The Bee Gees
No popular music act of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s experienced more ups and downs in their popularity than the Bee Gees, or drew more of a varied audience. Beginning in the mid-to-late ’60s as a kind of Beatles-lite ensemble, Barry Gibb and his fraternal twin brothers Robin and Maurice quickly developed as songwriters in their own right and perfected a strange mix of progressive-pop music. “New York Mining Disaster 1941,” released in 1967, made the Top 20 in England and America, and established the pattern of the group’s work for the next several years.
“Massachusetts” was a chart-topper in England and, after a temporary break-up, 1970’s “Lonely Days” became the group’s first number one hit in America. Then, after hitting a trough in their popularity in the early ’70s, the Bee Gees reinvented themselves with a heavily Americanized, R&B-flavored sound that emphasized high harmonies and funk rhythms. “Jive Talkin'” became their second American number one in 1975, and two years later, the group’s soundtrack of a forthcoming movie called Saturday Night Fever led to three chart-topping hits: “Stayin’ Alive,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” and “Night Fever.” It didn’t last, nor did the Bee Gees’ second wave of success. The group may have helped contribute to the end of the party with their own excesses, in particular their contribution to a multi-million dollar film called Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, “inspired” (if that’s the word) by the Beatles’ album and songs. The youngest Gibb brother, Andy Gibb, had emerged as a star in his own right late in the 1970s and he fell even harder when the decade ended, eventually losing his life in 1988 at the end of a downward personal spiral.
The Bee Gees were virtually invisible for most of the mid-’80s as recording artists, though 1987’s E.S.P. received a good reception around the world and the title track of 1989’s One even generated a Top Ten U.S. single. Their induction into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 led to the release of Still Waters, and in 1998, they issued the second live album in their history, cut at their first concert appearance in ten years.
— Bruce Eder
Courtesy allmusic.com
Soundtracks/Filmography
- “Sos mi vida”
- A.K.A. You Are the One (International: English title)
- Capítulo 142 (2006) TV Episode (performer: “How deep is your love”)
- Madagascar (2005) (performer: “Stayin’ Alive”)
- Argo (2004) (writer: “Night Fever”) (lyrics: “Night Fever”)
- The In-Laws (2003/I) (performer: “Wedding Day”)
- A.K.A. Ungleiches Paar, Ein (Germany)
- A.K.A. Wild Wedding – Ein ungleiches Paar (Germany: DVD title)
- Anger Management (2003) (performer: “How Deep is Your Love”)
- Stella Shorts 1998-2002 (2002) (V) (performer: “Stayin’ Alive”)
- “The Office”
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- Episode #2.5 (2002) TV Episode (performer: “More Than a Woman”, “You Should be Dancing”)
- Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) (performer: “Too Much Heaven”)
- Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999) (performer: “Night Fever”)
- Mystery Men (1999) (performer: “Night Fever”)
- Final Rinse (1999) (performer: “I Started A Joke”)
- Food for Thought (1999) (performer: “Stayin’ Alive”)
- Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999) (performer: “We Trying To Stay Alive”)
- A Night at the Roxbury (1998) (performer: “Stayin’ Alive”)
- Playing God (1997) (performer: “Jive Talking”)
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- A.K.A. Playing Hero
- Heaven’s Burning (1997) (performer: “DON’T FORGET TO REMEMBER”)
- Mars Attacks! (1996) (performer: “Stayin’ Alive”)
- Mr. Reliable (1996) (performer: “To Love Somebody”)
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- A.K.A. Mr. Reliable: A True Story
- A.K.A. My Entire Life (USA)
- Grumpier Old Men (1995) (performer: “Stayin’ Alive”)
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- A.K.A. Grumpy Old Men 2
- Bushwhacked (1995/I) (performer: “Stayin’ Alive”)
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- A.K.A. Tenderfoots
- A.K.A. The Tenderfoot
- Virtuosity (1995) (performer: “Stayin’ Alive”)
- A Goofy Movie (1995) (performer: “Stayin’ Alive”)
- True Lies (1994) (performer: “More than a Woman”)
- Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) (performer: “Stayin’ Alive”)
- Honey I Blew Up the Kid (1992) (performer: “Stayin’ Alive”)
- Look Who’s Talking (1989) (performer: “Stayin’ Alive”)
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- A.K.A. Daddy’s Home
- Penn & Teller Get Killed (1989) (performer: “I Started A Joke”)
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- A.K.A. Dead Funny
- DTV ‘Doggone’ Valentine (1987) (TV) (performer: “Stayin’ Alive”)
- Short Circuit (1986) (performer: “More than a Woman”)
- Staying Alive (1983) (performer: “The Woman In You”, “I Love You Too Much”, “Breakout”, “Someone Belonging To Someone”, “Life Goes On”, “Stayin’ Alive”)
- Neighbors (1981) (writer: “Stayin’ Alive”) (performer: “Stayin’ Alive”)
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- A.K.A. Neighbours (Australia)
- Airplane! (1980) (performer: “Stayin’ Alive”)
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- A.K.A. Flying High! (New Zealand: English title) (Philippines: English title)
- A.K.A. Flying High (Australia)
- Luna, La (1979) (performer: “Night Fever”)
- A.K.A. Luna (USA)
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) (performer: “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, “With A Little Help From My Friends”, “Getting Better”, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”, “Good Morning, Good Morning”, “Nowhere Man”, “Polythene Pam”, “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window”, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (Reprise), “She’s Leaving Home”, “Because”, “Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite”, “Carry That Weight”, “A Day In The Life”)
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- A.K.A. Banda de los corazones
- Jing wang shuang xiong (1978) (“Stayin’ Alive”)
- A.K.A. Heroic Cops
- A.K.A. Killers Two (Hong Kong: English title)
- Saturday Night Fever (1977) (performer: “Stayin’ Alive”, “Night Fever”, “You Should Be Dancing”, “More Than A Woman”, “Jive Talkin'”, “How Deep Is Your Love”) (producer: “Stayin’ Alive”, “Night Fever”, “You Should Be Dancing”, “More Than A Woman”, “Jive Talkin'”, “How Deep Is Your Love”)
- All This and World War II (1976) (performer: “Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight”, “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window”, “Sun King”)
- Filmography links and data courtesy of The Internet Movie Database