The much-talked-about sci-fi film *Project Hail Mary* was released on March 20. It stars Ryan Gosling, who has appeared in numerous acclaimed films. In this article, we’d like to look back at *Blue Valentine*, a film in which Ryan Gosling and music were closely intertwined.
How “You and Me” Was Selected for “Blue Valentine”
“Blue Valentine” is a 2010 film directed by Derek Cianfrance that realistically depicts a couple’s journey from meeting to parting, earning high critical acclaim. Ryan Gosling plays the husband, Dean, while Michelle Williams plays his wife, Michelle. Both were nominated for the 68th Golden Globe Awards.
The song used as a soundtrack for this film is the acoustic soul track “You and Me” by Penny and the Quarters. Originally, this song was a demo recorded in Columbus, Ohio, in the 1970s, but it ended up being shelved.It wasn’t until 2005 that this forgotten, unreleased track was finally unearthed. The Numéro Group, renowned as a reissue and rediscovery label, took notice of this mellow soul track. Numéro included the song as the 18th track out of 19 on their 2007 compilation *Eccentric Soul: The Prix Label*.
“You and Me” didn’t stand out much on the album itself, as sales of the compilation were sluggish to begin with. However, the song gained attention after being used in *Blue Valentine* and quickly became a hit. Then, in 2022—15 years after the original compilation—a new compilation centered on “You and Me,” titled *Penny & The Quarters & Friends*, was released.
Surprisingly, Ryan Gosling himself was heavily involved in the film’s music selection. According to The Independent, “You and Me” was the song that “Ryan provided to the director after being asked for a track that expressed his relationship with Michelle Williams.” Apparently, he had been listening to Numero albums, and the release page for “You and Me” even notes that Ryan is a Numero “fan.”
respected screen actor and avowed Numero fan Ryan Gosling
Two scenes featuring “You and Me”
From here on, let’s take a look at the staging of the scenes where “You and Me” is used, with timecodes.
“You and Me” plays twice in *Blue Valentine*. In both instances, Ryan inserts a CD—presumably containing “You and Me”—into a player and plays it. This is a striking use of the song that emphasizes it, and since the lyrics even appear on screen, it’s clear just how important “You and Me” is to this film.
“You and Me” was chosen to represent the relationship between Ryan and Michelle’s characters—a married couple—as the song declares, “Just you and me, just the two of us, we don’t need anyone else.” However, the two scenes in which the song plays are quite contrasting. The first is a scene where Dean (played by Ryan) and Cindy (played by Michelle) dance in a love hotel. The song plays around the 41:08 mark.The camera captures the two dancing from a distance, through the door, with a slightly detached gaze.
The second time is later in the film, during a flashback scene when the two are at the peak of their happiness. At 1 hour, 36 minutes, and 22 seconds into the film, as “You and Me” plays again from the CD, the camera shows a close-up of the happy couple embracing. Before putting the CD on, Ryan says the following line:
“It’d be boring to play the same old song everyone else does. This is our song.”
Even though they’re listening to the same love song—a song filled with memories of just the two of them—and embracing each other just as before, the emotional distance between them has completely changed. These two scenes skillfully depict the shift in the couple’s relationship.
Ryan Gosling’s Line and the Reissue Label
The line, “It’s boring to listen to the same old songs everyone else does. This is our song,” clearly indicates that “You and Me” is a song of memories for the couple. Furthermore, when we reflect on how this song came to be selected for *Blue Valentine*, it seems to symbolize the significance of the fact that it was created in secret and then unearthed.
There are many soul songs used as insert songs in movies and TV dramas.For example, Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” or “What’s Going On.” However, after watching *Blue Valentine*, it feels out of place to use famous, flashy soul music in a film that so deeply portrays the couple’s deeply personal relationship.
In fact, “You and Me” lends more credibility to the line “a song just for us” than using a famous soul song would.If the song hadn’t been unearthed and reissued by Numéro Group, and if Ryan Gosling hadn’t listened to Numéro’s compilation albums, this movie might even have turned out differently.
Considering that Ryan said the line above, that he was involved in the film’s music selection, and that he is a Numéro fan, the line “It’s boring to use the same old songs everyone else uses” is very suggestive.These words also make us reflect on the significance of labels like Numéro, which reissue and unearth forgotten songs, making them available for use in movies, TV shows, and commercials. The next time you see the end credits of a movie featuring a song you don’t recognize, try paying attention not only to the artist and song title but also to the “courtesy of (label name)” credit.