Divorces, New Beginnings, and the Meaning Behind the 1983 Journey hit “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”

Tina Benitez-Eves

By 1982, Journey was still riding the waves of their No. 1 album Escape , released a year earlier, but all was not well within the band. Guitarist Neal Schon and bassist Ross Valory were both in the middle of a divorce and their bandmates wanted to try to reveal some of the positives of the situation. That year, bandmates Jonathan Cain and Steve Perry began writing a song reflecting the difficulties their bandmates were struggling with at the time and wrote “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” while the band was on tour. “Usually we don’t write songs that far in advance of an album,” said Cain in 1983. “But on that occasion, Steve and I were just working an idea backstage and it all came together.”

Videos by American Songwriter

[RELATED: 4 Songs You Didn’t Know Steve Perry Wrote for Other Artists]

Instead of writing a despondent ballad, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” was an uplifting song about recognizing a love that has ended and being determined to find it once again.

Here we stand Worlds apart, hearts broken in two, two, two Sleepless nights Losing ground, I’m reaching for you, you, you Someday love will find you True love won’t desert you You know I still love you Though we touched and went our separate ways Within a day, Cain and Perry presented their song to the rest of the band, and they started fleshing it out during soundcheck. Soon after, Journey started plugging “Separate Ways” into their nightly sets, and the song immediately connected with the audience before the band had a chance to record it. “It doesn’t matter where we put this song because it has always had a strong effect on the audience, all the way back to the first time we played it—before it was even recorded,” said Schon in 2008. “It was written on tour and we threw it in the set to see how it would go down. The audience had an amazing reaction to it without even knowing what it was. Released as the lead single off Journey’s 1983 album Frontiers, “Separate Ways” was a hit for the band and went to No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.

‘Stranger’ Covers

While watching the Netflix sci-fi series Stranger Things in 2022, Chris Daughtry was captivated by “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” when he heard it playing in an episode. He immediately wanted to cover the Journey classic as a duet and called on Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale and the two recorded it. Coincidentally, the duo’s 2023 release of “Separate Ways” also marked the 40th anniversary of the release of the song and Journey’s landmark album Frontiers . “I didn’t even think about it,” Daughtry told American Songwriter in 2023. “We didn’t set it there for inspiration or as a muse or whatever—it was just there. The 40th anniversary thing, I had no idea about it until after we had recorded it.”

[RELATED: Daughtry and Lzzy Hale Talk Covering Journey’s “Separate Ways”]

Remixed by Bryce Miller for the season 4 trailer and cliffhanger of Stranger Things , Perry said he was hesitant at first to feature the song on the show. “I was sent this trailer version, and I was absolutely stunned by the feeling that I got from it,” said Perry in 2022. “Because it was so organic and analogy, and I was stunned that the vocal was emotionally that  good .” Perry added, “When Bryce started arranging it, he took certain melody things that were always there, like guitar lines or things that we had worked on back in the day, and just expanded on them in a different way, and so it became a new version of itself, emotionally. I mean, I knew it was good, but I didn’t think it was that emotional.”

Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Leave a Reply

Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.

More From: Behind The Song

3 Little-Known Facts About George Strait, the Undisputed King of Country

3 Little-Known Facts About George Strait, the Undisputed King of Country

3 of the Most Iconic Classic Rock Nicknames in Music History

3 of the Most Iconic Classic Rock Nicknames in Music History

Chris Stapleton’s Signature Cowboy Hat Has the Perfect Nickname

Chris Stapleton’s Signature Cowboy Hat Has the Perfect Nickname

4 Songs You Didn’t Know Martial Arts Legend Jackie Chan Wrote and Sang

4 Songs You Didn’t Know Martial Arts Legend Jackie Chan Wrote and Sang

3 Little-Known Facts About Lainey Wilson, From Hannah Montana Impersonator to Host of CMA Awards

3 Little-Known Facts About Lainey Wilson, From Hannah Montana Impersonator to Host of CMA Awards

3 Little-Known Facts About Chris Stapleton, From Papa John’s Employee to Country Superstar

3 Little-Known Facts About Chris Stapleton, From Papa John’s Employee to Country Superstar

You may also like.

