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.
August 31, 2018 @ 9:05 am
Very cool news for Lukas. Well deserved. Seen him a few times now and every time he and Promise of the Real get better and better.
August 31, 2018 @ 9:17 am
I do admit to liking a few musicals:
Singin’ in the Rain
How to Succeed in Business
Willy Wonka
Blues Brothers
The Music Man
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
The Producers
Guys and Dolls
South Park
King Creole
Anything with Sinatra or Gene Kelly or Donald O’Connor is worth watching, really. The old Disney ones are great, too. The Marx Brothers. Crosby and Hope.
Some of these are good on acid. Some are just plain good.
But I don’t like the KK/BS A Star Is Born. This one at least looks promising.
Plus I need to dive into Lukas Nelson more. I guess I always initially think he’s from the other Nelson family–Ozzie’s branch! (Maybe that’s what keeps him under the radar? lol)
September 1, 2018 @ 6:28 am
My favorite part was you listing “South Park” lol. I know it’s a musical but I cant imagine it’s highly regarded in the Broadway-esque, artsy musical fans… the Book of Mormon however…
August 31, 2018 @ 9:18 am
I guess this would explain hearing Lady Gaga’s voice on The Reals last record. Very well done i thought.
August 31, 2018 @ 9:49 am
This looks promising. Interesting people involved and in the cast, including Dave Chappelle. Not a huge fan of Lady Gaga’s music but she is very talented. Hopefully, it will deliver.
There was an instagram post about John Mayer and Ryan Adams having about with Dave C….maybe related?
August 31, 2018 @ 4:48 pm
This is a song by Gaga i love that reminds me of Shania. Mutt Lange even co-wrote it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9YMU0WeBwU
August 31, 2018 @ 6:34 pm
Thanks…still not my thing, but better than I expected and I can appreciate it.
The fact that she can actually sing, play piano, write, etc, puts her above almost all other pop stars for sure.
August 31, 2018 @ 9:54 am
you know in some certain circles this would be considered a piece of cinematic art
August 31, 2018 @ 9:59 am
Really excited for this movie and equally excited for the soundtrack! I saw Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real play in a small club and it was one of the best shows I have ever been to, really humble guy too who stuck around to shake hands and talk to all the fans after the show was over. The band is very tight and he is such an immense talent. His most recent album is one of my favorites I hope to see him perform again someday. Could see him blowing up at some point with streaming services dominating over the radio currently. He’s putting in a lot of work.
Also discovered Nikki Lane than night because she opened for him, that was a wild show. She is super underrated and deserves way more press than she is getting. Hope to see her again soon as well.
August 31, 2018 @ 2:28 pm
We saw that pairing in Atlanta. Went to see Nikki, were blown away by Lukas. The people we were standing in line with went to see Lukas, were blown away by Nikki. One of my favorite nights of the year.
August 31, 2018 @ 10:53 am
Don’t care for the majority of Lady Gaga’s work, but she does have a great voice – her duets album with Tony Bennett was good stuff.
August 31, 2018 @ 11:01 am
Really like his last album.
I definitely will check this film and soundtrack out I think.
Seeing him in a couple weeks with Willie, Sturg, Margo, and Nathaniel R.
Really been looking forward to it, even though I am not a big venue fan.
Seeing Wille any place and time I can now.
August 31, 2018 @ 11:43 am
Well Miss Gaga- you look better in this than you usually do-
I’ve seen this trailer on TV and thought I’d like to see that- I won’t go to a theater but maybe it’ll be on TV so I can.
August 31, 2018 @ 1:21 pm
What kind of an acid trip is this hot mess??!!?!
The original had Streisand… the solution is Lady Gaga?
So let me get this straight, modernity’s solution to replacing one of the great female vocalists of all time is to use a ridiculous clown whose only real contribution to art was some Tony Bennet duets? Was Dolly Parton to classy to sing this part?
This is embarassing. Isbell AND Nelson should be ashamed to have their work on this steaming mess
What’s next, remaking Terminator starring Shia Labeouf as the Terminator?
Or maybe the next major motion picture will just be two hours of watching Jai Courtney throwing pens into a trash basket.
