Shortly after stealing the Golden Globe from Kirsten Dunst for her performance in American Horror Story: Hotel, Lady Gaga was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. “Til It Happens to You,” from The Hunting Ground, a documentary about rape on college campuses across the country, is attributed to Gaga and Diane Warren, but Linda Perry — as in, 4 Non Blondes’ Linda Perry, of being-married-to-Darlene-from-Roseanne fame — is questioning whether the “Bad Romance” singer deserves the credit.
Congratulations to all nominees especially @Diane_Warren you wrote a beautiful song and @ladygaga gave a powerful performance.
— LINDA PERRY (@RealLindaPerry) January 14, 2016
https://twitter.com/RealLindaPerry/status/689009656664985600
https://twitter.com/RealLindaPerry/status/689010150586236928
https://twitter.com/RealLindaPerry/status/689010730339667968
https://twitter.com/RealLindaPerry/status/689010962733518848
It’s an important distinction Perry is making, because the Oscar doesn’t go to the singer; it goes to the author (which is why Frozen‘s Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and not Idina Menzel, accepted the award for “Let It Go”). Gaga’s co-writer credit means she’ll be onstage on February 28, should “Til It Happens to You” upset Sam Smith’s “Writing’s on the Wall.”