Why write about the Bee Gees?
Why do I keep writing about the Bee Gees?
First, there’s the escape from difficult times that music affords. Long ago, dance class would take me away like that. It required my total concentration. And though music doesn’t require that, certain groups grab my concentration. With the Bee Gees, it’s the arrangements, the solo voices, the harmonies, the songs themselves, sometimes the words although that’s not primary, the emotions – and yes, I like looking at them.
But it’s also the fact that they are brothers, as well as their unusual and to me interesting history and the humor they display in so many interviews. I have a brother, my ex-husband has many brothers, and most of my boyfriends over the years were part of sibling groups heavy on brothers, too. Inter-brother humor is something with which I’m familiar, and I used to love to just sit and listen to my husband and brothers-in-law riff off each others’ humor. It sometimes had me literally falling on the floor laughing. They’re not all alive anymore, and that’s a tremendous grief in my life, and the Bee Gees make me think of that, too – loss, and in particular the loss of brothers.
Their story has it all. Rags to riches, literally. They made a decision as tiny children, so poor the three had to share a bed, that they were going to dedicate themselves to writing songs and singing harmony, and that they would become famous and rich (in that order) and someday live in America in houses next to each other. And it worked out just about like that, with more than a few speed bumps along the way. For many years they all had houses in Miami, two almost next door and the third just a few blocks away.
They fought, and they split early on for a while but realized two things. The first was that they missed each other as brothers. The second was that they missed each other musically. Alone they had great voices and could write beautiful songs, but together they were far more than the sum of those parts. In later years they periodically did projects alone, but always remained the Bee Gees and put out albums in five decades. Actually, they had performed in six decades, because as little children they already were the financial support of their parents and two other siblings, baby brother Andy and older sister Leslie.
Maurice Gibb’s death in 2003 is what ended the Bee Gees. Robin, Maurice’s fraternal twin, said he never recovered from it, and he died of cancer in 2012. Now Barry is alone. But there are a ton of videos online – concerts, single songs, interviews, documentaries – with many watchers. I’ve noticed that most of the comments at YouTube to Bee Gees videos take an almost proprietary and familial attitude towards the group: “our” Bee Gees are often mentioned, as though their admirers and they belong to one big family. Another way to refer to the three is “the boys” – there are people online from Australia who saw them as young children on TV and then followed them to the very end. There are many people who say they’ve listened to their music every day for fifty years, often before going to bed. They say it lightens their mood, calms and soothes them.
A lot of the comments are addressed to Barry as survivor, trying to comfort him after the losses of all three brothers (that includes twins Mo and Robin and their younger brother Andy), hoping he lives a long time, talking about their own losses, and saying how much the Bee Gees’ music has meant to them over the years. Here’s one that’s very typical – I chose it rather randomly:
You and your brothers taught me what music was about. As a child of the 80’s all I knew was metal head bangin till it bled, but one day I was introduced to the BEEGEES and my life was never the same. Ya’ll showed me that music was from the heart not the speakers. I mourn your loss. Forever will I be grateful for your music. God bless you and your family. The BEEGEES will forever be in my heart and soul. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU AND THE MEMORY OF YOUR BROTHERS
Music means different things to different people. For some – actually, for many – music has a direct line to the emotions. It’s often the case that a sorrow is released by music, and tears flow that have been held back for a long time.
I’ve found music to be a solace during the last year of stress. It can be enjoyed alone or in company. With the internet, we have access to so much music, and that includes the music of the past. You or I can watch a concert from decades ago, and then follow a group or a musician in time, up to the present. It’s an extraordinary thing, and I’ve done it for many many groups and individuals in just about every genre of music, because I have eclectic tastes. But the Bee Gees – long thought by me to be uninteresting specialists in one type of music, disco – turn out to be far more fascinating and enormously varied in their output.
So I’m not finished with them yet.
Here is their first TV performance. This is a clip from 1960 in Australia, when Barry was 13 and the twins ten years old. Barry wrote the song, and they had already been performing professionally for about four years. I think they are nervous here because it was their first break on television, but they were already seasoned performers.
