There are a few things you should know before we begin...
I watched the Bee Gees documentary on HBO recently. I have become a full Bee Gees Stan.
The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart is available on Hulu as well. It's a full in depth look at all four brothers throughout their careers together and apart.
In short, it's fascinating.
I, like many others, knew the Bee Gees as a disco band that reached their peak popularity with the hit 'Night Fever' written and released for the film Saturday Night Fever with John Travolta.
Everyone knows the Bee Gees. You might even think you don't, but you do.
'Stayin Alive'?
Bee Gees.
'More Than A Woman'?
Bee Gees.
'You Should Be Dancin'?
The Gibb bothers!
And that's just stuff they sang themselves. They have an entire catalog of songs made popular sung by other artists.
'Islands in the Stream' - Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers
It was written by the Bee Gees originally for Marvin Gaye, but instead rewritten for Rogers. Rogers ended up not liking the song somewhere along the line and that's when they added Parton.
'Chain Reaction' - Diana Ross
The Bee Gees thought this one might be too "motown" for Ross. What a thought. Wild. The Bee Gees even have backing vocals on the track.
'Woman in Love' - Barbara Streisand
This song is responsible for catapulting Streisand mainstream. Barry Gibb wrote it with his brother Robin Gibb.
Weird but true...Streisand doesn't much like performing the song live, or like the song that much at all. She's said she "doesn't believe in the lyrics."
'Grease' - Frankie Valli
Only the title track of the movie...also starring John Travolta. It was written by Barry Gibb. Peter Frampton plays guitar on the track too.
'Emotion' - Destiny's Child
This wasn't originally meant for DC, but an Australian singer, Samantha Sang, instead. Sang recorded it with Barry on backing vocals. Destiny's Child later covered it and it was huge for them.
The Gibb brothers achieved what many people in the industry set out to do, but never actually do, and they did it two arguably three sperate times.
They had this pattern of major success, brief failure, even further success.
And can I just say? They didn't deserve the revolt in the late 70s and early 80s. THEY WEREN'T JUST A DISCO GROUP.
I feel better. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.
Barry Gibb, sadly, is the only living Gibb brother.
At one particularly heartbreaking moment in the film he laments he would give everything up to have his brothers back.
Barry recently released Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook, Vol. 1. It has appearances from Dolly Parton, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban and Little Big Town in addition to Miranda Lambert.