Diane Warren Reflects on Linda Perry’s Controversial Comments About Lady Gaga: A Conversation on Intent and Impact in Music

• Diane Warren expressed her wish that Linda Perry had not publicly commented on Lady Gaga’s writing credit for “Til It Happens to You.”
• Perry issued an apology and deleted her tweets regarding the matter back in 2016.
• Warren believes that Perry ultimately had good intentions.

Diane Warren wishes Linda Perry had refrained from publicly questioning Lady Gaga’s involvement in “Til It Happens to You.”

In an interview with Vulture published on April 21, the 16-time Grammy-nominated songwriter, 68, discussed her feelings about Perry’s 2016 tweet, which suggested that the final version of the 2015 track closely resembled the original demo. This was despite the fact that Gaga received a writing credit.

Warren clarified that Gaga’s credit was primarily for producing the track, which was featured in The Hunting Ground, a documentary addressing sexual assault on college campuses.

While acknowledging Gaga’s writing credit, Warren emphasized that Gaga “really produced a great record” and expressed her satisfaction with the outcome.

Warren noted that Perry was attempting to support her when she took to Twitter in 2016 to express her views on Gaga’s nomination for Best Original Song for “Til It Happens to You.”

“She’s cool,” Warren remarked. “I think she meant well. I’ve talked to her. I’m friends with her.”

Nonetheless, Warren stated that she wished Perry had not publicly discussed the issue.

In 2016, Perry tweeted a series of messages—later deleted—claiming Gaga contributed merely one line to the song, suggesting that it did not justify a nomination.

“Normally I wouldn’t respond to all this but I don’t know I’m feeling spunky. There was another artist that originally was gonna sing #TIHTY,” Perry tweeted.

She continued: “I have Diane’s original demo with her singing. The only line that has been changed is ‘Till you’re at the end, the end of your rope,’ which originally was ‘TIL YOU GOT A HOLE RIPPED IN YOUR SOUL.’ So I guess technically one line was changed, so sure, Gaga possibly ‘rewrote’ a line. But chances are Diane still took part in rewriting that line, which means Gaga contributed a few words. Is that writing? Not in my book.”

Perry expressed her “love” and “respect” for Gaga despite her comments.

“Why did Gaga get credit? Maybe because … Diane wanted to ensure her support in promoting the song. Gaga is a very smart businesswoman; she knew a song written by Diane Warren would be up for an Oscar. You know it’s hard getting music out there, especially a song from a documentary. Diane knew that if she gave Gaga writing credit, it would ensure the support this song needed and deserved. And Gaga knows her power,” she wrote.

Perry concluded, “I’m not putting anyone or anything down. I’m stating the truth. I credit Diane for writing this song; it is her experience, her pain, her words. That’s it, kids.”

She later clarified that there was “no bitterness” associated with the song.

“I’ve stated Gaga killed this song; I’m so blown away by her performance,” Perry wrote. “Don’t turn things negative. I’m stating my truth. If you don’t like it, it’s okay; just don’t spend any time here. Breathe, everything is okay! It’s interesting what we react to. We could learn a lot about ourselves by just observing our reaction to things.”

Warren also commented on the song via Twitter, although she did not directly address Perry’s remarks.

“Til It Happens To You was written for The Hunting Ground, an incredibly powerful documentary about sexual assault on college campuses,” she stated. “The song is the result of a special collaboration between myself and Lady Gaga. As we have consistently said, it was inspired by the countless survivors of abuse who need our support and love so they know they’re not alone.”

Shortly after, Perry deleted her tweets regarding Gaga’s contributions to the song.

“My sincere apologies. I made a mistake to comment. I wasn’t in the room when #TIHTY was being written,” she wrote, emphasizing her desire for “the focus to remain on the great importance of the song and the message of the film.”

At that time, representatives for Perry, Gaga, and Warren were unavailable for comment on Perry’s claims.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit rainn.org.