You’ve never heard a Disney song sung like this before.
Susan Boyle at the SEC Armadillo in Glasgow to promote her “Ten Tour”; Michael Bolton attends the red carpet for American Song Contest Season 1, Episode 7. Photo: Andrew Milligan/PA Images/Getty Images; Trae Patton/NBC
As one of the most well-known animated movie songs of all time, it makes sense that Susan Boyle included her own version of “Somewhere Out There” on her seventh studio album, 2017’s A Wonderful World. But the Got Talent legend didn’t just record the cover on her own. She recruited the great Michael Bolton to lend his iconic vocals for a duet many fans never expected to hear.
While both singers handled the familiar verses effortlessly, the song really shines when their voices join together for some truly transcendent harmonies. Bolton utilized his lower register while Boyle tackled the song’s high notes, and it was pure magic. Her voice soared as high as we’ve ever heard it while still being anchored by the booming bass notes provided by the “When a Man Loves a Woman” singer.
Working alongside Bolton was a bucket-list item for Boyle, who confessed to Huffington Post in 2016 that Bolton is a “lovely singer” with a “very sexy voice.”
This classic cover and the rest of the tracks on A Wonderful World signify a more reflective version of herself. Boyle’s come a long way from her 2009 Britain’s Got Talent audition.
“I’ve got to be honest here, you’ve got the daft Susan Boyle, that likes a bit of a giggle,” she explained in the same interview. “But people haven’t had the chance to see the more reflective Susan Boyle. The Susan Boyle that has a deeper way of thinking about things.And this album reflects different moods. The deeper side of Susan Boyle is, she has mood-swings… and my way of getting things out is through my music.”
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Here’s what to know about “Somewhere Out There”
Released in 1986 and performed by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram as part of the An American Tail: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack, “Somewhere Out There” was a bonafide hit and has become synonymous with the classic Disney animated film.
The track took home two Grammys, winning Song of the Year and Best Song Written Specifically For A Motion Picture Or Television.
“Somewhere Out There” was also a commercial success, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 14, 1987, and spent a total of 22 weeks on the chart.