August 31, 2018 @ 1:42 pm
Never found it valuable to give my opinion on something, especially to call it “embarrassing” and a “steaming mess” until I’ve actually seen/heard what I’m talking about.
August 31, 2018 @ 4:42 pm
I’ve seen/heard enough of Gaga’s music and more specifically her style of performing that I feel my opinion is pretty sound.
Who here in the real world actually thinks Lady Gaga holds a candle to Barbra Streisand? Is she a good singer? yes, in fact I confess and shout from the rooftops that I have her Tony Bennet duets album. They’re good!
But not to fill Streisand’s shoes!
The way I break down the list of great female vocalists of all genres looks, in no specific order, something like this
Sarah Brightman and Barbra Streisand tied for first place.
Dolly, Patsy, Ella Fitzgerald, Ruthie Henshall all crammed into second
Alison Krauss, Diana Krall, Aretha Franklin, Patti LuPone tied at third
Jean Shepard, Loretta Lynn, Lulu Roman, Jeanette MacDonald all in fourth
Connie Smith, Rhonda Vincent, Billie Holiday in fifth
Lady Gaga ranks far, far below.
And really, even though she’s definitely a fine singer what do we know about her acting ability?
September 1, 2018 @ 8:36 am
I guess your not a fan of American Horror Story? I think she proved her acting chops and long ago proved her music chops (although I’m not a fan of her style or pop music).
August 31, 2018 @ 2:08 pm
Fuzzy… dude…. your perspective is beyond narrow. I got no idea what your skill sets are and by what standards you measure music and musicians but to deny Gaga’s singing and musical talent is just sheer ignorance. Much of her work is not my cup of tea but I can’t overlook her talent. Please elaborate on your judgment of her performances with Mr. Bennet. I’m not sure how you value her contribution.
August 31, 2018 @ 4:51 pm
I’ve kinda clarified my feelings in another reply but specifically regarding her duets with Tony Bennet…
I like them. She’s a good singer, with great control, dexterity and phrasing.
Is she half the singer Streisand is/was? No way Jose.
She sings well, and she blends in with Tony Bennett, which few singers can do. I dare say even most great female singers would struggle to truly mesh with so great a vocalist as Tony Bennett.
BUT in the greater scheme of things let’s look at the Streisand equivalent. Most likely the equivalent is Streisand’s performances with Michael Crawford.
Using the Streisand/Crawford duets as a comparison our dear Tony Bennett/Gaga collaborations sound a bit less natural, forced, and it sounds almost as if they just showed up and performed together but never really met before that.
So yes, I’m critical.
The same way I was critical of the True Grit remake. the original movie, despite being far removed from the book, had John Wayne and Glen Campbell in it.
so to see such a great cast replaced by Jeff Bridges is sort of like seeing Hugh Jackman singing Colm Wilkinson’s part in Les Miserables.
It just ain’t right.
I mean really, Streisand had it all, range, control agility, phrasing. and Kristofferson, though not nearly the same caliber singer is an outstanding performer with a great grip on quality acting. So to see something that was done to well even attempted again is a hard pill to swallow.
I mean, it’s good to see Isbell and Lukas Nelson involved, it means somebody somewhere is working very hard to make sure that this remake doesn’t look as bad as that stupid Les Miserables with action picture stars singing the leads (Although Russell Crowe has a surprisingly gentle and calming performance as Javert, which is fine by itself but the part is generally performed as a terrifying ruthless strongman of great convictions so while musically his performance is fine it’s jarringly different from how the role is commonly portrayed) but I feel like Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga do not make nearly the pair that Streisand/Kristofferson did or Nelson Eddy/Jeannette MacDonald or Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman did.
August 31, 2018 @ 9:44 pm
I’m guessing when the Kristofferson/Streisand remake came out in ’76, Fuzzy was complaining that Streisand couldn’t hold a candle to Judy Garland in the *original* version of the movie….
And sorry, friend, but the remake of “True Grit” was waaay better than the original and was much truer to the book. Somehow, the original managed to find three people who couldn’t act — John Wayne, Glen Campbell and Kim Darby — and cast them in the lead roles. Even Campbell said of his performance, “I’d never acted in a movie before, and every time I see ‘True Grit’, I think my record’s still clean.”
September 1, 2018 @ 5:45 am
Judy Garland is a really interesting figure to read about, but as a performer she’s… meh
That’s my humble opinion.
