About The Song
“Separate Lives” is a 1985 song recorded by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin and featured on the soundtrack to the motion picture White Nights. It reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts as well as in Canada and Ireland. It reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart, and was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry.
Songwriter Stephen Bishop recorded his own version for his album Sleeping with Girls for Polydor Records, released in 1985. Bishop received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song in 1986. It lost to Lionel Richie’s song “Say You, Say Me” from the same film.
Collins recorded other versions of “Separate Lives” while on tour. He sang with touring singer Amy Keys in 1994, the song appearing on the album Live from the Board. Beginning in 1997 he has performed the song many times with Italian singer Laura Pausini. In 2004, Collins recorded a version with Bridgette Bryant who had toured with him in 1990 in support of …But Seriously
The music video features Martin and Collins singing and playing the piano, intercut with scenes from the movie. It was edited to make it appear that Phil and Marilyn were in the same building as the movie’s stars, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines, but in a separate studio. It was directed by Jim Yukich and produced by Paul Flattery of FYI. The film’s director, Taylor Hackford, was also at the shoot.
Video
Lyrics
You called me from the room in your hotel
All full of romance for someone that you’d met
And telling me how sorry you were leaving so soon
And that you’ll miss me sometimes when you’re alone
Do I feel lonely too?
You have no right to ask me how I feel
You have no right to speak to me so kind
I can’t go on, holding on to time
Now we’re living separate lives (living separate lives)
Well, I have learned to let you go
And if you lost your love for me, you never let it show
There was no way to compromise
So now we’re living separate lives (living separate lives)
Ooh, it’s so difficult, love leads to isolation
So you build that wall (you build that wall)
Yes, you build that wall (build that wall)
And you make it stronger
Well, you have no right to ask me how I feel
You have no right to speak to me so kind
Some day I might (I might) find myself looking in your eyes
But for now, we’ll go on living separate lives
Yes, for now, we’ll go on living separate lives
Seperate lives