And here are their parents Barbara and Hugh talking about discovering the boys could sing:
Every now and then the Bee Gees would reprise a portion of “Lollipop” for their fans. Here’s one example from 1975 in Chicago, with a little bit of their humor leading up to it:
I could choose almost any Bee Gees song to close this post, but here’s one that was written around that same time, 1975. It features the Bee Gees in a country mood, one of so many genres in which they wrote and performed. This was a pretty big hit for Olivia Newton-John, who covered it, but not for the Bee Gees. This is their own version, which demonstrates a favorite practice of theirs, which is to have Robin and Barry alternate solo voices in the same song. Robin is the higher voice and Barry the lower one:
[ADDENDUM: One more thing that occurs to me about my recent fascination with the Bee Gees is the element of surprise. For decades I thought I knew who they were and what their music was about; case closed. But it turns out that I knew nearly nothing about them. I didn’t know that some of my favorite songs from the 60s had been written by the Bee Gees. I didn’t know how varied their songbook was, or that they’d written and performed for close to fifty years. I didn’t know that they sang in anything other than falsetto. I didn’t know they’d written songs I liked for other artists. I didn’t know they were charming, funny, and smart, or that they’d been child performers supporting their family. It’s been a lesson – not the first, and probably not the last – in not assuming that I know more than I actually know about something.]
“Why do I keep writing about the Bee Gees?”
Plenty of human interest, human drama. Nearly every artist, musician and plenty of “common folk” have stories of vast interest. And with the Brothers Gibb, there are 3 stories interwoven.
Neo: Love all your posts, and the Bee Gees posts have educated me greatly. Don’t stop. But I think this is a typo? “Propriety” should be “proprietary”?
“…I’ve noticed that most of the comments at YouTube to Bee Gees videos take an almost propriety and familial attitude towards the group:…”
The internet has been a negative force in so many ways but one of the positives is it has made it so easy to access the entire output of so many great musicians, writers, artists, etc. and that allows someone to completely dive into an artists catalog and when it is one with a decades long career it can be like a long novel with twists and turns and triumphs and tragedies.
So while I don’t have neo’s passion for the Bee Gees I certainly understand it.
Owen:
Thanks, I fixed it.
In one of your posts, you wrote that some of the BeeGee commenters mention a feeling of well being that the close harmonies give them. I’m wondering if that sensation that’s produced might be a form of ASMR. The ASMR videos I’ve watched on YouTube leave me cold, but certain music definitely had that effect on me.
Neo,
It has been a joy to watch your discovery of the Bee Gees play out in your posts. I have been a fan for over 40 years now and I see in your posts the way I discovered them starting in 1978-79- first knowing the disco/dance era Bee Gees, but then finding the music from the 60s and earlier 70s.
The Bee Gees were fine in their place; but to me the pinnacle of popular music was and is Village People’s “Sleazy.”
It doesn’t hurt that the Bee Gees were pretty much free from scandal. Yes, Andy went off the rails, but he harmed only himself. The older brothers somehow avoided all of the excess of the 70s and 80s, despite earning enormous amounts of money.
Hi there. Found this blog last night off a link from Twitter. Your Bee Gees experience is fascinating and almost exactly the same as mine. I discovered The Bee Gees in January when I watched the HBO documentary. Knew nothing about them at all and have only the vaguest memories of hearing their music as a kid in the late 1960s and 1970s. I sort of remember Robin’s voice and his teeth (LOL), but I ignored them all the way through their peak of fame in the disco years. I was one of those idiot R&B snobs who never saw Saturday Night Fever and only liked the Tavares and Trammps songs from it. Hadn’t a clue that they made 6 more albums after that, did all that stuff with Streisand and Warwick and Kenny Rogers in the 1980s, etc. Nor did I know they were child stars in Australia. I don’t even remember their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, though that happened when I had a 2 year old and wasn’t focused on music too much.
I have now watched the HBO doc 4 more times, downloaded all of their albums, found 5 of the original vinyl albums in my local record shop, signed up for a bunch of fan pages on Facebook and Twitter, and spent hours and hours watching videos and reading interviews with them. I was up until 1:30 am last night reading all your posts about them. I can’t explain it either. My husband thinks I have gone mad.
Your previous comments about their music having some kind of magic soothing effect hit home with me. I have a playlist now on Apple Music called “Bee Gees Sleep.” On a recent flight home from my mother’s funeral I listened to the entire Ultimate album and it really calmed me down. I read a critique of them somewhere that said Barry understood how words sound, their lyrics are not poetic masterpieces, some are trite and sometimes nonsensical, but they “sound” great when put to music. They learned how to match certain words with chords and phrases and knew right away they would work, even if they didn’t make a lot of sense written on paper. This is a true gift and one of the things that make Barry a musical genius.
