"Somewhere," also called "Somewhere (There's a Place for Us)" or simply "There's a Place for Us," is a duet from act 2, scene 2 of the 1957 musical West Side Story. This musical was adapted into films released in 1961 and 2021. The song's music was written by Leonard Bernstein, and the lyrics were created by Stephen Sondheim for his first Broadway show.

InWest Side Story

In a 1998 interview for a documentary about Bernstein, Sondheim said he was not happy with the lyrics for the song "Somewhere." He called them "embarrassing" because he disliked how the stressed note in the opening line lands on the word "a," which he considered the least important word. Composer Edward Barnes noted that the song's title "Somewhere" has perfect rhymes with words like "air," "spare," "care," and "there." He also pointed out repeated sounds, such as "hold my hand and we're halfway there, hold my hand" and "some day, somehow, somewhere."

Bernstein included "Somewhere" in his 1961 musical suite, Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. The song comes after "I Feel Pretty," in which Maria expresses her love for Tony, unaware that Tony has injured her brother during "The Rumble" at the end of Act 1. After learning about her brother's death, Tony appears at Maria's window. In the original script by Arthur Laurents, this scene was meant to be a ballet. Bernstein used a melody he had written earlier but later decided it should be sung. Jerome Robbins, the choreographer, wanted to avoid interrupting the ballet with a singer, so the song was performed off-stage. Later, the entire cast sings it again. In the original Broadway production, "Somewhere" was performed by Reri Grist, who played Consuelo. At the end of the show, when Tony is shot, Maria sings the first lines of the song as he dies in her arms. In late 1957, the song was released on the album West Side Story (Original Broadway Cast).

Music critic Alex Ross and composer Edward Barnes observed that parts of "Somewhere" sound similar to melodies from Beethoven's Emperor Piano Concerto, Richard Strauss's Burleske for piano and orchestra, and Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

In the 1961 film, Maria says, "It's not us…it's everything around us," and Tony replies, "Then I'll take you away, where nothing can get to us." He begins singing "Somewhere" to her, and their voices blend into a shared song of hope that their love might survive "somehow, someday, somewhere." As in the stage version, Maria sings the final lines of the song as Tony dies in her arms at the end of the musical. In 2004, this version ranked #20 on AFI's 100 Years…100 Songs list of top American film songs.

"Somewhere" is the only track out of order on the original soundtrack album, appearing as the last track on Side 2. This was corrected on the CD, where the song is placed correctly between "The Rumble" and "Cool."

In the 2021 film, "Somewhere" also follows "I Feel Pretty," but it is now sung by Valentina (Rita Moreno), a revised version of the character Doc. The ballet scene is omitted, as in the 1961 film. This version was used in the film's teaser trailer, which aired during the 93rd Academy Awards on April 25, 2021.

P. J. Proby version

In 1964, P. J. Proby sang his version of "Somewhere." The song reached number six in the British singles charts and number eight in the Australian singles charts. It was also popular in many countries in Europe.

The Supremes' version

In 1965, the Supremes recorded the song for their album There's a Place for Us, but it was not released until 2004. They performed the song during their first appearance at the Copacabana nightclub in New York City, and it became a regular part of their nightclub performances. They also sang the song on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Hollywood Palace. Unlike the original melody, a spoken part was added to the song. This spoken part was changed over time as the group evolved and as the nation faced challenges in the late 1960s.

After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the spoken part was updated to include lines from his "I Have a Dream" speech. When the Supremes appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson the day after King's death, lead singer Diana Ross was very emotional during the performance and struggled to speak clearly. However, the audience gave her a strong round of applause. Later that year, the song was broadcast again on national television when the group performed with the Temptations on an NBC special called TCB. The spoken part for that special was as follows:

Barbra Streisand version

In 1985, American singer, songwriter, actress, and director Barbra Streisand released a version of "Somewhere" as a single from The Broadway Album, which won a Grammy Award. In the United States, the song reached number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart but performed better on the Adult Contemporary chart, where it reached number five. It also reached number 88 on the UK Singles Chart. David Foster, the song's arranger, won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s). In 2011, a duet was created using scenes from Streisand's version of the song, while Jackie Evancho performed live with David Foster at the Ringling Museum of Art. In 2014, Streisand released a new recording of the song as a duet with Josh Groban on her Partners album.

Marianne Faithfull version

British singer Marianne Faithfull performed a version of the song on her 2008 album Easy Come, Easy Go. The album is a collection of songs from various time periods. English singer and musician Jarvis Cocker sang on the album.

Phil Collins version

British musician Phil Collins recorded the song in 1996 for the album The Songs of West Side Story.

