Bishop's song "Separate Lives," from the movie White Nights, was nominated for an Academy Award in 1985, losing out to "Say You, Say Me" from the same film. Bishop wrote it about his breakup with actress Karen Allen, who also appeared in Animal House.
Patrick Bateman, the fictional anti-hero from Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho, is an avowed fan of Stephen Bishop.
Separate Lives
Stephen Bishop Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All full of romance for someone that you met
And telling me how sorry you were, leaving so soon
And that you miss me sometimes when you're alone in your room
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
Now that we're living separate lives
Well I held on to let you go
And if you lost your love for me, well you never let it show
There was no way to compromise
So now we're living (living)
Separate lives
Ooh, it's so typical, love leads to isolation
So you build that wall (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
Separate lives
The song Separate Lives by Stephen Bishop is about a couple who are no longer in love with each other and are now living separate lives. The lyrics describe a phone call where the woman is speaking romantically about someone she has met while in her hotel room, and she speaks kindly to the man she's speaking with as though they still have a relationship. The man on the other end of the line is hurt by what she is saying and tells her that she cannot speak to him so kindly, as they are no longer together. He goes on to say that they cannot continue to hold onto their relationship as it is now, and that they need to move on.
The chorus of the song repeats the words "separate lives" as a reminder that they are no longer together and that they cannot keep living in their old patterns. The line "love leads to isolation" suggests that their relationship has built a wall between them and that they are no longer able to communicate or connect with each other. The song ends with a glimmer of hope, as the man says that someday he might find himself looking into her eyes again, but for now, they will continue to live separate lives.
Overall, Separate Lives is a poignant song about the end of a relationship and the difficulty of moving on. It speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and the struggle to let go of the past.
Line by Line Meaning
You called me from the room in your hotel
You contacted me from the hotel room you were staying in
All full of romance for someone that you met
You expressed your love and affection for someone you just met
And telling me how sorry you were, leaving so soon
You apologized for leaving soon and said you were sorry
And that you miss me sometimes when you're alone in your room
You admitted that you sometimes feel lonely and miss me when you're by yourself
Do I feel lonely too?
You asked if I also feel lonely like you do
You have no right to ask me how I feel
You don't have the authority to inquire about my emotional state
You have no right to speak to me so kind
You don't have the right to talk to me in a gentle or compassionate manner
We can't go on just holding on to time
We can't continue to simply wait or delay for a solution
Now that we're living separate lives
Since we're both living our lives separately now
Well I held on to let you go
I tried to retain my feelings for you but let you leave
And if you lost your love for me, well you never let it show
Even if you stopped loving me, you never expressed it
There was no way to compromise
There was no possible solution to reconcile our differences
So now we're living (living)
Therefore, we're living separately
Ooh, it's so typical, love leads to isolation
It's a common occurrence that love results in emotional separation
So you build that wall (build that wall)
You erect a barrier or defense mechanism
Yes, you build that wall (build that wall)
Indeed, you construct that wall
And you make it stronger
You reinforce it and make it harder to break down
Some day I might (I might) find myself looking in your eyes
In the future, there's a possibility that I could look into your eyes again
But for now, we'll go on living separate lives
But currently, we'll continue to live apart from each other
Yes for now, we'll go on living separate lives
Indeed, at this moment, we are living separate lives
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN DESAULTES, KAREN LAWRENCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@samrosenblum2331
My boy poured his heart out in that song.
@margauxcamaya
this song really hits me so hard right now. break-ups are so difficult, its never easy.
@smashingatomsjason
I did not know this was a Stephen Bishop song written by him. It does really sound like one of his songs Love it
@bleep77
This song is so powerful. Stephen Bishop’s best song
@karmatilya
The dynamics and intricate ghost notes makes this song great ❤
@alexalightoff4523
Never heard this version before today……just blown me away ….guitar and vocals truly sublime in its simplicity ……
@lingling5278
This is the original
@Nightflyer720
I'm blown away to find out the Phil Collins/Marilyn Martin song I've loved for 38 years is actually a Stephen Bishop cover. I can’t believe it! Better late than never, I guess. His version is beautiful too.
@kinky_Z
The actual songwriter's version is, in my experience, always the best. This was Bishop's best penned song ever imho.
@jasonburger3533
Well, Stephen Bishop wrote it and sang it. He sang it at the 1986 Academy Awards. That video is on his Facebook page. Dionne Warwick did a solo version in 1986 on the "Solid Gold" television music-variety series, of which she was the host at the time, and Stephen Bishop did a duet with Dionne on a different episode of "Solid Gold" in 1986 as well and both are on YouTube. The Phil Collins-Marilyn Martin version was the version used on the 1985 movie, "White Nights", soundtrack, so it is the most well-known as a duet, but Stephen Bishop has his solo version, as shown and heard here. It is the original, his rendition.