I also find their story intriguing as hell. What a career. To get knocked down and get back up as many times as they did, breaking up, reuniting, completely reinventing themselves and achieving world domination, only to get thrown in the bin when disco died, writing hit after hit for other artists, then finally getting their just recognition in the 1990s. It’s unique in music history and worthy of respect even if you don’t like their songs. I feel almost an obligation now to play their music and honor them, since I stupidly ignored them during their heyday.
My favorite song is Morning Of My Life. There’s a wonderful video of them singing it live on a British TV show in 1973. They’re just adorable. And Barry has an amazing rendition of it as one of the extra cuts on the Greenfields vinyl.
If you ever want to talk to someone about this, I would love to meet you.
Gordon Scott,
That is true. Robin had some drug issues in his late teens, a messy divorce in the 80s, and an out of wedlock child later in his life, but for the most part they led quiet, boring lives. They were so driven to create music and also determined to have families, so they had no time for much else. They had boring hobbies – Robin was a British history geek, Maurice played paintball, and Barry played tennis until his arthritis stopped him.
One of the other fascinating bits about their history is their close friendship with Michael Jackson. There’s a great story about Barry showing up for one of his son’s grade school plays with Michael, all the kids on stage just stopped and pointed. Jackson was godfather and namesake of Barry’s third son Michael. I think what drew Jackson to the Gibbs, and especially Barry, was their utterly normal family life despite their fame. Something he didn’t have and obviously desired.
“Why do I keep writing about the Bee Gees?”
You like ’em, and it’s your blog. ‘Nuff said. Though their falsetto singing isn’t my cup of tea, I admit that a group that survives for 4 decades must be doing something right.
For what it’s worth, the first pop song from radio I was aware of was Sheb Wooley’s Purple People Eater. Years later I found out that Sheb Wooley was from SW Oklahoma, not far- by area standards- from my mother’s hometown.
While I much prefer the pre-disco period of their work, I totally agree that the Bee Gees’ career over the years is a great story. Apparently their voices are scattered across a number of Aussie garage band tracks from the 60s. Here’s a good example:
https://youtu.be/_ipIpVEYEYg
Music is a very personal experience and I learned many years ago the wisdom of “different strokes for different folks”. My own obsessions in music ran, roughly, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan. Now, in my late 70s, I have another:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gJuprckBxI
I’ve been listening to Bee Gees since March 2020. The magic of their music immediately became a part of my life and makes me happier. The effect is like meditation.
Zara A:
It does seem to have an effect something like meditation for a lot of people, and that’s even true of the upbeat songs. Some quality in their harmony, I think.
Gringo:
By the way, their falsetto songs are only a small part of their output. The falsetto songs happen to be among the most famous, but they have a huge number of songs in their regular voices. Most of my favorite songs of theirs are not in falsetto.
KayK:
I know what you mean. Maybe we should start a 12-step program for Bee Gee addicts? 🙂
I’ve been in love, lust, puppy love, had crushes requited or not. Only one song actually struck me, and that was kind of backwards. It’s “mille regretz” which is about somebody apologizing for dumping his significant other.
There have been great performances, which is to say terrific singers, but the subject in song never got to me one way or another. Some other subject would have been just as great.
One partial caveat is that the Lettermen take me back to some idealized memories of fun college times before things went to hell, or at least I don’t recall in those memories that things were going to hell. Maybe the Lettermen and Brothers Four concerts kept the riots and wars outside the venue for a time.
Hell, I go back to “When It’s Dark on Observatory Hill”. About those times, not about….love, etc.
All of this being said, there’s no room for the BG in my rolodex.
No doubt about it, from the very beginning the BG’s did vocal harmonies very well. Bee Gees – Brian Henderson’s “Bandstand” Australia 1963 has a surprise: around 11:00 Robin plays a horn.
I just ran across this in my “suggested for you” lists, maybe Neo has already seen it.
I had no idea that Morgan did this kind of series (there are several more in my sidebar now). As Neo said in her addendum, there’s a lot of things that we don’t know we don’t know.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTyiYB8cMMY
Piers Morgan’s Life Stories – Barry Gibb – 3rd Feb 2017
Zara A
I’ve been listening to Bee Gees since March 2020. The magic of their music immediately became a part of my life and makes me happier. The effect is like meditation.
For me, Louis Armstrong makes me happier, brings me joy or contentment. You Are My Lucky Star. Perhaps that is one reason why Robin’s skill with the bugle so impressed me- an implicit reminder of Satchmo.
