I don't understand Shallow

[AVeryGagaHolyDick 25,230]

14 minutes ago, GaGaAst said:

Earlier Jackson was to end his life by diving into water and shallow was written in narrative to this story.

Later on Gaga and others liked shallow too much that they wanted it to be main song of the movie and important pillar to Ally and Jackson's relationship. 

Read the lyrics with context to Jackson diving deep into water, in shallow deep. 

I get that, but there's still these contradictory ideas about the shallow… Or maybe this is what it means (?):

- In the shallow (= we become superficial because we think that's the best way to survive)

- We're far from the shallow now (= we tried to survive but being superficial ended up killing us, we're drowing)

[Gardevoir 9,822]

These lines were written by Ally before her breakthrough. She alludes to her relationship with Jackson but mostly her dream of becoming an artist. She’ll “Never meet the ground” because of the high she experiences while seeing her dreams come true.

To “go off the deep end” means to lose control or go crazy, possibly out of anger. Ally wants to be judged for her voice, her talent, and her message, not her looks.

Jackson loves Ally for who she is, rather than her looks, which explains the line, “We’re far from shallow now.” The night that Ally and Jackson first meet, she explains to him that her looks, especially her nose, have kept her from success:

Ally: Almost every single person has told me they liked the way I sounded but they didn’t like the way I look.
Jackson: I think you’re beautiful.

“Far from shallow” also highlights how Ally’s music tends to be meaningful. In the second half of the film, her manager, Rez, convinces her to begin performing simple pop songs, which Jackson considers mindless and “shallow.”

 

 

 

-genius

[Sorcerer 12,487]

So here's my take:

She dives into something so deep that it's almost like she'll never meet the ground. But when she crashes to the deep underwater surface, it's somewhere so deep that no one could hurt them anymore. The diving is a metaphor for making a relationship deeper.

The only contradictory line here is the "in the sha-ha-sha-ha-low", since technically they are not in the shallow anymore, but that definitely sounds better than "from the shallow".

Overall, still a well written song.

[whore 11,447]

15 minutes ago, KEVIN STEVE said:

I think we all know the story by now, don't be scared to "spoil" 

You made some points though

I just know it I don’t warn anyone then someone will respond with something about how I spoiled it 

[Patrick Garcia 312]

Duplicated post. 

[Patrick Garcia 312]

Just now, Teus said:

I think she means 'crash through the surface' when she dives in. Away from the shallow, they can't hurt us, and it's that deep that she won't even hit the ground. The only thing contradictory in my opinion is that she sings 'in the sha ha sha ha low' and then 'we're far from the shallow now', but I guess it's just to make it sound nice.

I think the song is metaphorical, it says that shallow people can hurt more sensitive people, like Gaga got hurt by a part of the industry and a part of her fanbase in her bad years. So she "crash through the surface/shallow part of the industry and fans", dives in so deep into HERSELF to feel safe from those people. She is too deep, she won't meet the core of her being (you see, the song is not talking about a literal bottomless ocean). I also associate that part of the lyrics with emotional dullness/blunting which is associated with depression. Like, c'mon, the lyrics before the chorus says things like "are you happy in this modern world?", "ain't it hard keeping it so hardcore?", "do you need more?", "I'm falling", etc... 

I know it was supposed to be Jack's song, but I bet Gaga had the concept of this song in her mind before she even meets Bradley. Shallow wasn't supposed to be the main song of the movie, but she played it to Cooper and he loved it because it fitted the psychology of the main character.

[Chromaticunt 5,529]

I wouldn't try analysing the post-chorus lyrics too much tbh. Like a lot of her post-choruses, they're mostly style over substance. 

The rest of the song's lyrics are beautiful. I don't see what's contradictory about diving in so deep that you can't even reach the ground? In the shallows, you would very easily be able to reach the ground...

[Togekiss 2,524]

19 minutes ago, geishababe said:

Yeah I’ve always hated the “in the sha-ha-ha-hallow/ far from the shallow now” part. Plus it makes zero sense  Aside from that i get

I think they’re saying that at first they were in the shallow, but are far from it now. It’s just not very explicit.

[Katherine 1,763]

Thank you. Now you reminded me that Shallow was originally the ending song, and now we'll never know how it'd sound 

[Sour Jube 215]

I love reading everyone's different interpretations! It is honestly such an incredible song. The lyrics are plain language, but you can read so much into them. 

[Chromaticunt 5,529]

2 minutes ago, Michael Lucas said:

I think the song is metaphorical, it says that shallow people can hurt more sensible people, like Gaga got hurt by a part of the industry and a part of her fanbase in her bad years. So she "crash through the surface/shallow part of the industry and fans", dives in so deep into HERSELF to feel safe from those people. She is too deep, she won't meet the core of her being (you see, the song is not talking about a literal bottomless ocean). I also associate that part of the lyrics with emotional dullness/blunting which is associated with depression. Like, c'mon, the lyrics before the chorus says things like "are you happy in this modern world?", "ain't it hard keeping it so hardcore?", "do you need more?", "I'm falling", etc... 

I know it was supposed to be Jack's song, but I bet Gaga had the concept of this song in her mind before she even meets Bradley. Shallow wasn't supposed to be the main song of the movie, but she played it to Cooper and he loved it because it fitted the psychology of the main character.

I agree. If she hadn't done A Star is Born, she definitely would have released a song very similar to Shallow in its concept. She has always been talking about how shallow the world can be and how she wants to dig deeper and find a genuine connection to people. The whole song screams Gaga. I wouldn't be surprised if she wrote all the lyrics and her co-writers just helped with the melody.

The thing I love most about Shallow is how it can be interpreted in many ways. It can be perceived in the ways you described, or it could just be seen as a love song between two broken people who want to dive into a meaningful relationship that saves them both from their wayward paths. It's such a beautiful song, totally deserving of the Oscar and its cultural phenomenon status. I'm so happy it's got the acclaim it deserves. I personally believe it's one of Gaga's best songs (even if this fanbase might not think the same way).

[Chromaticunt 5,529]

5 minutes ago, Katherine said:

Thank you. Now you reminded me that Shallow was originally the ending song, and now we'll never know how it'd sound 

Did Bradley or Gaga actually say this? I find that surprising. It jumps out as an obvious hit.

[bloody g 31,746]

They're in the shallow as in the water surface but far from the shallow as in being shallow, that's what I understand. 

[CheapGin 561]

It’s about finding a connection that surpasses everything else, in dating and in life people can be shallow, her initial success as a viral video and her manager changing her image and pressuring her choices are all examples of how shallow the industry is. When they are in the shallow with each other, they are far from the shallow that’s all around them because they dove into the deep end together and their love is deeper than all of the shallow things going on around them.

[River 116,385]

when they are inside the shallow, they are in the deep, so they are far from the shallow, like the shallow surface.

----- shallow

 

inside

 

----- deep