The Story Behind “I Should Have Known Better” by The Beatles and How Bob Dylan Helped Shape the Sound

The Story Behind “I Should Have Known Better” by The Beatles and How Bob Dylan Helped Shape the Sound

The Tin Pan Alley Song Paul McCartney Said Had a “Terrible Sound” When He Recorded It

The Tin Pan Alley Song Paul McCartney Said Had a “Terrible Sound” When He Recorded It

3 Classic Rock Bands Featuring Brothers That Will Live Forever

3 Classic Rock Bands Featuring Brothers That Will Live Forever

3 Three-Hit Wonder Classic Rock Bands That Will Energize Your Playlist

3 Three-Hit Wonder Classic Rock Bands That Will Energize Your Playlist

Ranking the 5 Best Album-Openers by The Kinks

Ranking the 5 Best Album-Openers by The Kinks

Songfacts Logo

  • Songwriter Interviews
  • Song Writing
  • Fact or Fiction
  • They're Playing My Song
  • Songfacts Pages
  • Songwriting Legends
  • Songfacts Podcast
  • Amanda Flinner
  • Bruce Pollock
  • Corey O'Flanagan
  • Dan MacIntosh
  • Laura Antonelli
  • Leslie Michele Derrough
  • Maggie Grimason
  • Nicole Roberge
  • Roger Catlin
  • Shawna Ortega
  • Stephanie Myers
  • Trevor Morelli

Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) by Journey

separate ways journey and steve perry

Songfacts®:

  • Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain and lead vocalist Steve Perry wrote this song on tour during a period when two of the band members were going through painful divorces due to the stresses (and temptations) of life on the road. According to Journey's Time3 compilation, with guitarist Neal Schon and bass player Ross Valory going through painful - and expensive - divorces, Perry and Cain thought there should be some way to dredge something positive out of such circumstances. "There's got to be a more soulful way of looking at this," Perry told his collaborator, Cain. The pair worked out the tune in a hotel room using Cain's little Casio keyboard and the entire band worked up the fresh song the next afternoon at soundcheck, inserting the party-finished song into the program that night. "I think he mumbled his way through half the lyrics," said Cain, "but the audience just came unglued." The song was sitting in the band's pocket long before the beginning of sessions for the next album. Released as the first single off Frontiers , it zoomed up the charts to #8 in March 1983.
  • This was used in the TV series The O.C. in Season 1 Episode 21 (2004) when Seth and Ryan are on their way to the airport. It also plays in the first episode of the Netflix series GLOW (2017) in a fantasy scene where the main characters battle it out in the wrestling ring. Other uses of the song include: The Simpsons ("All's Fair in Oven War" - 2004) Cold Case ("Greed" - 2004) Yes Man (2008) TRON: Legacy (2010) >> Suggestion credit : Anthony - Hermosa Beach, CA
  • When MTV launched in 1981, the race was on to come up with unusual concepts for music videos. Journey staked their claim with the first ever "air band" video. That's right, the group played pretend instruments for much of the clip. Shot on a wharf in New Orleans, it was directed by Tom Buchholtz, who like many music video directors of the time, came from the world of directing commercials. Journey were dragged kicking and screaming into the video era. They knew MTV exposure was crucial for sales, but hated making the videos and left the concepts up to the directors, which is how they ended up on a wharf playing pretend instruments. In the book I Want My MTV by Craig Marks, we learn that lead singer Steve Perry cut his hair shortly before the shoot, and also that there was some drama on the set. Perry brought his girlfriend to the set - the same girl he sings about in " Oh Sherrie " - and she did not want Steve to have another girl playing his love interest in the video. "Sherrie was jealous and possessive," said Jonathan Cain. "There was a big kicking and screaming session. Sherrie was giving Steve a very bad time about that girl." Years later, Beavis and Butt-Head gave it a good mocking.
  • A remix by the composer Bryce Miller was used in the trailer for season 4 of the Netflix series Stranger Things in 2022. This version is surprisingly spooky, with the song's refrain sounding like a classic horror movie theme. The song quickly started trending and entered Billboard's Rock Digital Song Sales chart dated April 23, 2022. An extended version of the remix appears at the end of episode 8, "Papa," which sets the stage for a climatic battle. Steve Perry, a big fan of the show, signed off on the project and got involved after hearing a demo of the remix. It was his idea to do an extended version, which appears on the show's soundtrack. As for the significance of the lyrics, Bobby Gumm of the marketing firm that worked on the remix explained : "The characters, at the end of the third season, did all go their separate ways, and even the ones that are still living in the same town have gone their separate ways a little bit. They're in different cliques and things like that."
  • Halestorm's vocalist Lzzy Hale covered this song with Daughtry in January 2023. The video for their version wasn't planned. "I don't think either of us, Lzzy or myself, were actually 'dressed' for a video shoot," said Chris Daughtry. "We were basically just trying to get some b-roll to capture the studio experience of recording this track. But when we got the footage back, it was like, 'Well... This looks way cooler than I expected, so... I guess we have a music video now?' Haha. It was the most low-key, low-pressure video I've ever done."
  • More songs from Journey
  • More songs about marital problems or divorce
  • More songs used in TV shows
  • More songs in heavy rotation in the early days of MTV
  • More songs used on The Simpsons
  • More songs used in Stranger Things
  • More songs from 1983
  • Lyrics to Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
  • Journey Artistfacts

