Somewhere in The Night (song)

"Somewhere in the Night" is a ballad written by Richard Kerr and lyricist Will Jennings which was a US Top 40 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" peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 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 Richard Kerr and who had later reached #1 with the Richard Kerr/ Will 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.

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 Ella Fitzgerald, Grant Green, 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 Vikki Carr, Gloria Lynne and Marlena Shaw.

There is also a song called "Somewhere in the Night", performed and written by actor Scott Bakula 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.