(I knew Robin wasn’t playing a trumpet- couldn’t think of the name, then remembered Boogie Woogie Boy of Company B and confirmed the instrument w search engine.)
Gringo
Louis Armstrong is a genius! Thanks for sharing his lovely composition.
P.S. I`m an amateur videographer. Here`s my blog. Maybe you`ll find something interesting for you 😉
https://www.youtube.com/c/ZaRa2255
KayK
My husband also thinks that I have become crazy 😀
neo,
I love your BeeGees obsession and where it takes you and what it brings out in other people.
KayK- I made my husband read your comments and he was nodding and chuckling all the way through. He KNOWS I’ve gone mad! Have you found the “Keppel Road” documentary? It’s excellent! Others favor it over the HBO doc, which I haven’t seen.
For Mother’s Day my sweet family gave me a book “The Bee Gees, A Biography” by David N. Meyer. Cannot recommend. Meyer doesn’t “get” them at all! Writes with no joy or feeling whatsoever. He could easily have subtitled it “What’s the big deal about these losers?”
While I wasn’t expecting a fan-girl read, what kind of biographer uses words like “pathetic,” “nonentity,” “megalomaniac” about his subjects? Lots of dry details about each song. He insists that some of the Bee Gees’ most beautiful songs (Fanny Be Tender, How Deep Is Your Love, and More Than a Woman) are Robin Gibb’s extended dirty jokes. Linda Gibb’s name is misspelled throughout and her 50-year marriage is dismissed with: “Alpha-Barry acquired his Alpha-wife….”
Is there a book anyone could recommend? I understand Barry is working on an autobiography. Until that comes out, Neo’s thoughts and insights are the ones I will look to.
Ruth – glad to hear from another kindred BeeGees spirit here. I have avoided all the biographies because I have read the reviews on Amazon from dedicated fans that say they are all terrible. Also I am eagerly awaiting Barry’s autobiography. I honestly fear he will pass away before he can finish it. And his memories may not be completely accurate.
I recommend highly the articles in Rolling Stone – one from the 1977 issue with the famous photo of them on the cover, another earlier one called “How Can You Mend a Broken Band?” Also I just read a later RS interview from 1999 with them that is totally hilarious.
I have watched the Keppel Road documentary. It’s great. I’ve pretty much seen everything there is on YouTube.
I am more interested in their musical journey than I am their personal story. My son is a composer and I am fascinated with how great composers and songwriters work. I have enjoyed listening to the interviews Barry has given recently in which he talks about specific songs and their process. A couple of really good ones are on Apple Music.
The HBO doc is fantastic. Puts their career in context, and has interviews with the surviving band members as well as their longtime engineer Karl Richardson and producer Alhby Galuten. But it is very very sad at the end.
I’m writing this on my lunch break while listening to Best of BeeGees volume 2.
?
Zara A, interesting indeed. I went right to Paint It, Black and Marianne Faithful. The colors of Paint It Black- red and black- were my high school colors. And a favorite song of those years.The black nighttime scenes of the city of Marianne Faithful, stars galore, clashed with my rural night star-filled memories, or of the black starless presence of the Armory around 34th St. NYC at night. Interesting conflict. I am waiting for As Tears Go By.
Ave Maria and others with those moving Medieval collages, oh yes.
34th street armory in NYC.
Gringo
Thanks a lot for the nice words!
Marianna’s team made a great video for As Tears Go By
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-efIjZ_1yQg
My childhood and youth passed behind the Iron Curtain in the Soviet Union. Television and radio broadcast only the Soviet music. My dad was secretly listening to American Radio Liberty in Russian, which was prohibited in those years. At 9:30 pm, the music program featured songs from the Beatles, Rollings and others. I liked them, although I hardly understood the poetry. Paint It Black, Lady Jane, Let It Be were my favorites 🙂
Zara A:
It sounds like your father was a brave man.
Neo
Oh yes, he would lose his job at best if the KGB found out about his radio preferences.
Zara, I knew a German whose musician father got smuggled across the Berlin Wall in a car trunk.
Speaking of memories, I was surprised to find out that the 34th Street Armory has been gone for 50 years, and that I’d have remembered it, as the number of times I could have walked at night by the Armory were fewer than the fingers on my right hand.
Gringo
Dozens or maybe even hundreds of people died at The Berlin “Wall of Shame”.. That German musician was very lucky to cross it alive .