Comments: 23

  • Jodie from Maryland They deserved a way better video for this great song.
  • Montana Julian from Missoula, Mt It just seems to me that the thematic element of Separate Ways(Worlds Apart) musically speaking is a classical piece that I just can’t put my thumb on. Something maybe that Beethoven or Mozart might have done. Anyone else with a background in the classical classics hear what I am hearing?
  • Seventhmist from 7th Heaven One of the most powerful songs ever made. Pain and anger in abundance, yet delivered with love and a last desperate touch of hope.
  • Marc from -, Md First-ever interview with the girl in this video, including what she's doing now (plus never-published set pics): http://noblemania.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-girl-in-video-separate-ways-worlds.html.
  • Nick from Ludlow, Ma I saw on another board about the gif of the opening air band part and searched for years who (At the time, I didn't know who anyone for Journey looked like, I'm a teen) so I saw the video and found out it was this song, I was shocked. I can't believe a song this epic was done so bad in a music video).
  • Erica from Pensacola, Fl This is one for the mp3, morning workout/run! Love it!
  • Jeff from Boston, Ma If your heart doesn't race when you hear this song you are dead inside.
  • Jeff from Boston, Ma I agree the Frontiers album overall was bad, but this is a phenomenal song. If you can't relate to what this song is about, someday you will.
  • Josep from Dubrovnik, Croatia Whenever this song comes on the radio, my brother punches my arm in rhythm with the guitar riff. Good times!
  • Karen from Manchester, Nh I have to agree with most here...horrible video, but easily one of my favorite Journey songs (right up there with "Lovin', Touchin' Squeezin'"). This is one of those, "put the car windows UP, turn the volume UP, and sing along as loud as you can!"
  • Jones from San Antonio, Tx It was a pretty dumb music video, but I love the song!!! -Steve Perry ROCKS!!!
  • Chris from Meriden, Ct what makes the song great is the keyboard riff
  • Ricky from Bountiful, Ut Holy crud, I laughed so hard I cried when I saw the video! But the song is... Epic. My band is working on a cover.
  • Tony from Chicago, Il One of my favorite Breakup songs!!!!!!
  • Aldrin from Manila, Philippines nice synthesizer sound accompanied by neil schon's deadly guitar riffs...
  • Jennifer Harris from Grand Blanc, Mi I love the song and video! both mother and I love Journey.It hasn't been the same without Steve Perry.
  • Benny from Chattanooga, Tn This is the song where Journey (my favorite band) officially "jumped the shark" God, Frontiers was so bad........
  • Sanafabich from Santiago, Chile yeah, cheezy video but still great! you gotta love the 80's!
  • Pete from Toronto, Canada this has got to be one of the cheeziest videos ever made! what was the director thinking http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZbZwAn3qOJU&search=Journey%20Seperate%20Ways
  • Sara Mackenzie from Middle Of Nowhere, Fl good song!!!!!!!!!
  • Michelle from Anaheim, Ca A long time ago, i was flipping channels in my parents room and on MTV they were showing the video, and little tidbits came up. the director had the band members playing air instruments-air guitar, air keyboards,etc.
  • William from Toronto, Canada A good song. The synthesizers really emphasize the theme that the site has posted in my opinion.
  • Mercedies from Soldotna, Ak This is one of my favorite journey songs. It's really emotional and the tune is awesome. You can actually feel what the band members are going through. A moving song really, and it's great live. When it's live you feel like you're there.

More Songfacts:

Bangles

Eternal Flame Bangles

The Bangles song "Eternal Flame" was inspired by a display at Graceland that honored Elvis Presley.

John Lennon

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) John Lennon

"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" is based on billboards John Lennon and Yoko Ono posted two years earlier declaring "War Is Over! If You Want It."

The Platters

The Great Pretender The Platters

The Pretenders are named after the 1956 song "The Great Pretender" by The Platters.

R.E.M.

Don't Go Back To Rockville R.E.M.

The R.E.M. song "Don't Go Back To Rockville" is about Mike Mills' girlfriend at the University of Georgia, who had to go back to Rockville, Maryland, for the summer.

Katy Perry

Dark Horse Katy Perry

Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" was co-written by Sarah Hudson, who is a singer-songwriter and a member of the Pop group Ultraviolet Sound. Though Sarah isn't related to Katy (whose real name is Katy Hudson), she is the first cousin of another famous person with the same name, the actress Kate Hudson.

