"Somewhere Along the Way" is a

popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

song. The music was written by

Jimmy Van Heusen James Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock; January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Life and car ...

under the pseudonym Kurt Adams, the lyrics by

Sammy Gallop Sammy Gallop (March 16, 1915 – February 24, 1971) was an American lyricist, known for his big band and swing songs of the 1940s and 1950s. Biography Gallop was born in Duluth, Minnesota. He originally worked as a surveyor and draftsman. On F ...

. The sheet music was published in 1952. The original recording by

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

was released by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

as catalog number 2069. It first reached the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Best Seller chart on May 23, 1952 and lasted 22 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 8. The song became the opening track to Nat's 1952 album ''8

Top Pops ''Top Pops'' is an original jazz compilation by Nat King Cole. It was released initially as ''8 Top Pops'' in the 10-inch Capitol Records' LP format in 1952. An expanded (12-track) version was reissued in 1955 in a 12-inch LP format as ''Top Po ...

''. Cole re-recorded the song in stereo for his album ''

The Nat King Cole Story ''The Nat King Cole Story'' is a 1961 album by Nat King Cole. The album was a retrospective of Cole's recording career, designed to present many of his earlier hits in new recordings featuring stereo sound. Cole is accompanied on the re-recordi ...

'' (1961).

Other versions

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and ...

on a 1952 single, Decca 9-28222. *

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his bir ...

recorded the song for his 1955 album ''

Alone at Last with Tony Bennett ''Alone at Last with Tony Bennett'' is the third album by American jazz singer Tony Bennett. It was released in 1955 as a 10" vinyl on Columbia (CL 2507) as part of "House Party Series". The orchestral players and technical staff are mentioned on ...

''. *

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...

- ''

Cliff Sings Cliff Sings is the second album by British Cliff Richard and his first studio album. It was released in November 1959 through EMI Columbia Records and recorded at Abbey Road Studios. It reached No. 2 in the UK album chart. No singles were re ...

'' (1959) * Frank Sinatra in 1961 with

Axel Stordahl Axel Stordahl (August 8, 1913 – August 30, 1963) was an American arranger who was active from the late 1930s through the 1950s. He is perhaps best known for his work with Frank Sinatra in the 1940s at Columbia Records. With his sophistica ...

arranging and conducting for his final Capitol album, ''

Point Of No Return The point of no return (PNR or PONR) is the point beyond which one must continue on one's current course of action because turning back is dangerous, physically impossible or difficult, or prohibitively expensive. The point of no return can be a ...

'', released in 1962. *

John Gary John Gary (born John Gary Strader; November 29, 1932 – January 4, 1998) was an American singer, recording artist, television host, and performer on the musical stage. Early life From Watertown, New York, Gary started singing at the age of 5. ...

- ''Catch a Rising Star'' (1963). *

Doris Troy Doris Troy (born Doris Elaine Higginsen; January 6, 1937 – February 16, 2004) was an American R&B singer and songwriter, known to her many fans as "Mama Soul". Her biggest hit was " Just One Look", a top 10 hit in 1963. Life and career She ...

on her 1963 album ''Sings Just One Look & Other Memorable Selections''. *

The Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The ac ...

- ''The New Soul of the Platters - Campus Style'' (1964). * Sam Fletcher on his 1964 album ''I Believe in You''. *Bobby Vinton on his 1964 album Tell Me Why. *

Jack Jones Jack Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *Jack Jones (American singer) (born 1938), American jazz and pop singer *Jack Jones, stage name of Australian singer Irwin Thomas (born 1971) *Jack Jones (Welsh musician) (born 1992), Welsh mu ...

- ''My Kind of Town'' (1965). *Alex Chilton on his 1993 album Clichés. *The song was performed by

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden Gl ...

in the

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

film '' That Old Feeling'', accompanied by a

Grand piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

and a

Double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

. *

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the ...

- ''

Still Unforgettable ''Still Unforgettable'' is a 2008 studio album by American singer-songwriter and performer Natalie Cole. Cole won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for ''Still Unforgettable'' at the 51st Grammy Awards. Background Speaking i ...

'' (2008) *

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( , ; born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian, hy, Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան, ; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat. Aznavour was known for his dist ...

covered the song in French as ''Quelque part dans la nuit'' (1954). *

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

- ''

Triplicate Triplicate typically refers to a document created three times simultaneously, as with carbonless copy paper. Triplicate may also refer to: *Del Norte Triplicate, a newspaper in Crescent City, California *Triplicate (horse) Triplicate (foaled 1 ...

'' (2017)

References

Bette Midler songs Nat King Cole songs Songs with lyrics by Sammy Gallop 1952 songs Songs with music by Jimmy Van Heusen {{1950s-pop-song-stub