Somewhere
Bernstein & Sondheim Lyrics

Instrumental

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

No Related Genres

More Genres

No Artists Found

More Artists Load All

No Albums Found

More Albums Load All

No Tracks Found

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Comments from YouTube:

@philipkuttner7945

2y↑20

Hearing the song while seeing the original choreography is intensely moving. Thank you.
(Reri Grist made her operatic debut a little while after West Side Story and had an international opera career, one of the first African Americans to do so. I saw her at the Salzburg Festival in 1967; she was wonderful. I think it's significant that Bernstein chose a Black soprano to sing "Somewhere". The song resonates is so many ways, for so many people, and always will.

@waltcraig8098

2y↑15

What a perfect way to show how this magnificent song was built. To realize what was behind the song makes it even more beautiful. Thank you.

@mikehired1520

5y↑139

Thanks very much for this. I found it because I'm a Sondheim fan, but your use of the Beethoven, Strauss, and Tchaikovsky elements frankly blew me away. It's still Bernstein's song, but I can appreciate it more now knowing about those.

@songbookstation7396

5y↑14

Thanks Mike! It's really an amazing song, and glad you enjoyed learning more about it in the video. Appreciate the comment too!

@tedzaremba1412

2y↑10

So Bernstein took these melodies from the 3 classic composers to create Somewhere? Bernstein must have had extensive knowledge of the classics. Just trying to visualize all this.

@colleenwood2487

2y↑7

I especially loved Tchaikovsky's progression.

@AnonYmous-ry2jn

2y↑2

How about the most obvious antecedent….Schumann
About Strange Lands and People (Von fremden Ländern und Menschen) kinderscenen op._15: it’s all about reclaiming a child’s innocent dream of a perfect world, a place of perfect love and acceptance implicitly very far from the brutality and cruelty of the real circumstance. Not only is the music nearly exactly the same as Bernstein’s, Schumann’s explicit programmatic content matches precisely the programmatic content of the West Side Story theme.

@martinez-shaffer

@@colleenwood2487 Yes!!

@stevehinnenkamp5625

2y↑56

Brilliant analysis, without detracting from WSS creators. Like a wedding, "something old, something new, something borrowed." It takes genius to make it sound fresh.

@FreakieFan

2y↑26

The Beethoven, Strauss, and Tchaikovsky connection was truly mindblowing. I've known and listened to all the pieces mentioned dozens of times and never made the connection. Genius!

@ejb7969

2y↑2

I always thought the slow movement of Bruckner's 6th Symphony (also conducted by Bernstein) was the source, but the connection was always somewhat unsatisfying because it only explained the 1st phrase, and the rhythm was different in the second measure.

Yours is so much better! It explains almost everything - most notes and all the rhythm.

@AnonYmous-ry2jn

@waltersabo8192

15w↑2

THANK YOU. this is why LB wouldn’t change one note to accommodate Sondheim’s lyrics. your analysis is so smart and respectful

@michaelrichardone8280

2y↑22

So great to have Mme Grist acknowledged as the first singer to sing this song!

@canadeeana

gorgeous work! thank you so much! i remember my young teenage girl loving this incredible vocalizing of "Somewhere"! I so wanted to be a singer! Alas, was not to be!! I will watch and listen to your classes! Thank you, again! Tears touch my eyes hearing this masterpiece.♥️

@bruceboome

2y↑43

I was enthralled by your brilliant exposition of this beautiful song, long a favourite of mine. I do wonder, though, how much Lenny was consciously aware that he was combining these fragments. I now have even more respect for Sondheim"s mastery of the English language. Thank you, a most informative and entertaining post.

@YitzchakHornik

2y↑64

Edward Barnes - You're a genius.
For over sixty years I have known the song but for the first time you managed to get Leonard Bernstein's mind on how it was created and of course on the lyrics written by Stephen Sondheim's.
In one word - thank you

@adscri

2y↑4

Actually that’s two words.

@rugby8-Philadelphia

@@adscri
.....boooooo
😎😎😎

@philipthomey7884

27w

Bahaha@@adscri

@user-vf5ft8pw6d

17w

Even after these many years, I think Somewhere has yet to find the best singer for it.

@mselbit

2y↑49

Fascinating! I'm a Sondheim and Bernstein fan and this was wonderful to watch particularly now, trying to come to terms with Sondheim's passing.

@SongbirdAlom

2y↑6

also idk why but "Let's find a house in Scarsdale" got a chuckle out of me.