Johnny Cash

The Man Comes Around Johnny Cash

The idea for "The Man Comes Around" came to Johnny Cash from a dream he had where he was in Buckingham Palace and the Queen said to him, "Johnny Cash, you're just like a thorn tree in a whirlwind."

Editor's Picks

Thomas Dolby

Thomas Dolby Songwriter Interviews

He wrote "She Blinded Me With Science" so he could direct a video about a home for deranged scientists.

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo Lyric

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo Lyric Music Quiz

In this quiz, spot the artist who put Romeo into a song lyric.

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman Jack

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman Jack Song Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song Spoofs

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song Spoofs Song Writing

When singers started spoofing their own songs on Sesame Street, the results were both educational and hilarious - here are the best of them.

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull Songwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of Kiss Songwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."

Songfacts® Newsletter

A monthly update on our latest interviews, stories and added songs

Information

  • Terms of Service
  • Our Privacy Policy
  • Google Privacy Policy
  • Songfacts API
  • Music History Calendar
  • Song Licensing
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Privacy Manager
  • X (Twitter)

Contribution

  • Message Boards
  • Songfacts Writers

©2024 Songfacts, LLC

Separate Ways: Steve Perry on How a 40-Year-Old Journey Hit Found New Life Via “Stranger Things”

Separate Ways: Steve Perry on How a 40-Year-Old Journey Hit Found New Life Via Stranger Things

Joined by Alloy Tracks’ Bryce Miller and Troy MacCubbin, Perry discusses why he believes the 1983 hit resonates so deeply in 2022.

Words : Dan Epstein

July 27, 2022

separate ways journey and steve perry

Photo by Michael Muller. Image design by Gene Bresler at Catch Light Digital. Cobver design by Jerome Curchod. Phoebe Bridgers makeup: Jenna Nelson (using Smashbox Cosmetics) Phoebe Bridgers hair: Lauren Palmer-Smith MUNA hair/makeup: Caitlin Wronski 

The Los Angeles Issue

With 232 pages and an expanded 12″ by 12″ format, our biggest print issue yet celebrates the people, places, music, and art of our hometown, including cover features on  David Lynch ,  Nipsey Hussle ,  Syd , and  Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records , plus Brian Wilson, Cuco, Ty Segall, Lord Huron, Remi Wolf, The Doors, the art of RISK, Taz, Estevan Oriol, Kii Arens, and Edward Colver, and so much more. 

separate ways journey and steve perry

Father John Misty , Mahashmashana

Josh Tillman focuses his lens on death on his darkly comedic sixth album as eclectic instrumentation continues to buttress his folky chamber pop beyond ’70s pastiche.

separate ways journey and steve perry

John Cale , Paris 1919 + The Academy in Peril [Reissues]

These remastered early solo releases are a testament to the breadth of the composer’s innovative sonic and lyrical éclat beyond his more menacing proto-punk work.

separate ways journey and steve perry

TV on the Radio , Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes [20th Anniversary Edition]

The new reissue expands on the lyrical desolation, moody arrangements, and incendiary sonic vibes fueled by post-9/11 Brooklyn that define this debut.

With its vivid 1980s setting and rampant pop cultural reference points, the Netflix series Stranger Things has proven to be an important new platform for numerous musical artists of that decade, as seen from the recent burst of renewed popularity for Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” and Metallica’s “Master of Puppets,” both of which were prominently featured in the show’s fourth season. 

You can now add “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” Journey ’s 1983 smash, to the list of ’80s classics finding a new generation of listeners via its appearance in this season of the series. But unlike the Bush and Metallica anthems, which were included largely in their original form, “Separate Ways” was drastically remixed by Bryce Miller and Alloy Tracks —initially for use in the series’ trailer, and then for the dramatic cliffhanger conclusion to Episode 8. The latter “Extended Remix” of the song was also created with input from former Journey lead singer Steve Perry , whose soaring vocals graced the original track.

Perry, Miller, and Alloy Tracks founder Troy MacCubbin recently spoke with us about their haunting remixes of “Separate Ways,” which bookend Legacy Recordings’ new Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 4 . They not only gave us a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the process of breathing new life into a 40-year-old track, but also offered some interesting thoughts on why Stranger Things and the music used in the series resonate so deeply with audiences in 2022.

How did these remixes of “Separate Ways” come about?

Troy MacCubbin: Well, Bobby Gumm and Adam Finklestein at Trailer Park [the production house that cuts the trailers for Stranger Things ], we’ve been working with them for a while now. They sent over Stranger Things , which we were so excited about, and their ideas for possible songs that could be remixed for the trailer. I think Trailer Park mentioned “Separate Ways” to us, and Bryce said, “Yeah, ’Separate Ways’ would be an awesome track.” And then we kind of went off from there…

So your first remix of the song was done specifically to suit the trailer’s needs?

