Yes, “Somehow, Someday” from ‘Open Your Eyes’ (1997): YESterdays

Combining fragments from Jon Anderson’s The Promise Ring with contemporary Billy Sherwood production touches, Yes’ “Somehow, Someday” works on several levels.

Anderson’s Celtic-referencing lyrics tie in well with Steve Howe’s intricate acoustic textures. The texture then shifts when Alan White come in with a straight-forward back beat, which is complimented by Chris Squires down the middle bass lines. Sherwood provides light flute-like keyboard touches.

Anderson subsequently returns to the original vocal melody and musical theme, while White and Squire continue of a counter melody that moves quickly into a tight denouement which features touches of Howe’s steel, electric and acoustic guitars.

At the time, “Somehow, Someday” represented yet another successful pairing of Yes’ past and present, a hallmark of 1997’s Open Your Eyes.

YESterdays is a song-by-song feature that explores the unforgettable musical legacy of Yes. The series runs every other Tuesday.

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Preston Frazier

Preston Frazier is a bass-playing lawyer living in Atlanta. He is the author of the books 'Toto: The Band, Not the Dog' and ‘Yes Indeed: Tales of Yes without Jon Anderson.’ Frazier hosts the music-focused Slang of Ages Podcast and regularly writes about his favorite music on slangofages.com. He can be reached at [email protected]; follow him on Bluesky @slangofagespodcast@bsky and YouTube @ slangofagespodcast.

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