@tracer740

2y↑1

pssst ... me too but don't tell anybody, please?

@JWP452

2y↑12

This still makes me cry today! Edward Barnes, you are quite the genius.

@davidcavalari226

2y↑4

Finally, a WSS musical analysis that isn't just "look, there's a tritone! And there's another tritone!"

@tiffsaver

19w↑2

My favorite song from WSS. It never fails to move me...

@OrangeXenon54

3y↑36

This was such a great analysis and very interesting history! One of the things I love most about the song is just how absolutely simple the lyrics are. Sondheim is a true wordsmith and poet with a large vocabulary, but this song's lyrical simplicity just adds to the timeless aspect of it, in my opinion.

@mdrapkin

2y↑4

That was really good. Leonard Bernstein once famously said, "It is impossible to write music that doesn't sound like something else." This is certainly no exception.

@keepgoodcompany1279

2y↑4

First part: mind blown. Second part: as a singer, I ALWAYS appreciate when songs are singable. So many songs in a variety of genres are difficult simply for what vowels or parts of a word are expected to be sung well on certain notes. It’s a gifted person who can do that well to let the singer’s voice be at its best.

@avalon235

2y↑20

The deconstruction of the Somewhere is brilliantly illustrated and insightful. I never realized this phrases contributed to the main theme. Thank you!

@michaelmcallister9431

2y↑13

When I was a young music student (decades ago), I asked one of my professors what he thought of Leonard Berstein's music. "Not much", he said, "He's an eclectic..." I was very disappointed, because I enjoyed his music, so much. Years later, after composing my own music and conducting and playing in hundreds of concerts, I realized we are all eclectics. We are the product of all we have experienced. Composers have been openly borrowing good ideas from other composers, just as when we do research and write, we filter through the ides we have assimilated and combine them with our own thoughts. I see nothing compromising about the incorporation of the musical thoughts of great composers or great writers or philosophers or anyone, for that matter. It is up to us to use what we have learned honorably (give credit where it is due) and contribute as artistically as we are able.
By the way, I enjoyed your presentation very much,

@mckernan603

2y↑10

Winning formula! Please make more

@lindaanderson8329

1y↑2

Loved seeing the original cast performing the dance. Very moving…thank you!

@nicholasfranghias9542

2y↑18

What a brilliant analysis, indicating how the mysterious creative process works sometimes. Hail to Leonard Bernstein's imagination aka talent.

@Cynthia-eu7yu

15w↑2

That was so interesting. One of my very fave songs of all time. Thank You

@joshuachristiannathanael7420

3y↑42

I guess it's true when they say "A good composer does not imitate; he steals." I've always loved Bernstein's music, haha.

@philipkuttner7945

2y↑3

It was Igor Stravinsky who said this. And he did! The Rake's progress is filled with ideas from Mozart.

@jabpoke

2y↑3

Bernstein famously told Michael Tilson Thomas, only steal the good stuff.

@jaimhaas5170

2y↑1

I was wondering why nobody here was saying this. At least you had the guts. I often listen to old Star Trek music and wonder how Speilburg got away with stealing the music for his movie "Jaws".

@jhartley8441

2y↑14

Thank E.B. for a great, insightful essay. Lenny's music was great, SS's lyrics were great but together they made magic.

@relatosymemorias9516

34w↑1

I am 67 and heard this song for the very first time at 16. Through all these years it has been one of my favorites. Your analysis only proves that part of their genius came from a solid musical foundation. You made me feel as if I was taken on a voyage exploring the genealogy of this song by its makers. Thank you for enriching our lives.

@SongbirdAlom

2y↑10

I'm two years late, but this probably showed up in my recs because I've been watching Sondheim stuff nonstop. I don't need to explain why.
I LOVE in depth explorations of music like this and this was so well done and enjoyable! New subscriber!

@golvic1436

15w

When you are so good at what you do your phone in song becomes the emotional center of the whole show.

@edwarddejong8025

2y↑11

A wonderful dissection on the song, and very interesting to see a fragment of the original ballet. You can tell Mr. Barnes really loves the source material.

@user-cz6zu9xi6b

26w↑2

Absolutely brilliant analysis. I had noticed the Beethoven and Tchaikovsky melodies before. Your inclusion of the Strauss and the emphasis on the fact that it also includes undeniably Bernstein parts is fascinating. Thank you so much.

