Someone Is Waiting Lyrics — Company

Song Overview

“Someone Is Waiting” sits mid-Act I of Company and asks a deceptively simple question: if love is a composite of the people we admire, can an imagined partner ever step out of the mind and into real life? Dean Jones, on the original Broadway cast recording produced by Thomas Z. Shepard, frames the idea with a conversational baritone and a thoughtful hush. The orchestration - lightly brushed rhythm, woodwinds that bloom and withdraw, and a string bed that refuses to oversell - turns Robert’s inner monologue into motion. He is listing, revising, contradicting himself, and that’s the point: a bachelor designing the perfect partner from the attributes of his married friends’ wives, and hearing - in Sondheim’s exact rhyme and asymmetric phrasing - where the wishful thinking cracks.

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

• Context: Solo for Robert in Company, first preserved on the original Broadway cast album released May 13, 1970.
• Creators: Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; cast album produced by Thomas Z. Shepard; conducted by Harold Hastings.
• Function: Robert sketches a dream partner from traits of his friends’ wives, revealing his avoidance of real intimacy.
• Performance DNA: Moderate tempo; supple, speech-like melody with quick interval surprises; a restrained yet searching vocal line.
• Legacy: Re-recorded in later productions and language versions, notably the 2018 London gender-swapped revival and a 2022 Spanish cast album.

Creation History

The track arrived with Company’s original cast recording - a session legendary enough to inspire its own documentary portrait of the marathon night in Columbia’s 30th Street Studio. On disc, Jones’ version makes Robert’s catalog of traits feel like a private checklist muttered at the mirror. The arrangement leaves him space: a lightly pulsing orchestra provides a memory book of colors rather than a cage. From a production standpoint, Shepard’s supervision helped maintain the show’s analytic cool, allowing Sondheim’s internal rhymes and rhythmic nudges to lead the dramatic action. The album placed the song chronologically between the matchmaking patter of “Have I Got a Girl for You” and the urban bustle of “Another Hundred People” - the perfect spot for a more reflective detour that still advances character.

Later, the number proved shape-shifting. In the 2006 Broadway revival, Raúl Esparza’s recording leans into urgency, letting consonants bite. The 2018 London revival, with Rosalie Craig as Bobbie, adapted the lyric to reference male friends and their partners, pulling the song’s idea - an impossible collage of ideal traits - into a new alignment for a female protagonist. A Spanish-language production headlined by Antonio Banderas recorded “Alguien Me Espera,” demonstrating just how portable the character’s longing is when the craft supports it.

Highlights and key takeaways

1. Lyric architecture as psychology: The swapping of names within lines is not shtick; it exposes Robert’s indecision and idealization.
2. Interval pop-ins: The melodic jump on “Joanne” lands like a character portrait in a single leap, an audible eyebrow-raise baked into the score.
3. Rhythmic ambiguity: The gentle sway keeps it forward-moving while permitting speech-like rubato - a paradox Sondheim relishes.
4. Performance tradition: An alternate ending drops to a falsetto “Wait…” that leaves tension unresolved, underlining the character’s ambivalence.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Robert sits with his thoughts and sketches a partner who would be “cool as Sarah,” “loving as Susan,” “soft as Jenny,” “blue-eyed as Amy,” and - on a leap of melody - “Joanne.” The list is affectionate but impossible. He revises in real time: “as Susan… Jenny,” a miniature backspace. He wonders if he already missed his chance. By the close, he begs for patience and promises speed - “Wait for me, I’ll hurry” - then contradicts the dynamic by reversing it. The song ends with urgency and incompletion baked in, which is Robert’s status at the end of Act I: not ready, yet not content to stay stalled.

Song Meaning

This is the pivot where wishful thinking reveals its limits. Robert has normalized curation - choosing from shelves of qualities as if he were arranging a playlist - because human messiness scares him. The song also critiques the way we use our friends’ relationships as templates. Sondheim’s lyric, full of precise stress patterns, steadily undercuts the fantasy. When the melody vaults on “Joanne,” it punctuates the fact that some people refuse categorization. The mood is tender, questioning, and a little haunted. The message: the fantasy of a perfect partner is a stall tactic. Growth starts when Robert accepts that love involves care and risk, not a checklist.

Annotations

“Someone is waiting - Cool as Sarah - Easy and loving as Susan - Jenny.”

That opening sounds like a shopping list because it is one. What looks like clarity (“easy and loving”) quickly collapses into revision (“Susan… Jenny”). The instability signals that Robert doesn’t actually know what he wants - he knows which outcomes feel safe.