And regarding True Grit that’s a fine opinion to have, and the opinion held by a lot of people, but as a bit of an old fart I prefer memorable dialogue over authentic dialogue and I prefer a lot more care in my set and costume designs than were present in the True Grit remake. it just doesn’t feel like I’d hoped it would as an experience.
For instance, many of John Wayne’s westerns have this intangible sense to them. Specifically The Searchers, The Cowboys, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, the Shootist, The War Wagon, Big Jake, and of course True Grit and actualy several others but I’m not getting into that.
There’s this feeling of an actual, breathing event that happened in a real place that is sadly absent from most modern westerns, including the True Grit remake and John Wayne may not have been the most versatile actor but what he did, he nailed down extremely well and few other actors can do westerns well simply because the young John Wayne met and talked to Wyatt Earp and this impacted a lot of the charatcers he plays and few other actors bring that depth to their performance. it’s fine as “acting” but it’s a lot less complex. and Glen Campbell’s performance was fine, and to be fair he did a much better western with Burl Ives and Mel Tillis although his role in that was much smaller. Although he couldn’t have lived up to the original plan to make Elvis Presley play the part.
and that’s totally subjective and not based in fact. By most metrics (as I’m sure fond of metrics) the original is far inferior.
August 31, 2018 @ 2:24 pm
“the original had Streisand” tells us all we need to know about your opinion.
September 1, 2018 @ 5:43 am
You give your list of better singers below (I question by the way), but tell me who you would pick for the role today? Please consider the star power must accompany the artist.
September 1, 2018 @ 5:53 am
great question! and I’m going to tell you who!
So this role requires a skilled singer, and on my list the three greatest singers at least with regards to this specific style of music are Streisand, Henshall, and LuPone.
Now Streisand is still living, so its almost insulting to remake the film with a lesser cast while both major stars are still living… but that’s another rant
So let’s just say that Streisand isn’t considered although with the magic of modern special effects anything could be possible.
That leaves Ruthie Henshall and Patti LuPone who would be “good fits” for a part like this and that is partly my opinion and only partly fact so don’t take that to the bank.
As you said, star power is a major factor here and while I think most musical theatre enthusiasts would agree that Ruthie Henshall can outsing Patti LuPone she’s simply not as famous and has less “breakout performances” under her belt so obviously Patti LuPone would be my choice for this.
OR since we’re just letting random female singers write their own additions to an already established piece of work instead of judging them by their ability to sing the existing music we could let Rhonda Vincent write her own songs for it but that’s another rant.
The answer is Patti LuPone and no I don’t honestly think that that’s a talking point and I wouldn’t have invested the energy in thinking it up if it weren’t for this article so don’t take my thoughts on this too seriously.
September 1, 2018 @ 10:09 pm
Isn’t one of the major thematic elements of the movie the point of an established star giving a chance to — and falling in love with — a younger artist? Patti LuPone is 69 years old. Who’s going to play the established star? Wilford Brimley?
September 2, 2018 @ 8:29 am
First off, with movie tricks anyone can look any age.
Secondly, in this day and age of enlightenment there’s no reason the roles can’t be switched.
September 1, 2018 @ 9:12 pm
That awkward moment when you think the original is the Kristofferson one but that was actually a remake of the first one..
September 2, 2018 @ 8:35 am
Yes, because I grew up with (and own the soundtrack on vinyl) the Streisand Kristofferson one. Also the “first” one wasn’t even a musical so that’s sort of like calling the 1940s Phantom of the Opera with Nelson Eddy and Claude Rains “The original” even though it has nothing in common with either Andrew Lloyd Webber’s bombastic plot-heavy swamp OR Maury Yeston’s lesser-known operetta
August 31, 2018 @ 1:34 pm
Perhaps a movie worth watching? There are so few these days…
August 31, 2018 @ 4:40 pm
I have all of the Bradley Cooper albums that are available
August 31, 2018 @ 7:30 pm
Bet you don’t have the Japanese import split 7” with Matthew McConaughey. Rumors are it will be in the new box set as well though, so there’s hope.
