Somewhere in Time
cover art for Somewhere in Time OST cover art for Somewhere in Time Re-recording

Original Soundtrack

1980

LP: MCA Records MCA-5154
CD: MCA Records MCAD-31164
CD: MCA Ultimate Masterdisc: MCAD 10954
Expanded CD: La La Land LLLCD1550

    Track listing for the LP and MCA CDs

  1. Somewhere in Time (2:58)
  2. The Old Woman (2:49)
  3. The Journey Back in Time (4:22)
  4. A Day Together (6:02)
  5. Rhapsody On a Theme of Paganini (2:57)
  6. Is He the One (3:10)
  7. The Man of My Dreams (1:35)
  8. Return To the Present (4:04)
  9. Theme from "Somewhere in Time" (3:20) [performed by Roger Williams]

    Track listing for the La La Land CD

  1. Theme from Somewhere In Time (performed by Roger Williams) (3:26)
  2. The Grand Hotel (2:04)
  3. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (2:54)
  4. The Old Woman (film version) (2:49)
  5. June 27th (2:03)
  6. Room 417 (1:11)
  7. The Journey Back in Time (4:29)
  8. Is He the One (film version) (3:13)
  9. A Day Together (film version) (2:31)
  10. Rowing (1:15)
  11. The Man of My Dreams (1:42)
  12. That's It (0:40)
  13. Razor (1:05)
  14. Total Dismay (3:21)
  15. Coin (0:37)
  16. Return to the Present (4:10)
  17. A Day Together (end credits) (6:08)

    18. Source music and alternate versions

  18. After Party (2:03)
  19. Car Jazz (2:00)
  20. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (3:03)
  21. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (music box) (2:11)
  22. Is He the One? (2:21)
  23. My Melancholy Baby (2:02)
  24. Oh, You Beautiful Doll (3:30)
  25. In the Good Old Summertime (0:37)
  26. I Want a Girl (Just Like the Girl that Married Dear Old Dad) (1:53)
  27. Wisdom of the Heart (1:09)
  28. Somewhere In Time (piano theme) (1:59)
  29. Rowing (alternate) (1:18)
  30. Razor (alternate) (0:51)
  31. Coin (alternate (0:32)
  32. Somewhere in Time (theme variation) (1:46)
  33. Finale and End Credits (4:57)

Re-recording

1998

Performed by the Royal Scottish Orchestra
conducted by John Debney

CD: Varese 5911

  1. Somewhere In Time
  2. Old Woman
  3. Grand Hotel
  4. Nineteen Twelve
  5. Thanks
  6. June 27th
  7. Room 417
  8. The Attic
  9. Near The Lake
  10. Rhapsody On A Theme By Paganini
  11. Is He The One?
  12. A Day Together
  13. Rowing
  14. The Man Of My Dreams
  15. Razor
  16. Total Dismay
  17. Coin
  18. Whimper
  19. Somewhere In Time (End Credits)

The Movie

I saw around the time that it came out, and can't remember much of it except that as a romance, it didn't make me sick. Christopher Reeve, before the accident, was in-between Superman gigs. In this one, he's a playwrite who becomes obsessed with a photo of a stage actress (Jane Seymour) from the turn of the century. He uses self-hypnosis to travel back in time and find her, does so, and they fall in love. This was written by Richard Matheson, who is most famous for his Twighlight Zone stories and the more recent What Dreams May Come. Jane Seymour was at her peak hottie factor in this film.

The Music

This was another huge hit—the music did better than the movie, at least in the long run. It sold big, it continues to sell as a CD, and its music is often performed. Guys: this is a good "romantic" CD to have on the shelf.

The story goes that when Barry was hired, the director wanted to use Paganini. Barry talked him out of it and into using Rachmaninov's "Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini" instead.

Release Notes

The LP came out with the movie and sold very well. The original CD version later came out but many considered the quality substandard, and MCA put out an "ultimate masterdisc" version of it, though with no new music. Recently, John Debney re-recorded the score and released his own version of the album on Varese. The All Music Guide is very complimentary toward this release:

Recorded in 20-bit digital audio by John Debney and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, this is the best account ever given of that score ironically, MCA/Universal, which distributes Varese Sarabande, also has out the original soundtrack as a full-priced item in its catalog, though the latter has never been upgraded from its late-'80s remastering and offers less music than is present here. Every section of Barry's music not just the vastly lyrical romantic passages, which are the obvious focus for most listeners is given a beautifully expansive reading. The darker sections, such as "June 27th," "Room 417," and "The Attic," benefit from the playing of the full-size symphony orchestra, which offers more virtuosity than the MCA pick-up orchestra could ever bring to this music.

La La Land records released a limited edition, expanded score including a lot of alternate cues and source music. Jon Burlingame wrote the liner notes.

Michael Crawford performs a vocal version of the title song on a compilation album entitled EFX.

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