“Warm as Susan - Frantic and touching as Amy - Joanne.”

The running “Joanne cannot be described” bit is hidden in plain sight. Everyone else gets adjectives; Joanne gets an interval. It’s a witty musical way of saying: some personalities resist summary. The leap is a micro-character study.

“Would I know her even if I met her? Have I missed her? Did I let her go?”

Here the armor drops. Anxiety enters - not just FOMO but a specific fear of having blown the one real chance. The show later jokes about Robert leaving “the perfect woman” behind, but in this context the line is a breadcrumb to his deeper panic: maybe indecision is already a decision, and it cost him something irretrievable.

“Someone will wake me - Sweet as Amy - Tender and foolish as Sarah - Joanne.”

The reprise of the Joanne leap lands like a reflex. He tries to pin her down and, again, can’t. Also, the only name with stress on the second syllable flips the musical accent, making the jump feel inevitable and surprising at once.

“Wait for me… Hurry…”

Two contrary imperatives in two words each. He wants love to pause while he catches up, and he wants love to sprint to him. Many productions use the falsetto “Wait…” button - a tiny cliffhanger that says he still cannot choose a direction.

Deep-dive: craft, context, and sound

Genre and rhythm

It is Broadway writing with a chamber swing - not swing as in cymbal ride, but a delicate forward lilt that keeps thought moving. The groove breathes; the phrasing lets conversational stress push across barlines. That hybrid - legit theater melody with pop-like intimacy - is a Sondheim calling card in Company, and it supports the text’s second-guessing.

Instrumentation and color

Woodwinds sketch the names with pastel tone; strings bloom in short phrases, never blooming too long. A soft rhythm pulse and occasional harp-like gestures make the list feel like a daydream rather than a pronouncement. When the leap on “Joanne” arrives, you can almost hear the orchestra step aside to spotlight the syllable.

Language and idiom

Notice how concrete the adjectives are: “blue-eyed,” “soft,” “loving,” “frantic.” These are sketchbook specifics, not abstractions. The compound modifiers - “Jennyish Joanne,” “Susan sort of Sarah” - are jokes with a bite. They tell us Robert would rather remix what he knows than face what he doesn’t. According to NME magazine, the best theater lyrics often work like dialogue sharpened to a point; Sondheim, a master of functional wit, lets that point nick the singer.

The emotional arc

The number starts as a wish and becomes a confession. The line “Would I know her even if I met her?” reframes the song as a fear of recognition - of missing the real person because the ideal blocks the view. By the end, the tug-of-war between “wait” and “hurry” shows the core conflict: desire without readiness.

Key Facts

• Artist: Dean Jones (vocal) with Company Orchestra
• Featured: None on this track; ensemble appears on other numbers
• Composer: Stephen Sondheim
• Producer: Thomas Z. Shepard
• Release Date: May 13, 1970
• Genre: Broadway, Pop-influenced show tune
• Instruments: Orchestra with strings, woodwinds, rhythm section
• Label: Columbia Masterworks / Masterworks Broadway
• Mood: Reflective, yearning, gently anxious
• Length: ~2:50 on the original cast album
• Track #: Placement mid-Act I on the cast album
• Language: English (later recorded in Spanish as “Alguien Me Espera”)
• Album: Company (Original Broadway Cast)
• Music style: Lyric-forward theater ballad with light chamber swing
• Poetic meter: Flexible syllabic phrasing aligned to natural speech

Canonical Entities & Relations

• Stephen Sondheim - wrote - music and lyrics for “Someone Is Waiting”.
• Thomas Z. Shepard - produced - Company original cast recording.
• Harold Hastings - conducted - orchestra on the cast album.
• Dean Jones - performed - lead vocal as Robert on the OBC recording.
• Masterworks Broadway / Columbia Masterworks - released - the album on May 13, 1970.
• D. A. Pennebaker - directed - documentary about the album’s recording session.
• George Furth - wrote - the book for Company.

Questions and Answers

Who produced “Someone Is Waiting” by Dean Jones?

Thomas Z. Shepard produced the original Broadway cast recording of Company, including this track.

When did Dean Jones release “Someone Is Waiting”?

It appeared on the Company cast album released May 13, 1970.

Who wrote “Someone Is Waiting”?

Stephen Sondheim wrote both the music and the lyrics.

Is there an official single release of the song?

No separate commercial single dominated the release history; the song is best known from the cast album and subsequent cast recordings.

What later recordings should I hear?

Raul Esparza’s 2006 Broadway revival cut brings a taut, modern edge; Rosalie Craig’s 2018 London performance reframes the lyric for Bobbie; a 2022 Spanish cast album includes “Alguien Me Espera.”

