Anywhere But Here
Recording Artist: The Cast of Pretty Woman: The Musical
Writers: Jim Vallance
Bryan Adams
Date Written: September 2017, New York
Album: Pretty Woman: The Musical (Atlantic Records / 2018)
Audio:
 
Vocal: Samantha Barks
 

Will Van Dyke: keyboards, conductor, music supervisor, orchestrator and arranger
Patrick Sulken: keyboards
Brian Koonin: guitar
Nate Brown: guitar
Steve Gilewski: bass
Sammy Merendino: drums
Juliette Jones: violin
Jocelin Pan: viola
Susan Mandel: cello
 
Produced by Jim Vallance and Bryan Adams. Recorded and edited by Derik Lee at Power Station and Atlantic Studios, New York (assisted by Ebonie Smith, Joe Pomarico, Dan Fyfe, Brett Mayer, Neal Shaw). Mixed by Neal Avron at The Casita, Hollywood, CA (assisted by Scott Skrzynsk). Mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound, New Jersey.
Comments:

As newcomers to Broadway, Bryan and I were on a steep learning curve. Among other things, we were alerted to the importance of the "I Want" song, which traditionally appears early in Act One. This is where the lead character reveals their motivating desire, setting the emotional parameters for the rest of the show. Examples of "I Want" songs from other musicals include "The Wizard and I" (from "Wizard") and "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" (from "My Fair Lady").

Writing an appropriate "I Want" song for "Pretty Woman" presented a significant challenge. Over a two-year period we wrote three different songs for this scene before arriving at "Anywhere But Here".
Lyrics:

I LOOK AROUND AND WHAT I SEE
IS I DON’T BELONG HERE, THIS ISN’T ME
WHAT HAVE I BECOME?
I'M REALLY NOT THIS GIRL

IS THAT ALL THERE IS?
WHAT’S IT GONNA TAKE?
TO GET OFF THIS STREET
WHEN DO I GET A BREAK?
IT’S NOT WHAT I WANTED
THIS IS NOT MY WORLD

I KNOW WHERE I’D CHOOSE TO GO 
IF I COULD DISAPPEAR 

ANYWHERE BUT HERE
ANYWHERE BUT HERE
I CAN FEEL SOMETHIN' COMIN' 
I LONG TO BE FREE
I JUST WANNA BE
ANYWHERE BUT HERE

THIS SIDEWALK DOESN'T SUIT MY SOUL
I GOTTA MAKE SOME CHANGES AND TAKE CONTROL
I NEED ROOM TO MOVE
I WANNA FEEL THE WIND IN MY HAIR

A CLEAR BLUE SKY
AND AIR TO BREATHE
I FEEL IT'S TIME TO FLY
'CAUSE I BELIEVE 
THAT THERE'S SO MUCH MORE
AND IT'S WAITING FOR ME OUT THERE

I CAN SEE WHERE I WANNA BE
IT COULDN’T BE MORE CLEAR  

ANYWHERE BUT HERE 
ANYWHERE BUT HERE
I’M WAITING FOR SOMETHIN'
MY HEART’S TELLIN' ME
I JUST WANNA BE
ANYWHERE BUT HERE

NO MORE LANDLORD, NO MORE RENT
JUST A PLACE OF MY OWN WHERE I’D BE CONTENT
I WANNA SHARE IT ALL WITH SOMEONE
WHO’D SHARE IT ALL WITH ME
I BELIEVE SOMEHOW, SOME DAY
THAT’S THE WAY IT WILL BE

ANYWHERE BUT HERE
ANYWHERE BUT HERE
I CAN FEEL SOMETHIN'S COMING
I LONG TO BE FREE
I JUST WANNA BE

ANYWHERE BUT HERE
ANYWHERE BUT HERE
I’M WAITING FOR SOMETHING
MY HEART'S TELLIN' ME
I JUST WANNA BE

ANYWHERE BUT HERE