Suzanne Robertson
09-13-2011, 09:10 PM
“Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moon light…” I will always remember the first time I heard that song. Both the lyrics and the melody struck a chord in everyone who listened and the song became a classic. This is the story behind its creation.
As American Tail was being scripted, two writer from the staff of Sesame Street, Tony Giess and Judy Freudberg, were hired by Amblin Entertainment to help in the process. Their job was to write the first draft of the script and to identify places where songs could be interjected. The perception at the time was that animated movies needed songs to be successful.
We met daily and talked story. In one such meeting I suggested that because the story was about a little lost “boy” (mouse) trying to find his parents, that the premise for a song might be something about looking up at the full moon and realizing that his missing family was looking at that same moon. I entitled it “Somewhere Out There.”
Within a couple of days Tony and Judy came back with a comic jingle called, “Hey, Mister Man in The Moon.” It was something along the lines of “ mairzy doats”... too fast, too many notes, and a bit silly. Steven Spielberg gave it a listen, and said,
“Its perfect. . . for Sesame Street; let’s try again.”
Two very accomplished song writers were hired, Cynthia Weil for Lyrics, and Barry Mann for music. Cynthia was quick to respond with the lyrics. “Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight; someone’s thinking of me, and loving me tonight.”
Meanwhile James Horner was contracted to score the film; I think he saw an opportunity to add another Oscar to his already vast collection, and immediately stepped forward and ask to write the melody to Cynthia’s lyrics. He gave it a go but when he presented his version of the song to Steven, there was still “no cigar.” It was very fast, too many notes and difficult to sing.
One afternoon I sat in a meeting with Cynthia and Barry and we listened to James’ recording. Barry’s head was buried in his hands. When the music stopped, he got up, walked to the piano and sat there for the longest time, just staring at the keys. We all knew he was the music man. We quietly waited.
After a while I saw him smile and then he said,
“What if we were to simplify James’ melody to one word per note, something like this… He sang – in a very low register, SOME – WHERE – OUT – THERE - BE - NEATH – THE – PALE – MOON – LIGHT. One note per word.
Barry’s voice, usually raspy, and hoarse, sounded like that of an angel. It was beautiful. The melody was simple and we knew immediately that he had hit the mark. We were sure Steven would love it but, not wanting to take any chances, we hatched a plan to get his approval.
Little Philip Glasser, had been cast as the voice of Fievel . He won the part out of hundreds of auditions, and Steven loved the sound of his voice. We were sure the Barry Mann version of “Somewhere Out There” would have an excellent chance of approval if Philip would sing the demo.
What happened in the recording session was better than any of us could have planned. Some of the notes in the song were too high for Phillip, and his tiny voice cracked as he strained to reach them. Who could resist that? Certainly not Steven Spielberg, he loved it.
And so a sweet simple song, performed by a small Jewish mouse staring at the moon, became the most popular wedding song of the next two decades. Recorded by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram it was a magical part of the movie.
For all of you who struggle with the creative process, I’m sure you will recognize that the real “magic” happened just moments before Barry Mann smiled… when all the dots were connected and the melody was married to the lyrics. It’s what we all live for, the moments when creativity passes through us and is presented to the world… the “blue note.”
Suzanne
NOTE: One day Don overheard Phillip's grandmother talking as she'd dropped him off at the studio. In her thick Bronx accent she called out to him ... "Hey Philly, time to learn your lines". Don loved it, and if you remember in the movie, Fievel changes his name to Philly."
As American Tail was being scripted, two writer from the staff of Sesame Street, Tony Giess and Judy Freudberg, were hired by Amblin Entertainment to help in the process. Their job was to write the first draft of the script and to identify places where songs could be interjected. The perception at the time was that animated movies needed songs to be successful.
We met daily and talked story. In one such meeting I suggested that because the story was about a little lost “boy” (mouse) trying to find his parents, that the premise for a song might be something about looking up at the full moon and realizing that his missing family was looking at that same moon. I entitled it “Somewhere Out There.”
Within a couple of days Tony and Judy came back with a comic jingle called, “Hey, Mister Man in The Moon.” It was something along the lines of “ mairzy doats”... too fast, too many notes, and a bit silly. Steven Spielberg gave it a listen, and said,
“Its perfect. . . for Sesame Street; let’s try again.”
Two very accomplished song writers were hired, Cynthia Weil for Lyrics, and Barry Mann for music. Cynthia was quick to respond with the lyrics. “Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight; someone’s thinking of me, and loving me tonight.”
Meanwhile James Horner was contracted to score the film; I think he saw an opportunity to add another Oscar to his already vast collection, and immediately stepped forward and ask to write the melody to Cynthia’s lyrics. He gave it a go but when he presented his version of the song to Steven, there was still “no cigar.” It was very fast, too many notes and difficult to sing.
One afternoon I sat in a meeting with Cynthia and Barry and we listened to James’ recording. Barry’s head was buried in his hands. When the music stopped, he got up, walked to the piano and sat there for the longest time, just staring at the keys. We all knew he was the music man. We quietly waited.
After a while I saw him smile and then he said,
“What if we were to simplify James’ melody to one word per note, something like this… He sang – in a very low register, SOME – WHERE – OUT – THERE - BE - NEATH – THE – PALE – MOON – LIGHT. One note per word.
Barry’s voice, usually raspy, and hoarse, sounded like that of an angel. It was beautiful. The melody was simple and we knew immediately that he had hit the mark. We were sure Steven would love it but, not wanting to take any chances, we hatched a plan to get his approval.
Little Philip Glasser, had been cast as the voice of Fievel . He won the part out of hundreds of auditions, and Steven loved the sound of his voice. We were sure the Barry Mann version of “Somewhere Out There” would have an excellent chance of approval if Philip would sing the demo.
What happened in the recording session was better than any of us could have planned. Some of the notes in the song were too high for Phillip, and his tiny voice cracked as he strained to reach them. Who could resist that? Certainly not Steven Spielberg, he loved it.
And so a sweet simple song, performed by a small Jewish mouse staring at the moon, became the most popular wedding song of the next two decades. Recorded by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram it was a magical part of the movie.
For all of you who struggle with the creative process, I’m sure you will recognize that the real “magic” happened just moments before Barry Mann smiled… when all the dots were connected and the melody was married to the lyrics. It’s what we all live for, the moments when creativity passes through us and is presented to the world… the “blue note.”
Suzanne
NOTE: One day Don overheard Phillip's grandmother talking as she'd dropped him off at the studio. In her thick Bronx accent she called out to him ... "Hey Philly, time to learn your lines". Don loved it, and if you remember in the movie, Fievel changes his name to Philly."