Diane Warren On Lady Gaga Song Drama: “I Think [Linda] Meant Well”

Diane Warren still isn’t mad — just a little disappointed. In a recent interview with Vulture, the legendary songwriter opened up about the lingering drama from nearly a decade ago, when fellow musician Linda Perry took to Twitter to question Lady Gaga’s songwriting credit on the powerful anthem Til It Happens to You.

Diane, 68, co-wrote the 2015 song for The Hunting Ground, a raw and emotional documentary about sexual assault on college campuses. Gaga, 39, delivered the haunting vocals and received a writing credit too. But in 2016, Linda Perry wasn’t having it.

At the time, Linda, best known for 4 Non Blondes’ What’s Up, claimed Gaga only contributed a single line to the song. In a fiery series of since-deleted tweets, she argued that Diane had already written the entire song and suggested Gaga’s credit was more about business than creativity. “Is that writing? Not in my book,” Linda had posted.

Looking back now, Diane says she understands that Linda meant well, but still wishes she hadn’t made it so public. “She’s cool. I think she meant well,” Diane said. “I’ve talked to her. I’m friends with her.”

Diane also clarified that Gaga’s real contribution was in the production of the track. While her name is on the writing credit, Diane believes Gaga “really produced a great record.”

At the time of the controversy, Linda also admitted she had love and respect for Gaga, even though she questioned the nomination Gaga received for Best Original Song at the Oscars. In her tweets, she speculated that Gaga’s name helped the song gain more attention and traction, especially since it was tied to a documentary. “Gaga knows her power,” she wrote, calling her a smart businesswoman.

Even with all the opinions flying around, Linda made sure to emphasize she wasn’t coming from a place of jealousy. “I’ve stated Gaga killed this song so powerful so blown away by her performance. Don’t turn things negative,” she wrote, adding, “I’m stating my truth that’s it if you don’t like it, it’s ok just don’t spend anytime here. Breathe everything is ok! Interesting what we react to. We could learn a lot about ourselves by just observing our reaction to things.”

Meanwhile, Diane focused her attention on the song’s purpose rather than the behind-the-scenes drama. On Twitter, she reminded everyone that Til It Happens to You was written to give voice to survivors of sexual assault. “The song is the result of a special collaboration between myself and Lady Gaga,” she tweeted.