"Somewhere Out There" was written for the soundtrack of the animated movie An American Tail (1986). In the movie, a family of Jewish mice living in Ukraine immigrates to the United States, but they lose the main character Fievel along the way. During a lonely nighttime scene, Fievel and his sister Tanya sing this song while separated by a great distance, describing the love they feel for each other.

The songwriters James Horner, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil created the song. Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram recorded a pop version (with more romantic lyrics) for the credits, a radio hit. The song reached a peak position of No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and the RPM Canada Top Singles chart. It won two Grammys in 1988 and the singers were also nominated for one. It was also nominated for awards at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards ceremonies in 1987.

—The GCNA