Music of the Day, 27 January 2025

you build that wall

An email informed me that today is Mikhail Baryshnikov’s birthday, which instantly sent my mind to one of my favorite movies. It was a mere hop from there to the soundtrack, of which I have no specific memories other than it was good.

Digging in to the details presented me with a problem: which hit song would be today’s MotD? One I remember fairly well—the other not so much, but it’s hitting me hard today.

Being a bit of a Russophile back then, I was an easy mark for movies that had some connection to the country and the Soviet Union, which even in the early 1980s appeared to be a formidable and enduring adversary to the US. So the 1985 movie White Nights was irresistible on that basis alone … and it delivered in many ways.

“Separate Lives” is a great duet by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin. It reached the top of a couple of American and European music charts, but was overshadowed by another number-one song from the movie. “Say You, Say Me” by Lionel Richie won the 1986 Academy Award for Best Original Song. It’s fine, but seems a bit insipid to me compared to “Separate Lives.” Martin’s singing in particular squeezes my heart.

“Separate Lives” resonates because I remember so well the slow building of a wall between my husband and me, which ultimately led to divorce. Back in 1985, there were few hints of that trajectory, so I focused more on the relationship theme of the song being a metaphor for the US–USSR political relationship.

As good as the music is, and as good as Baryshnikov¹ is in White Nights, Gregory Hines is the star for me. I knew that he was a talented tap dancer, and that facet of his impressive skillset shines in the movie; I wasn’t prepared for his intense performance as Raymond Greenwood. The movie gave me a deeper appreciation of Hines overall, and made me a fan of tap dancing.

Hines died way too young at just 57 in 2003. I have a very busy week ahead of me, but I must find a way to watch White Nights again, and soon.

1. who is Latvian, not Russian; he was born in the beautiful city of Riga