September 1, 2018 @ 6:28 am
really looking forward to this movie, based on the trailer and the musicians involved. i haven’t heard Gaga’s latest couple albums but i do have a handful of her earlier tracks on my phone
September 1, 2018 @ 11:11 am
It’s a date movie that they remake every few years. Saw the 1976 version with one of my high school girlfriends at a drive in theater.
A Star Is Born is a 1937 romantic drama starring Janet Gaynor as an aspiring Hollywood actress, and Fredric March as a fading movie star who helps launch her career.
A Star Is Born is a 1954 film American musical film written by Moss Hart, starring Judy Garland and James Mason, and directed by George Cukor.
A Star Is Born is a 1976 American musical drama film telling the story of a young woman, played by Barbra Streisand who meets and falls in love with an established male rock’n’roll star, played by Kris Kristofferson, only to find her career ascending while his goes into decline. (Thanks wikipedia).
Glad to see Nelson and the band getting paychecks, but while music is a requirement for all of the ASIB movies, the music is not the point of the movies, the story is, along with making the studio money.
It’s lazy corporate Hollywood movie making, so any good tunes that come out of it are a bonus.
September 2, 2018 @ 6:49 am
Hey Trig. I was surprised when you said that Lukas Nelsons contributions to this were virtually unreported. I listened to his interview on Chris Shifletts ‘Walkin the Floor’ podcast back in July of 2017 and he talked about meeting Bradley Cooper while watching Neil Young perform and how that led to his writing and producing music for, and POTR appearing in this film re-make. I just assumed it was common knowledge. This is one of the few movies I’m looking forward to seeing. The pre-release reviews have been mostly positive from what I have read.
September 2, 2018 @ 8:55 am
When the soundtrack was released for “A Star Is Born,” the first thing that leaped out to me was how much Lukas Nelson was involved, and how the dozens of outlets posting stories about it were simply relegating him to a footnote, and making a bigger deal about Jason Isbell, etc. NO print media has reported Lukas Nelson’s personal involvement in this movie beyond a blurb. That’s why I decided to focus in on it. I also think a lot of print media has no idea who Lukas Nelson is. This is another sign of how criminally under the radar he is. I also think it’s an indication that once folks figure it out, he could explode, and this movie could potentially be the catalyst.
I listen to “Walking The Floor” occasionally, but have not heard the Lukas Nelson episode. I also hadn’t heard the SiriusXM interview he did until I started searching around for more info on his involvement in the movie. This underscores one of the big problems with podcasts. Since the information is locked in audio form, you can’t find it unless you listen. It’s unsearchable on the internet. You may find that Lukas Nelson was on a podcast, but you don’t have the information conveyed unless you listen, or someone transcribes it like I did with SiriusXM interview. Podcasts get very large audiences which is great—often bigger than many print interviews. But it’s still important that information makes it into print. Otherwise it often doesn’t become part of public knowledge.
September 2, 2018 @ 7:10 am
Lots of pretentious bullshit in this thread.
But it’s better than the gossipy bullshit in the Troubadours threads.
Barely.
Doubt I’ll watch the movie. I never watched the “original with Streisand”. But if some good music comes out of it, great. It’s got a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes for whatever that is worth.
September 2, 2018 @ 6:00 pm
It’s fun to read about this movie here–I’ve been looking forward to it. Very positive reviews early on and an 8-min Standing Ovation at Venice Film Festival—Pretty impressive for a movie!
I saw the 1970’s remake a couple times. The part that stands out to me is when Barbra Striesand sings ‘Evergreen’. An exquisite voice, unequalled, imo. I thought the movie story depressing though, hard seeing Kris Kristofferson’s part going downward like that as hers rises. Lady Gaga is a serious talent. I’m not a fan of all her music, too dance-oriented for me, but really like some of her more ‘Pop’ songs. I’m liking her cast here, even think it could be, similar to the story, a role that makes her a ‘Movie Star’. Bradley Cooper produces, directs and co-wrote the screenplay, which is impressive. They re-did parts they thought were finished, to ‘get it right’ and put a lot of time and effort into this. Forty years wait makes it okay for this re-make to be made, I think the wait makes it okay to re-do it, and fun to think of current actor/actresses in the roles, and current music. I still think the story is depressing to see play-out in a movie, but like who is in it, and the music featured, enough to see it.