Somewhere Out There is the title of the 1986 track written by James Horner, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil for the animated movie An American Tail.
It was originally performed by Phillip Glasser and Betsy Cathcart as the characters in the movie, mice Fievel and Tanya Mousekewitz.
The film’s producer, Steven Spielberg, decided that the song had the potential to become a Top 40 hit and brought Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram to record a pop version of the song for the movie’s ending.
On 15 November 1986, the track reached 31st place on the Adult Contemporary charts from Billboard and later that year got to the 83rd place in Billboard Hot 100.
In March 1987, Somewhere Out There was number two in the Top 40.
The free Somewhere Out There piano sheet music was a major hit, selling over one million copies in the US and becoming number eight in the UK Top 10.
The music video was filmed in New York and was directed by Jeffrey Abelson.
In the clip, we can see Ronstadt and Ingram doodling scenes from the movie and looking down the window as the mice did in the film.
In the original version, the lyrics describe love in a more general way, the love of a brother and sister being separated by a long distance but having hope that their love will reunite them.
The pop version of the single shows love in a more romantic manner.
Somewhere Out There won Song of the Year and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television at the 30th Grammy Awards.
Since 1987, several artists have covered the song such as Liza Minelli, Cathy Cavadini, Danny Pudi, Donald Glover, and David Essex.
Enjoy Somewhere Out There, and have fun playing it on your beloved instrument.
