Released 1986 Length 3:54 | Genre Pop Label MCA | |
Writer(s) James Horner
Barry Mann
Cynthia Weil Producer(s) Peter Asher
Steve Tyrell | ||
"Somewhere Out There" is a duet recorded by American singers Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram for the 1986 animated film An American Tail, directed by Don Bluth. It was written by James Horner, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, with production done by Peter Asher and Steve Tyrell serving as associate producer.
Contents
Background
Steven Spielberg, 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 made its debut at number 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 number 83 debut. In January 1987 "Somewhere Out There" returned Ronstadt to the Top 40 after a four-year absence to eventually peak at number 2 that March. The number 1 song at the time was "Jacob's Ladder" by Huey Lewis and the News.
Music video
The music video for the song was directed, produced and edited by Jeffrey Abelson. It was filmed in New York City and features Ronstadt and Ingram, in two separate rooms, sitting at their desks, drawing and coloring scenes from the movie. They both look out the windows, in the same manner as Fievel and Tanya in the film. 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 main body of the film, 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 end title pop 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 Year and the other for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television. It also garnered Ronstadt and Ingram a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
It 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.
Personnel
Covers
In the spring of 1987, singer Liza Minnelli performed, in the words of music critic Stephen Holden of The New York Times, "a stunning rendition" of the song at Carnegie Hall for her three-week concert engagement at the historic music venue. The concert was recorded by Telarc Records and released in late 1987.
The Jets covered the song for their 1986 album Christmas with The Jets.
Barry Mann himself covered the song in his album Soul & Inspiration, released September 21, 1999, through Atlantic Record Corp.
The song also was featured in the South Park episode "Eek, a Penis!", where it's sung as a duet between a mouse and the human penis growing on its back.
In a 2009 episode of NBC's Community, the characters Troy and Abed go on a chase for their class mouse rat who gets loose. In this scene towards the end of the episode, the two characters sing the song.