Bryce Miller: Yes, exactly. That really gave me the opportunity to incorporate the analog synths and textures that are used in the Stranger Things score, and try and match this remix to really fit the sound of the show.

“I can’t think of any other show that bridges the gap between children and parents in this kind of emotional way, where the characters are living on the edge of their own fears and the music is intertwined emotionally with all of it.” — Steve Perry

At what point did Steve get involved?

Troy: Well, at the time I was in Nashville, and I get this call from a number I didn’t recognize. The person on the other end rattled off something and then mentioned Stranger Things , so I thought it was Netflix calling to talk about what we had done. He’s like, “You guys did such an amazing job, I want to learn more about what you guys did.” And after 15 minutes, he’s about to hang up, and I’m like, “Um, can you tell me who this is again?” And he’s like, “It’s Steve Perry—the guy who sang the song!” [ Laughs. ]

And at that point I was like, “Wow, oh my God, Steve, you’re a fuckin’ legend! I can’t believe I’m talking to Steve Perry!” We were over the moon because, throughout our careers, we haven’t ever had the actual singer from any of the songs that we’ve trailer-ized over the years call and give us feedback and want to be involved. And then Steve just took it to the next level, because he was like, “Well, what else can we do?”

separate ways journey and steve perry

Steve, take me back to when you first heard what they’d done with “Separate Ways,” and your initial reaction.

Steve Perry: Well, you know, I still own all my songwriting; the other [Journey] members involved have since sold their songwriting. So I was contacted to approve the use of it. I was sent this trailer version, and I was absolutely stunned by the feeling that I got from it. Because it was so organic and analog-y, and I was stunned that the vocal was emotionally that good . [ Laughs. ]

“We were over the moon because, throughout our careers, we haven’t ever had the actual singer from any of the songs that we’ve trailer-ized over the years call and give us feedback and want to be involved.” — Troy MacCubbin

You gotta remember, I did that vocal, like, years ago, and back then I was struggling to be heard amongst incredible amounts of instruments—analog synths, many, many guitars, and drums. So when I heard that Bryce had taken [my vocal track] out like he did, and there were certain harmonics that I think he had accentuated, with certain echoes that were just touching me emotionally that I wish I would’ve had on the original, I turned to my girlfriend and I said, “You know, I never heard the vocal without all that stuff around it, it really, emotionally, sounds so different than I remember it—and in a positive way!” I was blown away with what they had done, and I just wanted to get to know them and talk to them more. 

A week or so later, I got Bryce’s number from Troy. I called him up and said, “Look, I have this idea—just for fun, let’s see if we can extend it.” Bryce already had a lot of different versions of his remix saved, which we were able to apply to that extended mix. In one day, we put this mock together and sent it to the music supervisor for Stranger Things . Within a few days the Duffers came back to us like, “We’ve got to have this on the record!” So now, all of a sudden, we’re mastering it down for the soundtrack! 

Bryce, how did you approach that first remix for the trailer?

Bryce: Funny enough, one of the first things that Steve wanted to ask me was where I got this isolated vocal; because, as far as we know, it’s not available. I used a piece of software that uses artificial intelligence to pull the vocal away from the instrumental. And hearing those vocals isolated for the first time, just hearing the lead line, I felt something that I hadn’t felt in the song before. And I think that’s kind of what led to how the remix begins, which is just creating a bed of drone for that vocal to sit on top of, and not getting in the way—just letting this emotion come through.

“I’m not trying to just take the original song and slap a few new elements on it to make it louder or more cinematic. I really like to look into the song, and find the musical and vocal ideas that can be given new meaning.” — Bryce Miller

I think what’s the most fun about working on remixes like this is, I’m not trying to just take the original song and slap a few new elements on it to make it louder or more cinematic. I really like to look into the song, and find the musical and vocal ideas that can be given new meaning. And I think that when you pull Steve’s vocals away from the rock track, you find all this emotion and sadness in it. And then be able to take the lead synth line and the lead guitar solo away from their rock world and blow ’em out into big orchestral arrangements…it’s just so satisfying to take the music that the guys in Journey had written and hear it in a totally new context.

