Somewhere (song)

This article is about the song from West Side Story. For the Shanice song, see Somewhere (Shanice song). For other uses, see Somewhere (disambiguation).

"Somewhere" is a song from the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story which was made into a film in 1961. The music is composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and takes a phrase from the slow movement of Beethoven's 'Emperor' Piano Concerto, which forms the start of the melody, and also a longer phrase from Pyotr Tchaikovsky's final scene from the ballet Swan Lake.

The song has been recorded by many artists, and released as a single by several, including Caterina Valente, Len Barry, Barbra Streisand, The Supremes, Phil Collins, Johnny Mathis, Matt Monro, Julian Lloyd Webber, Aretha Franklin, Bobby Darin, Devo, Tom Waits, P. J. Proby, Oscar Peterson, Il Divo, Dutch rock band Zinatra, Donald Braswell II, Pet Shop Boys, Ian McCulloch, Kylie Minogue, Jane McDonald, Charlotte Church, Josh Groban, Jennifer Hudson, La Toya London, Leona Lewis, Celine Dion, Celtic Woman, Jackie Evancho & Katharine McPhee. Most recently, singing accountant Christopher Stone sang a rendition of the song in the 2010 final of Britain's Got Talent. It had previously featured in the 2009 final of the same show played by Julian Smith on his soprano saxophone.

The song in the stage musical

In the stage musical, the song appears in the second act of the show during the Somewhere Ballet. It is performed by an off-stage soprano and is later reprised by the entire company. In the original Broadway production, "Somewhere" was sung by Reri Grist who played the role of Consuelo.

At the end of the show, when Tony is shot, Maria sings the first few lines of the song as he dies in her arms.

In 1957, a recording was released as West Side Story (Original Broadway Cast).

The song in the 1961 film

In the 1961 film, the song occurs at a pivotal point, after the rumble in which former Jets leader Tony (Richard Beymer) has stabbed his girlfriend's brother, Bernardo (George Chakiris). Having nowhere else to go, Tony runs to his girlfriend, Maria (Natalie Wood). Maria has just been told of her brother's death, and who killed him. When Tony comes to her room through the balcony window, Maria, in shock, pounds against his chest.

Realizing in spite of her anger that she still loves Tony, Maria begs him to hold her. After Maria cries out, "It's not us...it's everything around us, Tony says "Then I'll take you away, where nothing can get to us." and begins singing 'Somewhere' to her. His comforting voice draws her in, and it becomes a duet of hope that their love will survive "somehow, someday, somewhere."

As in the stage show, Maria sings the first few lines of the song as Tony dies in her arms.

"Somewhere" is the only track that is out of sequence on the original soundtrack album as it is the last track on Side 2. This is rectified on the CD as "Somewhere" is correctly placed in sequence to the film, between "The Rumble" and "Cool".

P. J. Proby version

In 1964, P. J. Proby released his version of "Somewhere" which reached #6 on the British singles chart and #7 on the Australian singles chart. The song also charted well in various European countries.

Chart positions	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	6
Australian Singles Chart	7

The Supremes' version

In 1965, the Supremes recorded the song for their album, "There's a Place for Us", though it went unreleased until 2004. They also used it for their debut appearance at the Copacabana nightclub in New York City and it eventually became a fixture of their nightclub acts. They also sang the song on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Hollywood Palace. In contrast to the original melody, a special dramatic monologue was incoroprated, which was frequently changed in conjunction with changes in the group as well as the country's turmoil in the late 1960s.

In the aftermath of the shooting of Martin Luther King, Jr., the monologue was changed to reflect King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech. When the Supremes appeared on the The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson the day after King had been murdered, lead singer Diana Ross was so overcome with emotion that she practically stumbled through the speech, but got an extraordinary ovation from the studio audience. It would once again be nationally televised several months later that year when the group paired up with the Temptations for an NBC television special, TCB. The monolgue for that special went as follows:

"Yes, there's a place for each of us, Where love is like a passion, burning like a fire, Let our efforts be as determined as that of Dr. Martin Luther King, Who had a dream that all God's children, Black men, white men, Jews, Gentiles, Protestants, and Catholics, Could join hands and sing that spiritual of all: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last!"

Barbra Streisand version

In 1985, Barbra Streisand released a version of "Somewhere" as a single off the Grammy Award-winning The Broadway Album, charting at #43 in the US (on the Billboard Hot 100) and #88 in the UK. In 2011, a duet was produced using scenes from Streisand's version while new singing sensation 11 year old Jackie Evancho performed live with David Foster at the Ringling Museum of Art. [1].

