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The Best Performances of "Shallow"

Amy Boal
Updated June 13, 2024 10 items
Voting Rules
Only live performances of the song "Shallow" from A Star Is Born, performed by famous people.

A complete list of every live performance of "Shallow" from A Star Is Born that I personally could find on YouTube. It isn't all weird almost kissing on an Oscar's telecast, ladies and gentlemen! Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's duet took the world by storm throughout Fall 2018 and the 2019 awards circuit. A love song for our generation and our time, "Shallow" was written by Andrew Wyatt, Anthony Rossomando, Mark Ronson, and Stefani "Lady Gaga" Germanotta. A hit from the moment the trailer dropped, we are all truly off the deep end, quite possibly for good.

While the best performance of this song is, and always will be, the film soundtrack recording, many live performances are worth a watch as well. From Kelly Clarkson's "Shallow" cover to Lady Gaga's powerful version at the Grammys, which live performance video of "Shallow" do you enjoy the most?

  • Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper at the 2019 Oscars
    1

    Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper at the 2019 Oscars

    Pros:

    • Very similar to the film version.
    • Inspired memes.
    • The way Gaga sings the second "where they can't HURT us!"
    • The piano itself is very elegant to the eye.

    Cons:

    • How did Bradley's girlfriend, Irina Shayk, feel sitting in the front row for this, I wonder?
    • Close faces.
    • Bradley, though surely doing his best, does not quite have Jackon's voice live.
    26 votes
    Is this a great performance?
  • Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper in Las Vegas
    2

    Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper in Las Vegas

    Pros:

    • The fan excitement / sing-a-long.
    • Bradley's hat.
    • That they were probably practicing for the Oscars.
    • When the piano comes in.
    • The "Ahh ahh" part is especially powerful.

    Cons:

    • The YouTube thumbnail image.
    • "Jackson never used these."
    • Gaga literally kneels before him, which feels strange.
    • Bradley's air guitar during the piano parts.
    • How she pulls him onto the piano bench.
    • The ~hand around the waist on the piano bench~ moment we didn't yet know was merely a prelude.
    • The amount of time they linger on the bench.
    20 votes
    Is this a great performance?
  • Lady Gaga at the 2019 Grammys
    3

    Lady Gaga at the 2019 Grammys

    Pros:

    • Mark Ronson on guitar.
    • Classic Gaga styling and arm/hand/dance moves.
    • Sparkly eye-liner.
    • Plenty of chorus repeats.
    • Fog machine.

    Cons: 

    • Gaga asks the audience to sing at one point.
    • Nothing like it was in the movie.
    21 votes
    Is this a great performance?
  • Lady Gaga Solo in Las Vegas (Dec. 2018)
    4

    Lady Gaga Solo in Las Vegas (Dec. 2018)

    Pros:

    • Some nice moments with the fans before Gaga starts singing.
    • You might cry!
    • One of Gaga's more passionate performances of this song, which, if you are paying attention at all here, is saying something.

    Cons:

    • Can hear the one fan singing along too clearly, and while they are likely very nice, they don't sing as well as Gaga.
    • You might cry!
    11 votes
    Is this a great performance?
  • Lady Gaga Solo in Vegas (A Different Dec. 2018 Night)
    5

    Lady Gaga Solo in Vegas (A Different Dec. 2018 Night)

    Pros:

    • The jacket a fan gives her.
    • Her pre-song speech.

    Cons:

    • All the pauses.
    • No Bradley.
    8 votes
    Is this a great performance?
  • Lady Gaga Solo in Las Vegas (Feb. 2019)
    6

    Lady Gaga Solo in Las Vegas (Feb. 2019)

    Pros:

    • Some nice little piano riffs after the first verse

    Cons:

    • A little on the slow side.
    • No Bradley.
    11 votes
    Is this a great performance?
  • Lady Gaga in Japan
    7

    Lady Gaga in Japan

    Pros:

    • Her 'fit and hair and makeup.
    • The woman on her right side, crying.

    Cons:

    • No Bradley.
    • The Yamaha keyboard.
    • The man who leans in to sing along over Gaga's shoulder.
    6 votes
    Is this a great performance?
  • Kelly Clarkson on the Glass of Wine Tour in Green Bay, WI
    8

    Kelly Clarkson on the Glass of Wine Tour in Green Bay, WI

    Pros:

    • Kelly Clarkson is an incredibly talented singer and delightful stage presence.
    • Mainly acoustic-sounding.
    • When Kelly sings "keep" instead of "fill" and then giggles.
    • Her unique spin on the "in the shall-la-la-laal-ooo" part.

    Cons:

    • Neither Gaga or Bradley is present.
    • Strays from the original a bit.
    13 votes
    Is this a great performance?
  • Lea Michele & Darren Criss on the LMDC Tour in San Francisco
    9

    Lea Michele & Darren Criss on the LMDC Tour in San Francisco

    Pros:

    • Is a performance of the song "Shallow."
    • Lea does a nice "Aaahhoooooaaa" part if you make it that far.

    Cons:

    • Must be a fan of these two to truly enjoy it.
    • Darren's special take on the first verse.
    • No piano at all.
    7 votes
    Is this a great performance?
  • Conor Oberst & Phoebe Bridgers at Brooklyn Steel in April 2019
    10

    Conor Oberst & Phoebe Bridgers at Brooklyn Steel in April 2019

    Pros:

    • They are both very good musicians.
    • The part when the drums come in.

    Cons:

    • Sounds VERY different.
    • A lot of electric guitar.
    3 votes
    Is this a great performance?