Steve: I just wanna say that there’s musical contributions that people can make, but then there’s emotional contributions—and what Bryce and Troy have done is, they picked up on the deeper, emotional, buried-in-there potential contribution that they could pull out of it. They really reached for more emotion than I even knew was in there. When Bryce started arranging it, he took certain melody things that were always there, like guitar lines or things that we had worked on back in the day, and just expanded on ’em in a different way. And so it became a new version of itself, emotionally. I mean, I knew it was good, but I didn’t think it was that emotional . [ Laughs. ]

Steve, were you already a fan of Stranger Things ?

Steve: Yes. I love the show. The first time I saw and heard the trailer [with “Separate Ways”], I kind of lost my mind because it was so powerful. The Duffers are great filmmakers, and what Troy and Bryce were reaching for really fit the filmmakers’ emotional requirements. It’s not easy for people to do trailers and add a connective tissue to the story and the emotion of the show. Most people do trailers and they’re just hack trailers—they get that one voice, like [ growls ] “He’s back! And he’s angry!” [ Laughs. ]

“What Bryce and Troy have done is, they picked up on the deeper, emotional, buried-in-there potential contribution that they could pull out of it.” — Steve Perry

“Separate Ways,” “Running Up That Hill” and “Master of Puppets” have all gotten a huge boost from this season. Do you see any common thread that connects these very different tracks?

Steve: I mean, the soundtrack has Musical Youth on there, “Pass the Dutchie,” and it’s got “Wipeout” by The Surfaris! Somehow they all work in the show, because the Duffers have this incredible sense of humor about themselves, and their darkness is so deep. The one that I scratched my head about—and then I thought, “No, I guess it’s cool”—was when they’re gonna jump in the airplane with the crazy Russian pilot and they’re playing “Traveling Man” by Ricky Nelson?

Troy: Just the fact that these songs are coming back and being discovered by a new generation—I’ve got a six-year-old and an 11-year-old, and now suddenly every time I talk to Steve on the phone, they’re like, “Did you just speak to Steve Perry ? Oh my god, are you gonna see him?” [ Laughs. ] 

separate ways journey and steve perry

Steve: I can’t think of any other show that bridges the gap between children and parents in this kind of emotional way, where the characters are living on the edge of their own fears as they’re facing the bigger fears and the music is intertwined emotionally with all of it. And with the music comes even more of that, because the emotion of the music, no matter what it is, is already in the tracks. 

Steve, this is not the first time a Journey track has wound up in a key position in a major TV show…

Steve: Well, no. And by the way, now that you mentioned that, I really think that this is the next equivalent of a Sopranos moment for a whole new generation. Like, how Troy was talking about his children—my doctor calls me all the time and puts his 16-year-old on the phone with me, because she can’t believe that I know her dad. But they’re watching the show together , and he told me the other day that when they were watching Episode 8 and our song came on, she cried. He said, “I’ve never seen her cry like that!” 

Did this experience make you want to mess around with some of your other old tracks in a similar way?  

Steve: 100 percent. Troy and Bryce and I, this isn’t the last of us!

Bryce: We’re a band now! FL

Listen to flood fm

MUSIC, ART + CULTURE, DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

author • speaker • "Batman & Bill" character • pop culture archaeologist • he

Saturday, July 13, 2013

The girl in the video: “separate ways (worlds apart)” (1983) and “oh sherrie” (1984).

separate ways journey and steve perry

separate ways journey and steve perry

You are the only person [who] has ever received a response! MTV, VH1 [contacted me and] I did nothing and hoped they thought it was the wrong number! I am an esthetician, teach yoga, never married, no children. Love my animals, planting flowers, and life. Cherish my friends (including Steve) and my privacy. It was so different for us! It was just Love, nothing else!
Real research question: if you know the Annie Hubbard who was in 1984 Night Ranger video “Sister Christian,” pls contact @MarcTNobleman Real research question: if you know the woman — even just her name—in 1986 Cinderella video “Shake Me,” pls contact @MarcTNobleman Real research question: if you know woman—even just her name—in ‘87 Richard Marx video “Should’ve Known Better,” pls contact @MarcTNobleman

30 comments:

separate ways journey and steve perry

Great series! Journey on Beavis and Butthead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6WplQoHeHs

separate ways journey and steve perry

Thanks Michael! Added that link above.

separate ways journey and steve perry

This was awesome to read!

separate ways journey and steve perry

I heard that Sherrie Swafford did in fact get married and had children, something that she had wanted with Steve, but never attained. I heard from various sources that she was very happy living her life with her family and a private life at that.

thanks for sharring that info. i still believe steve perry is the best singer for journey....

Kimberly - are you saying you heard this from people who knew Sherrie?

Kimberly,had heard that Sherrie had married and had kids to0 but that seems to be just like all of the other stuff that comes out of the rumor mill. Since this came from Sherrie, now we know the truth.

