into a musical in the 1950’s, and then a more modern version of the movie starring Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand was released in 1976. The film has become a piece of musical and cinematic lore, and now will be presented to a new generation with fresh faces and new original songs.

The film and soundtrack is set to be released on October 5th. Previously we had learned that Jason Isbell had contributed a song called “Baby It’s Time” to the film to be performed by Bradley Cooper. Both Cooper and Lady Gaga personally perform all of the songs in the film, and help write and produce some of the material as well.

But the most surprising takeaway from the track list of the soundtrack that was just released is the very active participation of Willie Nelson’s son and fast rising country rock singer, songwriter, and guitar god Lukas Nelson. The younger Nelson penned and/or produced nine tracks of the soundtrack—the biggest contribution from any single musician by a mile.

Virtually unreported, Lukas Nelson played a critical role in the music of A Star Is Born, and helped guide and coach Bradley Cooper in the performance of the music. Nelson’s backing band Promise of the Real is also the backing band that appears in the film behind Brady Cooper’s character. Bradley Cooper also directed and produced the remake.

Lukas Nelson initially met Bradley Cooper at the Desert Trip concert (aka “Oldchella”), which occurred in Indio, California on the same grounds as Coachella and Stagecoach in October of 2016. The Rolling Stones, The Who, Paul McCartney, and others played, as did Neil Young, who was employing Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real as his backing band at the time.

“Bradley Cooper was there, saw us play,” Lukas said in a Sirius XM interview. “Neil’s set was the only one he caught, and he was inspired by it, and he asked me to help him as a musical consultant. We really hit it off, became really good friends. I started writing music for the film. I sent him a couple of songs, and I met Lady Gaga when I was at Bradley’s house helping him out. He was always a musician. He was always there. I just showed him a few things to practice, and by the time we filmed he was great. And Lady Gaga and I became really good friends. It became a much bigger thing at that point, and at some point we used the band—The Promise of the Real. Bradley thought they were perfect for the movie. So it all just kind of came together.”

There is a lot of early buzz for A Star Is Born, and the release date was moved from May to October, partly hoping for Oscar consideration, which could extend to the original soundtrack. Along with being a big boost for all the musicians involved, A Star Is Born could be a big opportunity for Lukas Nelson, who despite the famous name, remains curiously under-the-radar compared to the quality of his songwriting, and his incredible talent as a guitar player and singer.

“You get to hear our music out there on the big screen, which is exciting,” continues Nelson. “The music, and the performances, and the emotion [from] Bradley, you can tell he really cares about his art, and it’s inspiring. He’s an inspiring guy. So is Lady Gaga. So together, that’s a pretty epic combination.”

Also involved in the soundtrack is well-known producer Dave Cobb. This closes the loop on a mystery that was hatched when the The Daily Mail out of the UK published multiple photos of Lady Gaga with Dave Cobb in March of 2017 hanging outside a studio together in LA. The initial news sparked some speculation that perhaps Cobb would be producing Gaga’s next album. However The Daily Mail had no idea it was Dave Cobb in the pictures, and instead listed him in the caption under the photos as Lady Gaga’s “pal.” Dave Cobb produced the song “Always Remember Us This Way” from the A Star Is Born soundtrack, which Lady Gaga performs.

“Always Remember Us This Way” was written by Lady Gaga, Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey, and Lori McKenna—the last three being some of the most prolific writers in mainstream country music. Natalie Hemby and Hillary Lindsey also co-write two other songs for the movie soundtrack.

There are a lot of interesting names involved in the soundtrack for A Star Is Born, but Lukas Nelson is the musician most poised to benefit if the film becomes either a critical or box office smash, which some are already predicting to happen.


A Star Is Born Soundtrack:

1. Intro
2. “Black Eyes” – Performed by Bradley Cooper. Written and produced by Bradley Cooper and Lukas Nelson.
3. Somewhere Over The Rainbow
4. Fabulous French
5. “La Vie En Rose” – Performed by Lady Gaga. Written by Louiguy and Edith Piaf. Produced by Lady Gaga and Brian Newman.
6. I’ll Wait For You
7. “Maybe It’s Time” – Performed by Bradley Cooper. Written by Jason Isbell. Produced by Bradley Cooper and Benjamin Rice.
8. Parking Lot
9. “Out of Time” – Performed by Bradley Cooper. Written and produced by Bradley Cooper and Lukas Nelson.
10. “Alibi” – Performed by Bradley Cooper. Written and produced by Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper and Lukas Nelson.
11. Trust Me
12. “Shallow” – Performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Written by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, and Andrew Wyatt. Produced by Lady Gaga and Benjamin Rice.
13. First Stop, Arizona
14. “Music To My Eyes” – Performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Written by Lady Gaga and Lukas Nelson. Produced by Lukas Nelson.
15. “Diggin’ My Grave” – Performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Written by Paul Kennerley. Produced by Lady Gaga and Lukas Nelson.
16. I Love You
17. “Always Remember Us This Way” – Performed by Lady Gaga. Written by Lady Gaga, Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey, and Lori McKenna. Produced by Dave Cobb and Lady Gaga.
18. Unbelievable
19. How Do You Hear It?
20. “Look What I Found” – Performed by Lady Gaga. Written by Lady Gaga, Mark Nilan Jr., Nick Monson, Paul “DJWS” Balir, Lukas Nelson, and Aaron Raitiere. Produced by Lady Gaga, Mark Nilan Jr., Nick Monson, and Paul “DJWS” Blair.
21. Memphis
22. “Heal Me” – Performed by Lady Gaga. Written by Lady Gaga, Mark Nilan Jr., Nick Monson, Paul “DJWS” Blair, Julia Michaels, and Justin Tranter. Produced by Lady Gaga, Mark Nilan Jr., Nick Monson, and Paul “DJWS” Blair.
23. “I Don’t Know What Love Is” – Performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Written and produced by Lady Gaga and Lukas Nelson
24. Vows
25. “Is That Alright?” – Performed by Lady Gaga. Written by Lady Gaga, Mark Nilan Jr., Nick Monson, Paul “DJWS” Blair, Lukas Nelson, and Aaron Raitiere. Produced by Lady gaga, Mark Nilan Jr., Nick Monson, and Paul “DJWS” Blair.
26. SNL
27. “Why Did You Do That?” – Performed by Lady Gaga. Written by Lady Gaga, Diane Warren, Mark Nilan Jr., Nick Monson, and Paul “DJWS” Blair. Produced by Lady Gaga, Mark Nilan Jr., Nick Monson, and Paul “DJWS” Blair.
28. “Hair Body Face” – Performed by Lady Gaga. Written and produced by Lady Gaga, Mark Nilan Jr., Nick Monson, and Paul “DJWS” Blair.
29. Scene 98
30. “Before I Cry” – Performed by Lady Gaga. Written and produced by Lady Gaga, Mark Nilan Jr., Nick Monson, and Paul “DJWS” Blair.
31. “Too Far Gone” – Performed by Bradley Cooper. Written and produced by Bradley Cooper and Lukas Nelson.
32. Twelve Notes
33. “I’ll Never Love Again (Film Version)” – Performed by Lady Gaga. Written by Lady Gaga, Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey, and Aaron Ratiere. Produced by Lady Gaga and Benjamin Rice.
34. “I’ll Never Love Again (Extended Version)” – Performed by Lady Gaga. Written by Lady Gaga, Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey, and Aaron Ratiere. Produced by Lady Gaga and Benjamin Rice.

 

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