@rainbowsandlove

39w↑2

Ohhhhhhhhmygod I can’t believe I caught onto something like this! I studied the Emperor Concerto at A-Level music, and had just the year before performed as Riff in a school production of WSS; I brought up the similarity of the motif with my music teacher (also the orchestra conductor) and she told me that I was completely off-base! Vindicated after 21 years…!

@fiandrhi

2y↑6

This is like acting out every composer's nightmare. The fear you're merely repeating what you've heard before is constant.

@2034916

2y↑3

My favorite song from my favorite movie, and it’s been that way since I first saw it in 1960. The most beautiful melody ever written

@karyw7752

2y↑6

Thank you so much for this wonderful analysis, and the video of the original show. !!!!!!

@donajones1695

2y↑5

I love this song! RIP Stephen Sondheim & Love this Theatrical Genius

@laureldruce3067

2y↑3

I echo all the laudatory comments below. I was 12 years old when the Broadway show opened. We bought the cast album and I must have sung it a million times, knew all the songs by heart. I saw the 1961 movie when it first came out at Radio City Music Hall, and I saw Spielberg's magnificent version the first weekend. But I've never seen it on stage, and I'm so glad you not only gave us the background on the creation of the song, but also included a clip of it being danced to, not sung. That gives a whole different meaning to the song. I have to wonder why the films didn't place it there. Thank you so much for this.

@morenanicholson1196

4y↑14

Edward, an excellent analysis. I have loved this song for decades but your analysis shed some new light . Thank you

@charleshudson5330

2y↑5

Thanks for this wonderfully executed video. On all levels. I'm a pianist, and the first time I heard the WSS score, in 1961, my ear said: Beethoven #5. Your video presentation was seamless. A total pleasure.

@razorgg

2y↑4

This is the one song i can almost play on the piano , and then i give up so i need to go back to just play 1 minute a day instead of none for months, so it is amazing how well you play all of this and sort out where this comes from , and it encourages me again, The depth of dissection of this one song with your whole deal is , fascinating, fun, stellar incredible wonderful

@jamesjimpwhite2844

2y↑5

Wow! " I've said repeatedly that I believe teaching is a sacred profession and that art is a form of teaching..." - Stephen Sondheim.

@stevenwaldman89

3y↑7

This analysis made my evening! Thank you 🙏🏼

@jasperkensington2644

3y↑9

Brilliantly exposed & makes me love it all more!!!

@zazuzazz5419

2y↑7

Edward, you are an excellent teacher. I felt as if this was a logical, cohesive follow through of a “Young People’s Concert at Lincoln Center” hosted by Leonard Bernstein himself. Delightful and informative. Thank you. Be safe, and well!

@789juggernaut

2y↑1

Every young composer should watch this. It opens your eyes in so many ways.

@JRobbySh

2y↑1

Bless you. and keep you. This is something else.

@drziman

2y↑6

I always recognized the phrase when listening to the Emperor Concerto, but the addition of Strauss and Tchaikovsky was such a gift to fulfill the mystery. Thank you so much!
“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants”.

@AnonYmous-ry2jn

@volcaniclinguist7690

2y↑1

Wow, this is amazing! Thank you!!

@KT-sq2ml

2y↑1

Incredible! Loved your explanation and detailed examples of the Beethoven, Strauss and Tchaikovsky influences upon Bernstein’s composition!!!

@robinpennington5287

2y↑2

Thank you. That was amazing.

@Thioniljenkins

2y↑2

Thank you for this such an amazing breakdown !!!

@jmontarsi

Excellent! Thank you!

@erniepianezza1170

This was great!! Thanks so much! I learned alot!! I'm a pianist/ instructor myself and play this wonderful song all the time!! 🎼😃🎹🎙

@dougstone7848

2y↑1

Outstanding video. Saw the 2021 movie of West Side Story. Fell in love with the music. Watched the 1961 film version and fell in love with the choreography. First time I have ever seen video footage of the original stage show. Exquisite choreography and vocal. I've been curious as to how the 4 artists-writer, composer, lyricist, choreographer created the show. This is a fascinating, informative video. Loved your piano playing. Will give more listening to the 3 classical composers.
A rich feast for someone raised on rock and pop music.

@edmundpotrzeba6094

Made me cry ,❤️

@bater1602

2y↑3

thx so much, it's very useful and professional

@bman342a

2y↑2

Excellent job.

Load More Comments...

More Comments

just now