What is the song’s key and tempo in common editions?

Live and recorded versions vary; published and teaching resources often cite G major for a D3–G4 baritone range with a moderate pulse near ~95–100 BPM, though analysis tools list higher entrainment tempos depending on edition and meter.

Why does the name “Joanne” jump?

It is a composed surprise: Sondheim uses a melodic leap to underline a character who defies easy adjective-tagging.

What is the dramatic function inside the show?

It exposes Robert’s idealization and fear of commitment, paving the path toward the Act II reckoning of “Being Alive.”

Is there an alternate ending?

Yes - many scores and traditions include a falsetto “Wait…” that leaves Robert suspended, unresolved.

Where does the number resurface in media?

It is part of the original cast recording session chronicled on film in the Pennebaker documentary about the album.

Awards and Chart Positions

The individual track did not chart as a single, but its home album earned significant recognition and later canonization.

How to Sing Someone Is Waiting

This is a conversational baritone piece that rewards restraint, clarity, and micro-dynamics. Think precise speech on pitch rather than belting. A singer’s job is to reveal thought in real time.

• Suggested key & range: G major; comfortable baritone range around D3–G4 in many teaching references. Transpose to fit - the intimacy matters more than the absolute key.
• Tempo: Moderate and pliable. Many recordings sit near ~95–100 BPM feel; some analyses map a different meter yielding higher numeric BPM. Keep the sense of walking-and-thinking, not marching.
• Time feel: Gentle lilt with room for rubato on name lists and the “Joanne” leap.
• Common issues: Over-acting adjectives, flattening the leap on “Joanne,” and rushing the final “Wait/Hurry” alternation.

1. Tempo: Set a steady, modest pulse. Speak the lyric over a metronome before singing to locate natural stresses.
2. Diction: Make the names crystalline. Consonants must be audible but not punched. Treat “Jennyish” and “Susan sort of Sarah” like witty throwaways.
3. Breathing: Plan silent breaths before each new list item; avoid gasps that break the thought. Use low, quiet inhales.
4. Flow & rhythm: Let phrases overlap barlines. Keep the notes lightly connected, as if the thought pulls the next syllable forward.
5. Accents: Save your vertical energy for “Jo-anne.” Place the leap cleanly, then immediately soften the landing.
6. Ensemble & doubles: If performing with orchestration, ride the strings - they will swell under you; don’t compete. In a piano-vocal, ask for a warm, legato accompaniment.
7. Mic technique: If amplified, step a half-inch closer on the “Have I missed her?” confession and back off slightly on the leap to avoid a hard transient.
8. Pitfalls: Do not resolve the contradiction at the end. The “Wait/Hurry” push-pull is the character. Resist theatrical closure.

Practice materials: Work the text as a monologue. Then sing on a rolled “ng” to calibrate legato. Finally, sing text again, placing a hairpin swell on each name without changing tempo.

Additional Info

Notable covers and versions: A jazz-trio take by the Trotter Trio on Company… in Jazz stretches the harmonic palette and extends the piece past seven minutes, treating the name-checks as melodic cues for improvisation. Rosalie Craig’s recording on the London gender-swapped revival relocates the pronouns and social frame without losing the song’s core tension; its quickened pace suggests a character more impatient with her own dithering. Raul Esparza’s 2006 revival reading is taut and almost percussive, articulating anxiety on the consonants.

Media and documentary footprint: The original cast album session is famously captured in D. A. Pennebaker’s Original Cast Album: Company. The film has become a cultural touchstone for how theater meets the studio - a look at stamina, microphones, midnight judgments, and the producer’s balancing act. As stated in the 2024 Rolling Stone’s study of theater recordings, that documentary remains a Rosetta Stone for cast album craft.

Language versions: The 2021 Malaga production led by Antonio Banderas generated the first full Spanish-language cast recording, with “Alguien Me Espera” standing in for “Someone Is Waiting.” It demonstrates how the lyric’s core - curated idealism, fear of missing real connection - translates cleanly into another language and culture.

Performance note: Many scores and performances end with the breathy, suspended “Wait…” in falsetto. Use it sparingly; the softer you make it, the more it reads as a thought he cannot quite finish sharing.

Sources: Masterworks Broadway; Company page at MTI; Company entry (English) encyclopedia; Pennebaker documentary coverage in The New Yorker; CastAlbums Database; Discogs; SongBPM; Tunebat; Singing Carrots; Playbill; BroadwayWorld; Concord Theatricals.