Phil Collins version

"Somewhere"
Single by Phil Collins
from the album The Songs of West Side Story
Released	1996
Format	CD, 12"
Genre	Rock
Length	4:02
Label	Atlantic, Virgin, WEA
Writer(s)	Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim
Producer	Phil Collins
Phil Collins singles chronology
"We Wait and We Wonder" (1994) "Somewhere" (1996) "Dance into the Light" (1996)

British singer Phil Collins later covered the song in 1996 for the West Side Story cover album The Songs of West Side Story.

Charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	7

Pet Shop Boys version

"Somewhere"
Single by Pet Shop Boys
from the album Bilingual Special Edition
B-side	"The view from your balcony"
Released	June 23, 1997
Format	CD single, 12"
Recorded	1995
Genre	Dance-pop
Length	4:42
Label	Parlophone / Atlantic
Writer(s)	Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim
Producer	Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys singles chronology
"A Red Letter Day" (1997) "Somewhere" (1997) "I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More" (1999)

"Somewhere" was released as a single by the British music group Pet Shop Boys in 1997 to promote their "Somewhere" residency at the Savoy Theatre in London, which was named after the song, and to promote a repackage of Bilingual.

The single was another top 10 hit for the group, peaking at #9. The single also peaked at #25 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, equaling #125 on the main US Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at #19 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart. In the US, the song was released as a double A-side with "A Red Letter Day".

The Pet Shop Boys' version also uses elements of another West Side Story song, "I Feel Pretty", and the album version uses elements of "One Hand, One Heart" spoken by Chris Lowe.

Track listings

UK CD single 1 (Parlophone)

1. "Somewhere"
2. "The view from your balcony"
3. "To step aside" (Ralphi's Old School Dub)
4. "Somewhere" (Forthright Vocal Mix)

UK CD single 2 (Parlophone)

1. "Somewhere" (Orchestral version)
2. "Disco potential"
3. "Somewhere" (Trouser Enthusiasts Mix)
4. "Somewhere" (Forthright Dub)

UK cassette single

1. "Somewhere"
2. "Somewhere" (Orchestral version)
3. "The view from your balcony"

Chart positions

Chart positions	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	9
Swedish Singles Chart	21
German Singles Chart	70
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	19
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles	25

Other cover versions

• The song appeared as an A-side on Frankie Lymon's Columbia single in 1964
• Frida Boccara recorded "Un Pays Pour Nous" (French version of the song) on her albums: Un Jour, Un Enfant (1969), Place des Arts '71 (1971, live in Montréal, double LP Philips and CD 2006), An Evening with Frida Boccara (1978, Live at Dallas Brooks Hall, Melbourne - 2 LP Philips and Les grandes Années 1972 – 1988, 3 CD Marianne Mélodie).
• The song appeared on Michael Crawford's album Songs from the Stage and Screen.
• British singer Sarah Brightman sang this song in her Royal Albert Hall concert in 1997.
• British cellist Julian Lloyd Webber recorded the song on the 1986 album Travels with My Cello, Volume 2.
• Tom Waits recorded the song on his album Blue Valentine.
• British singer Rowetta Satchell performed the song on the first series of The X Factor.
• British singer Rhydian Roberts performed the song on the fourth series of The X Factor.
• British singer Stacey Solomon performed the song on the sixth series of The X Factor.
• Pop singer Rick Astley recorded the song on his 2005 album Portrait.
• American Jazz Pianist Dave Brubeck recorded the song on his 1962 album Music From West Side Story.
• Christopher Stone performed the song on the Britain's Got Talent series 4 Final.
• Pop group Devo recorded the song live on the 1988 album Now It Can Be Told: DEVO at the Palace as a part of a musical suite, which is the finale of the album
• Singer/composer Donald Braswell II recorded this song on his 2007 album New Chapter.
• Saxophonist Dave Koz covered his version on his standards album At The Movies. The song features R&B vocalist Anita Baker.
• Marianne Faithful and Jarvis Cocker performed a duet of the song on her album Easy Come, Easy Go retitled as "Somewhere (A Place for Us)".
• Lea Michele and Idina Menzel perform the song as a duet in the Season 3 episode I Am Unicorn of the musical tv series Glee.
• The tune is recorded on the Down Beat award winning CD Games by the University of Northern Iowa Jazz Band One.

Other Uses

The Newer trains that were added in 2000 on the New York City Subway screech the first 3 intervals or the words theres a place, when they leave a station.