Steve Baltin from Cash Box wrote, "Taken from the tribute album The Songs of West Side Story, this classic has a new meaning compared to Tom Waits and Barbra Streisand's previous versions. Collins' rich arrangement highlights the song's emotional depth, using its sentimental elements to create a track similar to his recent ballads. Adult Contemporary radio is expected to strongly support the track."

Pet Shop Boys version

"Somewhere" was released as a single by the English electronic music group Pet Shop Boys on June 23, 1997. The song was released to promote their "Somewhere" residency at the Savoy Theatre in London, which was named after the song, and to promote a repackage of their album Bilingual.

The single reached the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number nine. In the United States, the song was released as a double A-side with "A Red Letter Day." It reached number 25 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and number 19 on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart.

The Pet Shop Boys' version of "Somewhere" includes musical elements from two other songs from the musical West Side Story: "One Hand, One Heart" and "I Feel Pretty." It also includes a sample of dialogue from the 1993 film Menace II Society. The extended mix of the song features lyrics from "One Hand, One Heart" spoken by Chris Lowe.

Barry Walters of The Advocate wrote that Pet Shop Boys "presented this West Side Story classic in a way that highlights its connection to LGBTQ+ themes, similar to how k.d. lang did for 'Secret Love' in The Celluloid Closet." Larry Flick of Billboard magazine noted that the song was a "wistful disco cover" of the classic, but he believed it might not receive much attention on pop radio due to limited space on playlists. He also praised the "vibrant trance/NRG keyboards and plucky beats" and the "stately orchestral version" that showcased Neil Tennant's vocal abilities.

British magazine Music Week gave the song a rating of three out of five, mentioning Tennant's "emotionally controlled vocals" and the "thumping techno pop beat." They also said the song was "too overblown" compared to the group's usual style. Music Week editor Alan Jones wrote that the duo turned the song into a "camp disco celebration," which made its subtler qualities less noticeable. David Sinclair of The Times described the version as a "questionable disco version" of the West Side Story standard.

• UK CD single 1 (Parlophone CDRS 6470)
• "Somewhere"
• "The View from Your Balcony"
• "To Step Aside" (Ralphi's Old School Dub)
• "Somewhere" (Forthright Vocal Mix)

• UK CD single 2 (Parlophone CDR 6470)
• "Somewhere" (Orchestral version)
• "Disco Potential"
• "Somewhere" (Trouser Enthusiasts Mix)
• "Somewhere" (Forthright Dub)

• UK cassette single (TCR 6470)
• "Somewhere"
• "Somewhere" (Orchestral version)
• "The View from Your Balcony"

Other renditions

• On January 19, 1964, Judy Garland and Vic Damone performed "Somewhere" as part of a West Side Story medley on The Judy Garland Show.
• In 1966, Len Barry recorded "Somewhere," which was released as a single and reached number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Peter and Gordon included "Somewhere" on their 1966 album Woman (Capitol T 2477 (mono) Capitol ST 2477 (stereo)).
• Since 1966, The Dartmouth Aires have performed "Somewhere," which became the group’s traditional alumni song. The song also appears on several Aires albums. In 2011, they performed a shorter version of the song as their final performance after finishing as runners-up on NBC’s The Sing-Off.
• In 1973, Aretha Franklin recorded "Somewhere" for her album Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky).
• Tom Waits recorded "Somewhere" for his 1978 album Blue Valentine.
• In 1964, Frankie Lymon released "Somewhere" on Columbia 4-43094, paired with "Sweet and Lovely" (R&B Chart placing: No. 66).
• In 1993, British jazz singer Tina May performed "Somewhere" on her album Fun.
• In 1994, Brazilian singer and composer Renato Russo recorded "Somewhere" for his debut solo album The Stonewall Celebration Concert.
• In 2018, Ben Platt performed "Somewhere" at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards as a tribute to Leonard Bernstein.
• In 2005, Rick Astley recorded "Somewhere" for his sixth studio album Portrait.
• In 2007, Dave Koz released a jazz version of "Somewhere" featuring Anita Baker on his album At the Movies. This version was released as a single in 2006.
• In 2014, Angeline Quinto recorded "Somewhere" for the soundtrack of the period telenovela Ikaw Lamang, which aired on Philippine television network ABS-CBN.
• In 2017, Bobby Sanabria and his Multiverse Big Band performed "Somewhere" with a Latin jazz arrangement using the Venezuelan joropo rhythm. The performance was recorded live and released in 2018 on the Grammy-nominated album West Side Story Reimagined, which won the Jazz Journalists Award for best album of 2018.
• In 2022, Cynthia Erivo, Ben Platt, Leslie Odom Jr., and Rachel Zegler (who played Maria in the 2021 film) performed "Somewhere" at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards as a tribute to Stephen Sondheim during the "In Memoriam" segment.
• In 2024, jazz musician Pat Metheny recorded a solo guitar version of "Somewhere" for his album MoonDial.