“Rainbows” Finds New Life in Hollywood: From Project Hail Mary to HBO

The music of Stephen J. Kalinich and Dennis Wilson continues to find new life in powerful ways. Their song is now featured in the upcoming film Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling , as well as in a new HBO television series  introducing a whole new generation to the emotional depth and spiritual beauty of their work together.

Stevie reflected on the extraordinary creative bond he shared with Dennis:

“I feel very fortunate that God or grace or whatever you believe in  in my case I believe in God and grace  brought into my experience when I was very young a person that I could send my words to, and he would hardly change a word and find a melody within the words in a sense nobody was able to do it with me like he was able to do it.

I have done it with Brian and PF, but never so consistently as with Dennis. I would give him the words or leave them on his piano. He would either do it in front of me or call me when he had it. It was as if it was a gift from the universe that we got together.

We were in our early 20s, we were both in love, and we shared incredible experiences as friends. It was more like we were friends than writing partners. We talked about God and grace. People see how wild he was, but he also had a sweetness and an innocence. When he would hear the music or the lyrics, he would almost be in prayer.

Songs like ‘My Love Lives On,’ ‘Rainbows,’ ‘A Time To Live In Dreams,’ and ‘Be Still’ were inspired — almost like prayers. I’m extremely grateful. It was beautiful, majestic, and humbling to experience something like that in my lifetime.

Dennis had a humility that I have not often found in writing partners. I could recite a poem to him and he could take a section from it and already hear a melody from memory. That was a rare, rare gift.

Peace,
Stevie
SJK”