Lady Gaga may or may not have written the Oscar-nominated song "Til It Happens to You," but Linda Perry is taking back her accusations that the pop superstar is getting unnecessary credit from Diane Warren in order to boost their chances of an Academy Award. After throwing fire at the songwriting duo Monday (Jan. 18) on Twitter, Perry has retracted her claims and apologized.
In a series of since-deleted tweets, Perry claimed that Warren and Gaga mutually benefitted from giving Gaga a false writing credit for The Hunting Ground's soundtrack single. Warren would secure an Oscar nomination (and potential win) for Best Original Song because of Gaga's star power, and Gaga would also get a career boost. Perry claimed to have heard an original demo of "Til It Happens to You" featuring another singer and it was nearly identical to the Gaga piece.
"I have Diane's original demo with her singing. The only line that has been changed "Till you're at the end, the end of your rope" 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 wrote.
Warren defended herself and her songwriting process, calling "Til It Happens to You" a "special collaboration" between herself and Gaga.
After coming under fire for her accusations, Perry has backed down from her claims and tweeted out an apology, emphasizing the message of "Til It Happens to You," which tackles the epidemic of rape and sexual assault on college campuses in the United States.
My sincere apologies. I made a mistake to comment. I wasn't in the room when the #TIHTY was being written.
— LINDA PERRY (@RealLindaPerry) January 18, 2016
More importantly, I wish the focus to remain on the great importance of the song and the message of the film. — LINDA PERRY (@RealLindaPerry) January 18, 2016
Perry's own soundtrack song, "Hands of Love" sung by Miley Cyrus, was not nominated for an Oscar.