Sherrie told the truth...never married, no children, very private. Beautiful inside and out! Fact.

I miss Steve Perry when I heard his music. I love that music and his voice. In the Journey.

Muchas gracias por compartir esta historia.Steve I LOVE YOU.

separate ways journey and steve perry

My dad (at least, his back) appears in the 4th picture. He's the one all the way to the right.

separate ways journey and steve perry

Wow! glad I ran across this...the girl/image in Separate Ways seems kind of straight faced snobbish in the character she portrayed. Margaret Oldsted Menendez seems like the sweetest person you could ever meet, so very down to earth. Being a Journey fan I really enjoyed reading the behind the scenes info. Adding this to my song facts & trivia notes.

separate ways journey and steve perry

I produced the "Oh Sherrie" video and when Steve Perry said he wanted Sherrie, his girlfriend, as "Sherrie," I tried to dissuade him. My experience was that rock stars who did use their girlfriends, went on to hate the video after they broke up with them. In fact, in the first takes of the ending, Steve says to her "I kinda love you" as we went on it became "I kinda like you" (which was used). She was nice and it's still one of my favorite videos I made (and it's "prequel" Strung Out"). I even appear in the "Oh Sherrie" video as the "writer" throwing the script in the air after Steve rebels against the video's concept.

separate ways journey and steve perry

Such awesome era! Thanks for the memories, the Love, the pain, the missing, the aching, the hoping a return...hope you are all happy.

Kimberly Marconi - Margaret Oldsted Menendez, the girl in the video Separate Ways, got married to her high school sweetheart at 21 and they are still married today and they have 4 grown children.

Great article, Thank You!

What town was she living in when her and Steve dated?

separate ways journey and steve perry

Fun Fact, Margaret's sister-in-law, Barbara Menendez (Ganucheau) has just written a cookbook of New Orleans recipes done vegan. Called Vegan Dawlin'.

separate ways journey and steve perry

Did anyone ever tell you you look just like Gene Wilder?

I always loved Steve & Sherrie together as a couple 💖 They were so in LOVE with each other & they always looked so happy! 💖2018: they are both single..I wonder if there's ANY chance of a Steve/Sherrie reunion?!😊

i thought of it a hundred times.. maybe they could rekindle the sweet moments they had back then.. love might just be one the air again, and there's nothing wrong with it...

Steve's new album "Traces" is absolutely great,Finally he is back and oh a tour would be so great hes around 70 years old now but watching his new videos he sure doesn't look it, oh a fun fact in his video no more cryin the younger lead guitarist is Clint Eastwood son cant remember his first name though,anyway this was a great read

separate ways journey and steve perry

Sherrie was from Bakersfield, Ca. Her parents were next door neighbors of my mother's. She was already out of the house but would visit her parents and younger sister. Steve Perry came with her as well. After one of these visits her parents showed us a picture of Steve, Sherrie and them together. Her parents eventually moved from their house on Driller Ave but continued to send my mother a Christmas card every year.

separate ways journey and steve perry

No offense to anyone, but the Sherrie video is much better. It's funny, I also liked Sherrie's hair better than the short hair look (which was super hip at the time) in Separate Ways. Hadn't seen the Sherrie video in a long time. Wish I could go back to 1984 again. Some really interesting tidbits in the article & comments. Thanks everyone for your information.

I would love to know when sherrie's birthday is I tried to Google it but it's very difficult to find

separate ways journey and steve perry

I'd love to go back again to 1984 too! Love you Steve Perry! 😘😘❤️

separate ways journey and steve perry

Omgosh I came here specifically looking for the separate ways haircut ! I was describing to a younger person how cool it was and how I always wanted that haircut every time I see the video. I wonder why Margaret didn't like it.

Oh me too, I wish I could have been in a video with Steve. At least meet him..

You are so lucky to have met and worked with Steve perry . I love him. I miss him with journey but he will be forever my favorite person

separate ways journey and steve perry

Sherrie sounds like she was a real handful, but Margaret is truly a class act. This was a fun read.

Post a Comment

axs-bug

Steve Perry and Journey Go Separate Ways | This Week In Music History

On May 7, 1998, Journey frontman, Steve Perry, left the band for the second and final time. Watch as Perry sits down with Dan Rather to reflect on his experience on This Week In Music History.

