Somewhere Out There (James Horner song)
Encyclopedia
"Somewhere Out There" is a song
written by James Horner
, Barry Mann
and Cynthia Weil
. Its single was released by American recording artists, pop rock
icon Linda Ronstadt
and R&B musician James Ingram
. Originally, it appeared in the 1986
animated
film
An American Tail
, recorded by actors Phillip Glasser and Betsy Cathcart in the role of their fictional characters as Fievel and Tanya Mousekewitz.
, the producer of An American Tail, invited songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil to collaborate with James Horner on four songs for the film's soundtrack, to be completed in a four week timeframe. The composers "felt no pressure to come up with a radio-friendly hit" and were surprised when Spielberg felt "Somewhere Out There" had Top 40 hit potential and recruited world renowned recording artists, Linda Ronstadt
and James Ingram
, to record a pop
version of the song for the film's closing credits.. In the main body of the film, "Somewhere Out There" was performed by Phillip Glasser
and Betsy Cathcart in the characters of the anthropomorphic
mice Fievel and Tanya Mousekewitz. Produced by Ronstadt's regular producer Peter Asher
, the single release of the Ronstadt/Ingram track debuted at #31 on the Adult Contemporary chart in Billboard
dated 15 November 1986 crossing over to the Billboard Hot 100
dated 20 December 1986 with a #83 debut. In January 1987 "Somewhere Out There" returned Ronstadt to the Top 40 after a four year absence to eventually peak at #2 that March, behind "Jacob's Ladder
" by Huey Lewis and the News
. One of the last commercially released 45 RPM singles to be certified Gold
for US sales of one million units, "Somewhere Out There" was also a major UK hit (peaking at #8), marking Ronstadt's first of three appearances in the UK Top 10.
In the 1991 sequel to An American Tail: An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
a snippet of "Somewhere Out There" is sung by Cathy Cavadini
in the character of Tanya Mousekewitz.
The Designing Women
episode entitled "The First Day of the Last Decade of the Entire Twentieth Century" - broadcast 1 January 1990 - featured a version of "Somewhere Out There" sung by session singers; the episode's guest star Dolly Parton
performed two lines of the song. "Somewhere Out There" was also performed by cast members in the NBC comedy Community
(2009).
"Somewhere Out There" had also been recorded by David Essex
(A Night at the Movies/ 1997) and by Paige O'Hara
(Dream With Me'/ 1998).
On 16 September 2011, talk show hosts and comedians Stephen Colbert
and Jimmy Fallon
sang a rendition of the song to each other as a climax to their multi-episode arc of being best friends for only 6 months.
, in two separate rooms, sitting at their desks, painting film cels of An American Tail. They both look at each out the windows, in the same manner to the scene with Fievel and Tanya's version. Clips from the movie appear throughout the video.
and the other for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television
. It also earned nominations for Best Original Song at the 44th Golden Globe Awards
and the 59th Academy Awards
, but lost both to Take My Breath Away
from Top Gun
. At the Academy Awards ceremony, Natalie Cole
performed the song live with James Ingram.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written by James Horner
James Horner
James Roy Horner is an American composer, orchestrator and conductor of orchestral and film music. He is noted for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for frequent use of Celtic musical elements...
, Barry Mann
Barry Mann
Barry Mann is an American songwriter, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil.-Career:...
and Cynthia Weil
Cynthia Weil
Cynthia Weil is a prominent American songwriter. She is famous for having written many songs together with her husband Barry Mann....
. Its single was released by American recording artists, pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
icon Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
and R&B musician James Ingram
James Ingram
James Ingram is an American soul musician. He is best known as a vocalist. He is also a self-taught musician who plays piano, guitar, bass, drums and keyboards...
. Originally, it appeared in the 1986
1986 in film
-Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.*April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*May - Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
An American Tail
An American Tail
An American Tail is a 1986 American animated adventure film directed by Don Bluth and produced by Sullivan Bluth Studios and Amblin Entertainment. The film tells the story of Fievel Mouskewitz and his family as they immigrate from Russia to America for freedom. However, Fievel gets lost and must...
, recorded by actors Phillip Glasser and Betsy Cathcart in the role of their fictional characters as Fievel and Tanya Mousekewitz.
Background
Steven SpielbergSteven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
, the producer of An American Tail, invited songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil to collaborate with James Horner on four songs for the film's soundtrack, to be completed in a four week timeframe. The composers "felt no pressure to come up with a radio-friendly hit" and were surprised when Spielberg felt "Somewhere Out There" had Top 40 hit potential and recruited world renowned recording artists, Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
and James Ingram
James Ingram
James Ingram is an American soul musician. He is best known as a vocalist. He is also a self-taught musician who plays piano, guitar, bass, drums and keyboards...
, to record a pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
version of the song for the film's closing credits.. In the main body of the film, "Somewhere Out There" was performed by Phillip Glasser
Phillip Glasser
Phillip Glasser is an American actor and producer. He is best known for the role of Fievel Mousekewitz in the animated films, An American Tail and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, and the television series Fievel's American Tails.In the late 1990s he played the role of Eugene in NBC Saturday...
and Betsy Cathcart in the characters of the anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
mice Fievel and Tanya Mousekewitz. Produced by Ronstadt's regular producer Peter Asher
Peter Asher
Peter Asher is an English guitarist, singer, manager and record producer. He first came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the vocal duo Peter and Gordon before going on to a successful career as a record producer.-Early life:He was born at the Central Middlesex Hospital, a child actor and...
