Somewhere Tonight
1987 · Not On Label NOR001 · Melbourne, Australia
- Artist
- Normie Rowe
- Title
- Somewhere Tonight
- Release
- Somewhere Tonight / Help Yourselves to Each Other
- Year
- 1987
- Label
- Not On Label # NOR001
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- Melbourne, Australia
- Songwriter
- Bob Seger
- Genre
- Rock · Pop Rock
- Primary theme
- Post-War
Annotation — Australian & New Zealand Songs
Normie Rowe, pop rock artist and Australian Vietnam War veteran, born 1 February 1947 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He served in Vietnam from January 1969 to February 1970. Rowe was reported to have been the protaganist in the song "Smiley" by Ronnie Burns, conscripted to fight in the Vietnam War. Johnny Young, the songwriter, said on ABC-TV’s Love Is In The Air that "before he left, he was really happy-go-lucky, fun-filled young fella. When he came back, he changed".1 This song, "Somewhere Tonight" (# NOR-001), was a cover of a Bob Seger song. The picture sleeve (PS) featured a picture of Rowe, on the front, in the Vietnam War, with the logo "Vietnam Veteran Parade, Sydney 1987, Australian Vietnam Forces". The back of the PS had a contemporary picture of Rowe. In 2002 he released an album of Vietnam War-related tracks, presenting the veteran / soldier's experience, discussed below: Missing in Action (# TCLB-833036). Sources1Pop Archives (Australia): Ronnie burns (archived copy)↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: Somewhere tonight / Someone's reachin' out to someone who's refusin' / Someone's tired of all the reasons someone's using / Someone doesn't understand / Somewhere tonight / Someone's thinkin' back to someone who got closer / Someone's realizin' something's really over / Someone's thinkin' it's too late... / There's a cold wind blowin' from the north / And the summer birds are leavin' / As the sun slips ever further south / The lakes will soon be freezin' / And the ice will claim the empty shores / Where the one's in love went walkin' / And the hard blue skies will shiver / As the winter clouds come stalkin' / And unless you find someone to hold / Unless someone starts carin' / Unless you find the warmth you need / Unless someone starts sharin' / When the long, dark nights come closin' in / And the winter winds come howlin' / You don't know if you'll make it / Without someone you can count on / Somewhere tonight /Someone's packin' up and someone's really leavin' / Someone's not quite sad - only disbelievin' / Someone's walkin' out the door...
Notes
Cover of the Bob Seger song (Side One). The picture sleeve shows Rowe in Vietnam with the badge "Vietnam Veterans Parade, Sydney 1987, Australian Vietnam Forces"; the back has a contemporary portrait. Self-released, NOR001. NOR001 picture sleeve; the front shows a close-up photograph of Normie Rowe in a tank crewman's helmet with headset microphone, the name "Normie Rowe" running down the left edge, and the shield badge "Vietnam Veterans Parade, Sydney 1987 — Australian Vietnam Forces" (Australian flag, map of Australia, stars and medals). The back has a smiling present-day portrait with Side One "Somewhere Tonight" (Bob Seger) and Side Two "Help Yourselves to Each Other" (Allen Reynolds & Bob McDill). [From the record sleeve and labels]
About the artist
Normie Rowe - pop rock singer born 1 February 1947 in Melbourne, Victoria; served in Vietnam January 1969 - February 1970, and is said to be the subject of Ronnie Burns's "Smiley".