Deep Dive: 'Somewhere in the Night'

The theme song most people know for Naked City, a popular TV police-drama series that aired from 1958 to 1963, is called Somewhere in the Night. It was referred to most often as the Naked City Theme, largely because there already was an older and completely different pop song called Somewhere in the Night that Frank Sinatra and others recorded. That wasn't the only bit of confusion. The original song for the TV series from 1958-'59 was This Is the Naked City, composed by George Duning. Then arranger Billy May and composer Milt Raskin collaborated on Somewhere in the Night for the 1960-'62 season. Arranger Nelson Riddle was next with The New Naked City Theme for the 1962-'63 season.

Somewhere in the Night quickly became a hit song covered by jazz and pop musicians and singers over the years. Riddle's swinging updating also was a hit. First let's listen to all three Naked City themes and then I'll play you my favorites:

Here's the George Duning theme...

Here's the dramatic Billy May and Milt Raskin theme...

And here are Nelson Riddle's swinging updated themes...

Now that you know the song, here are nine favorites of Somewhere in the Night, plus a bonus track:

Here's Grant Green...

Here's Maynard Ferguson...

Here's Ahmad Jamal...

Here's Sam "The Man" Taylor...

Here's Teri Thornton, whose version was a hit in 1963...

Here's the Rob McConnell Tentet...

Here's Eric Alexander and Grant Stewart...

Here's Laurindo Almeida's Bossa Nova All Stars...

And here's Cal Tjader...

Bonus: Here's Bobby Scott singing "Eight Million Stories (in the Naked City)," by Eddie Snyder (lyricist for Strangers in the Night), who used the pseudonym of C. Colatral and J. Tansey on this song, with Scott as the arranger and Torrie Zito conducting...