Find his full interview here: https://bit.ly/StevePerryTBI

Subscribe to AXS TV for more great music content: https://www.youtube.com/c/axstv?sub_confirmation=1

More from AXS TV:

Sammy Hagar and Black Label Society's Zakk Wylde Play Kansas City's Rockfest | Rock & Roll Road Trip: https://youtu.be/sgVxvltKucE

Daryl Hall on How He Met John Oates | The Big Interview: https://youtu.be/4yFCWUrop8Y

Extreme's Nuno Bettencourt Talks Long-Awaited Album Release | Now Listen: https://youtu.be/b0C233JYd0A

x-white-20

More Videos

separate ways journey and steve perry

Vinyl Obsession: Dave Mustaine | Vodcast

separate ways journey and steve perry

Merle Haggard on Watching Johnny Cash Perform in Prison

separate ways journey and steve perry

Alice Cooper Shares His Secret to a Lasting Marriage

separate ways journey and steve perry

Graham Nash on Joni Mitchell and "Our House"

separate ways journey and steve perry

Perry Farrell on His Biggest Mistake and How Addiction Affected Him

separate ways journey and steve perry

Styx Open Up About Their Split With Dennis DeYoung

separate ways journey and steve perry

Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters on "Wish You Were Here" and Losing Syd Barrett

separate ways journey and steve perry

Carly Simon Opens Up About Her Turbulent Marriage to James Taylor

separate ways journey and steve perry

Steve Perry Talks About Journey’s Biggest hits

separate ways journey and steve perry

Geddy Lee Shows Off His Unbelievable Baseball Collection

separate ways journey and steve perry

"Ummm" The Big Interview with Dan Rather

separate ways journey and steve perry

Steve Perry Opens Up About Why He Left Journey

IMAGES

  1. BPM and key for Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) by Journey

    separate ways journey and steve perry

  2. Journey 'Separate Ways' Remix Featured on 'Stranger Things' Season 4

    separate ways journey and steve perry

  3. FLOOD

    separate ways journey and steve perry

  4. Steve Perry Separate Ways video 1983

    separate ways journey and steve perry

  5. Journey: Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (1983)

    separate ways journey and steve perry

  6. Journey

    separate ways journey and steve perry

VIDEO

  1. Journey

  2. Separate Ways

  3. Journey Separate Ways #journey #steveperry

  4. Journey & Steve Perry

  5. Journey, Steve Perry

  6. Separate Ways

COMMENTS

  1. Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (Official HD Video ...

    Official HD video for "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)'' by Journey Listen to Journey: https://journey.lnk.to/listenYD Watch more Journey videos: https://Journey.lnk.to/listenYD/youtube...

  2. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (Steve Perry & Bryce Miller ...

    "Seperate Ways (World's Apart)" by Journey (Steve Perry & Bryce Miller Remix)Listen to Journey: https://journey.lnk.to/listenYDWatch more Journey videos: htt...

  3. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) - Wikipedia

    "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" is a song performed by Journey, recorded for their album Frontiers and released as a single in January 1983. It peaked at number eight for six consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and spent four weeks at number one on the Top Tracks chart. [2]

  4. Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (Arnel Pineda & Steve ...

    #journey Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (Official HD Video)https://youtu.be/LatorN4P9aAJourney - Separate Ways (Live In Japan 2017: Escape + Frontier...

  5. Journey – Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) Lyrics - Genius

    Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) Lyrics: Here we stand / Worlds apart, hearts broken in two, two, two / Sleepless nights / Losing ground, I'm reaching for you, you, you / Feeling that it's gone /...

  6. Divorces, New Beginnings, and the Meaning Behind the 1983 ...

    [RELATED: Daughtry and Lzzy Hale Talk Covering Journeys “Separate Ways”] Remixed by Bryce Miller for the season 4 trailer and cliffhanger of Stranger Things , Perry said he was hesitant at...

  7. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) by Journey - Songfacts

    Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain and lead vocalist Steve Perry wrote this song on tour during a period when two of the band members were going through painful divorces due to the stresses (and temptations) of life on the road.

  8. Separate Ways: Steve Perry on How a 40-Year-Old Journey Hit ...

    Separate Ways: Steve Perry on How a 40-Year-Old Journey Hit Found New Life Via Stranger Things. Joined by Alloy Tracks’ Bryce Miller and Troy MacCubbin, Perry discusses why he believes the 1983 hit resonates so deeply in 2022. Photo by Michael Muller.

  9. The Girl in the Video: “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” (1983 ...

    Sherrie was the girlfriend of Steve Perry, classic lead singer of Journey, and the inspiration for the 1984 hit “Oh Sherrie.” She also appeared in the video and, if you ask me, she emanates sincerity.

  10. Steve Perry and Journey Go Separate Ways - AXS TV

    On May 7, 1998, Journey frontman, Steve Perry, left the band for the second and final time. Watch as Perry sits down with Dan Rather to reflect on his experience on This Week In Music History. Find his full interview here: https://bit.ly/StevePerryTBI