Somewhere in the Night (song)

"Somewhere in the Night"
Single by Helen Reddy
from the album No Way to Treat a Lady
B-side "Ten to Eight"
Released November 1975
Format 7" single
Recorded 1975
Genre Easy listening
Length 3:31
Label Capitol
Writer(s) Richard Kerr, Will Jennings
Producer(s) Joe Wissert
Helen Reddy singles chronology
"Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady"
(1975)
"Somewhere in the Night"
(1975)
"I Can't Hear You No More"
(1976)
"Somewhere in the Night"
Single by Barry Manilow
from the album Even Now
A-side

"Somewhere in the Night" (US/Canada);

"Copacabana" (UK)
B-side

"Leavin' In The Morning" (US/Canada)

"Somewhere in the Night" (UK)
Released July 1978 (1978-07)
Format Easy Listening
Recorded 1978
Genre Easy listening
Label Arista
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Barry Manilow singles chronology
"Ready To Take A Chance Again"
(1978)
"Somewhere in the Night"
(1978)
"Ships"
(1979)

"Somewhere in the Night" is a ballad written by Richard Kerr and lyricist Will Jennings which was a US Top 20 hit for both Helen Reddy and Barry Manilow.

The first song composed by Kerr and Jennings as a team, "Somewhere in the Night" appeared on four 1975 album releases: You Are a Song by Batdorf & Rodney and Rising Sun by Yvonne Elliman both released in June 1975, No Way to Treat a Lady by Helen Reddy released July 1975 and Kim Carnes' November 1975 eponymous album release. The Yvonne Elliman version was released as a single in August 1975 which month also saw the release of a "Somewhere in the Night" single recorded by the song's co-writer Richard Kerr: Kerr's version would have its UK release in January 1976 when it also served as the title cut of an album release by Kerr. However, "Somewhere in the Night" did not become a chart item until the Batdorf & Rodney version was issued as a single in October 1975 to reach #69 on the Hot 100 in Billboard.

The qualified success of the Batdorf & Rodney version did not preclude the December 1975 release of Helen Reddy's version of "Somewhere in the Night" as the follow-up single to her hit "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady". Unique as a third single released from a Helen Reddy album - the first single from the No Way to Treat a Lady album: "Bluebird", had had an abbreviated release - "Somewhere in the Night" hit #2 at Easy Listening radio and #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1976: Reddy would have one subsequent single reach the Top 20 that being "You're My World" in 1977. "Somewhere in the Night" would also reach #27 in New Zealand in February 1976, affording Reddy her final hit in that territory..

Barry Manilow, whose breakout hit "Mandy" had been written by Scott English and Richard Kerr who had later reached #1 with the Kerr/Jennings composition "Looks Like We Made It", recorded "Somewhere in the Night" for his 1978 album Even Now. In July 1978 Manilow's version of "Somewhere in the Night" was issued as the flip of Manilow's single "Copacabana" for its release in the UK where both sides of the single received airplay although the single only reached a UK chart peak of #42. In December 1978 "Somewhere in the Night" became the fourth track from Even Now to be given single release in the US, reaching #9 on Billboard's Hot 100 in early-1979: Manilow's follow-up single would also have a Hot 100 peak of #9 after which Manilow would return to the US Top Ten for one final time with "I Made It Through the Rain" - #10 in 1980.

The song has also been recorded by Anita Sarawak. Mike Love a local singer from Abertillery South Wales recorded a version of the song in his bedroom and in 2014 the recording was played at his own funeral, this recording later went on to become very popular on YouTube.

There are two earlier songs entitled "Somewhere in the Night": a Mack Gordon/Josef Myrow composition introduced by Vivian Blaine in the 1946 film musical Three Little Girls in Blue which has been recorded by Joni James, Carly Simon and Frank Sinatra; and a Billy May/Milt Raskin composition which as recorded by Teri Thornton served as theme song for the TV show Naked City. Thornton's signature tune, this "Somewhere in the Night" was also recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Grant Green, Vikki Carr, Gloria Lynne and Marlena Shaw.

There is also a song called "Somewhere in the Night", written by actor Scott Bakula, and performed by Bakula and Marietta DePrima on the hit TV show Quantum Leap. "Somewhere in the Night" is featured in episode #045, "Piano Man". It also appears in the Quantum Leap soundtrack album, rounded out with a bridge, rock orchestration, and backup singers.

Another song called "Somewhere in the night", written by Thierry Noritop and Bernie Adam, and performed by the synthpop French band "Stereo," was released in 1982 on Carrere Records. "Somewhere in the night" by "Stereo" has been reissued on Minimal Wave Records in 2009 on CD and LP.

Charted versions of Somewhere in the Night (Kerr/ Jennings)
Artist/
year of recording
Chart & peak
Batdorf & Rodney/
1975
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #69
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening #24
Helen Reddy/
1975
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #19
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening #2
Canada #27, New Zealand #27
Barry Manilow/
1978
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #9
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening #4
UK #42*1 Australia #81, Canada #10
Footnote
*1Double A-side chart item with "Copacabana"

References

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