SOME OTHER TIME

Where has the time all gone to?
Haven't done half the things we want to
Oh well, we'll catch up some other time

Well, it’s already the 3rd of December, though I don’t think anyone is quite ready for Christmas songs or album recommendations just yet. However, I can already feel a slight Broadway tingle at this early stage of the festive month, so I hope no one will feel too aggrieved if I share my thoughts on a beautiful song from Leonard Bernstein’s 1944 On the Town with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adoph Green. I've come to see this particular ballad in question as a sort of musical equivalent to the quartet from Beethoven’s opera Fidelio or the quintet from Wagner’s comic opera Die Meistersinger.

In contrast to the rest of the high-energy show, set over 24 hours in New York City, Some Other Time offers a bittersweet moment of reflection as three sailors—Gabey, Chip, and Ozzie—on brief shore leave, along with their female companions, Ivy, Hildy, and Claire, come to realise that it’s time to say goodbye. In this moment, all the characters acknowledge that the special times they’ve shared must end, even as they hold on to hopes of future reunions amidst the ongoing uncertainty of war.

With its poignant lyrics and impassioned harmonies, Some Other Time encapsulates the dilemma of wartime romance and the heightened and fleeting nature of cherished moments shared together during times of global conflict. It speaks to the inevitability of saying farewell to those we love and care about—a theme that is both timeless and profoundly moving.

There have been many great cover versions of the song, including a sublime, deeply introspective rendition by Tony Bennett accompanied by Bill Evans. However, for me, the definitive version is the one on the 2014 New Broadway Cast recording, which perfectly conveys the eternal appeal of both the song and the show.

When you're in love, time is precious stuff
Even a lifetime isn't enough