, the single release of the Ronstadt/Ingram track debuted at #31 on the Adult Contemporary chart in Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
dated 15 November 1986 crossing over to the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
dated 20 December 1986 with a #83 debut. In January 1987 "Somewhere Out There" returned Ronstadt to the Top 40 after a four year absence to eventually peak at #2 that March, behind "Jacob's Ladder
Jacob's Ladder
Jacob's Ladder is a "ladder to heaven", described by biblical Jacob in the Book of GenesisJacob's Ladder may also refer to:* Ladder of Jacob, a pseudepigraphic text of the Old Testament...
" by Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually scoring a total of 19 top-ten singles across the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Rock charts...
. One of the last commercially released 45 RPM singles to be certified Gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
for US sales of one million units, "Somewhere Out There" was also a major UK hit (peaking at #8), marking Ronstadt's first of three appearances in the UK Top 10.
In the 1991 sequel to An American Tail: An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West is a 1991 American animated film produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblimation animation studio and released by Universal Pictures. It is the sequel to An American Tail, and the fourth installment in terms of the series' fictional chronology...
a snippet of "Somewhere Out There" is sung by Cathy Cavadini
Cathy Cavadini
Catherine Janet "Cathy" Cavadini is an American voice actress and singer. Most famous as the voice of Blossom on Cartoon Network's animated television series The Powerpuff Girls and Tanya Mousekewitz in An American Tail: Fievel Goes West and Fievel's American Tails. She is also the successor voice...
in the character of Tanya Mousekewitz.
The Designing Women
Designing Women
Designing Women is an American television sitcom that centered on the working and personal lives of four Southern women and one man in an interior design firm in Atlanta, Georgia. It aired on the CBS television network from September 29, 1986 until May 24, 1993. The show was created by head writer...
episode entitled "The First Day of the Last Decade of the Entire Twentieth Century" - broadcast 1 January 1990 - featured a version of "Somewhere Out There" sung by session singers; the episode's guest star Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
performed two lines of the song. "Somewhere Out There" was also performed by cast members in the NBC comedy Community
Community (TV series)
Community is an American television comedy series created by Dan Harmon that airs on NBC. The series is about a group of students at a community college in the fictional locale of Greendale, Colorado. The series heavily uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television...
(2009).
"Somewhere Out There" had also been recorded by David Essex
David Essex
David Essex OBE is an English musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Since the 1970s, Essex has attained nineteen Top 40 singles in the UK , and sixteen Top 40 albums...
(A Night at the Movies/ 1997) and by Paige O'Hara
Paige O'Hara
Donna Paige O'Hara is an American Broadway singer, actress, and Disney Legend best known for her voicework as Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast.-Personal life:...
(Dream With Me'/ 1998).
On 16 September 2011, talk show hosts and comedians Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
and Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
sang a rendition of the song to each other as a climax to their multi-episode arc of being best friends for only 6 months.
Music Video
The music video for the song was directed, produced and edited by Jeffrey Abelson. It features Linda and James, in two separate rooms, sitting at their desks, painting film cels of An American Tail. They both look at each out the windows, in the same manner to the scene with Fievel and Tanya's version. Clips from the movie appear throughout the video. The Japanese version features Satomi Takasugi & Ishii TatsuyaTatsuya Ishii
, also known as Tatuya Ishii is a Japanese singer, songwriter, artist, and industrial designer from Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.- Biography :...
, in two separate rooms, sitting at their desks, painting film cels of An American Tail. They both look at each out the windows, in the same manner to the scene with Fievel and Tanya's version. Clips from the movie appear throughout the video.
Theme
The lyrics of "Somewhere Out There" convey the love felt by two people separated by vast distances, but cheered by the belief that their love will eventually reunite them to be with each other once again. In the original theatrical production, the fictional characters singing "Somewhere Out There", Fievel and Tanya Mousekewitz, are brother and sister, and the love they share is described as general. However, in the more popular single version of the song, the love is described as more romantic.Awards
At the 30th Grammy Awards, the song won two awards, one for Song of the YearGrammy Award for Song of the Year
The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
and the other for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television
Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media has been awarded since 1988 and is awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media...
. It also earned nominations for Best Original Song at the 44th Golden Globe Awards
44th Golden Globe Awards
----Picture - Drama: Platoon ----Picture - Musical or Comedy: Hannah and Her Sisters ----TV Series - Drama: L.A. Law ----TV Series - Musical or Comedy: The Golden Girls ...
and the 59th Academy Awards
59th Academy Awards
The 59th Academy Awards were presented March 30, 1987 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn, and Paul Hogan....
, but lost both to Take My Breath Away
Take My Breath Away
American pop singer Jessica Simpson covered "Take My Breath Away" and released it as the third single from the album In This Skin in 2004. Her version was produced by Billy Mann. Simpson chose to cover this song because she felt that it was the theme song of her relationship with her then husband,...
from Top Gun
Top Gun
Top Gun may refer to:* Top Gun is a 1986 film starring Tom Cruise.**Top Gun , soundtrack to the movie**Top Gun , a number of games based on the movie...
. At the Academy Awards ceremony, Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
performed the song live with James Ingram.