The Gibb Brothers (Bee Gees & more): Top 100 Songs

Barry, Robin, Maurice, and Andy Gibb

Bee Gees et al Top 100 Songs

Twins Maurice (died 1/12/2003) and Robin Gibb (died 5/20/2012) were born on this day (December 22) in 1949 in Douglas, Isle of Man, UK. Together with their older brother Barry (born 9/1/1946 in Douglas, Isle of Man, UK), they formed the Bee Gees, a group known for three-part harmony and falsetto voices. The family moved to Australia in 1958, where the Bee Gees started as a pop-rock act. They returned to the UK in 1967 and and hit their commercial peak in the latter-half of the 1970s when they became disco icons. Their string of hits from 1977’s Saturday Night Fever soundtrack made for one of the greatest chart dominations ever accomplished by a group as the album lingered atop the U.S. album chart for six months fueled by four #1 hits. They landed three more songs atop the Billboard Hot 100 with their 1979 album Spirits Having Flown. Their success waned after that, but over a forty-year run, they sold more than 220 million albums. Their younger brother, Andy (born 3/5/1958, died 3/10/1988), was also a successful singer. Saturday Night Fever is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of All Time. One of that soundtrack’s songs, “Stayin’ Alive,” is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era 1954-1999. For a complete list of the Bee Gees’ DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry. Click here to see other acts’ best-of lists.

Awards:

Top 100 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. Songs which hit #1 on various charts are noted. (Click for codes to singles charts.) DMDB Top 1%: 1. B-M-R: Stayin’ Alive (Bee Gees, 1977) #1 US, CB, HR, RR, CN, AU 2. B-M-R: Night Fever (Bee Gees, 1977) #1 US, CB, HR, RR, UK, CN 3. B-M-R: How Deep Is Your Love (Bee Gees, 1977) #1 US, CB, RR, AC, CN 4. A-B-M-R: Shadow Dancing (Andy Gibb, 1978) #1 US, CB, HR, RR, AU 5. B-M-R: Islands in the Stream (Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton, 1983) #1 US, CB, AC, CW, CN, AU DMDB Top 5%: 6. B: I Just Want to Be Your Everything (Andy Gibb, 1977) #1 US, CB, HR, RR, UK, AU 7. B-R: Woman in Love (Barbra Streisand, 1980) #1 US, CB, HR, RR, AC, UK, CN, AU 8. B-R: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (Bee Gees, 1971) #1 US, CB, HR, CN 9. B-M-R: Too Much Heaven (Bee Gees, 1978) #1 US, HR, RR, CN 10. B-M-R: You Should Be Dancing (Bee Gees, 1976) #1 US, CB, CN 11. B-M-R: Jive Talkin’ (Bee Gees, 1975) #1 US, CB, HR, RR, CN 12. B-M-R: Tragedy (Bee Gees, 1979) #1 US, CB, HR, RR, UK, CN 13. B-M-R: The Lights Went Out in Massachussets (Bee Gees, 1967) #1 UK 14. B-M-R: If I Can’t Have You (Yvonne Elliman, 1977) #1 US, CB, RR, CN 15. B: Grease (Frankie Valli, 1978) #1 US, CB, HR, RR, CN 16. B-R: To Love Somebody (Bee Gees, 1967) 17. B-M-R: More Than a Woman (Bee Gees, 1977) DMDB Top 10%: 18. B-R: Emotion (Samantha Sang, 1977) #1 CB, CN 19. A-B: Love Is Thicker Than Water (Andy Gibb, 1977) #1 US, CB, HR 20. B-M-R: Heartbreaker (Dionne Warwick, 1982) #1 AC 21. B-M-R: Lonely Days (Bee Gees, 1970) #1 CB, HR, AU 22. B: The Grease Megamix (Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta, 1990) #1 AU 23. B-M-R: Guilty (Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb, 1980) 24. B-M-R: Love So Right (Bee Gees, 1976) 25. B-M: Words (Bee Gees, 1968) #1 CN 26. B-M-R: Love You Inside Out (Bee Gees, 1979) #1 US, CN 27. B-M-R: More Than a Woman (Tavares, 1977) 28. All I Have to Do Is Dream (Andy Gibb & Victoria Principal, 1981) 29. B-M-R: I Started a Joke (Bee Gees, 1968) #1 CN, AU 30. B-M-R: Nights on Broadway (Bee Gees, 1975) DMDB Top 20%: 31. B: An Everlasting Love (Andy Gibb, 1978) 32. B-R: To Love Somebody (Michael Bolton, 1992) #1 AC 33. B: Our Love (Don’t Throw It All Away) (Andy Gibb, 1978) 34. B-M-R: Fanny, Be Tender with Me Love (Bee Gees, 1975) 35. B-M-R: Chain Reaction (Diana Ross, 1985) #1 UK, AU 36. B-M-R: I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You (1968) #1 UK 37. B-R: Come on Over (Olivia Newton-John, 1976) #1 AC 38. B-M-R: How Deep Is Your Love (Portrait, 1995) 39. B-M-R: Run to Me (Bee Gees, 1972) 40. R: Hold on to My Love (Jimmy Ruffin, 1980) 41. B-M-R: Alone (Bee Gees, 1997) 42. B-R: Emotion (Destiny’s Child, 2001) 43. B-R: New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Bee Gees, 1967) 44. B-M-R: The Woman in You (Bee Gees, 1983) 45. B-R: My World (Bee Gees, 1972) 46. B-M: Don’t Forget to Remember (Bee Gees, 1969) 47. B-M-R: How Deep Is Your Love (Take That, 1996) #1 UK 48. B-M-R: Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are) (Pras Michel, 1998) * 49. B: What Kind of Fool (Barbra Streisand with Barry Gibb, 1980) #1 AC 50. B-M-R: Desire (Andy Gibb, 1980) 51. B-M-R: First of May (Bee Gees, 1969) 52. B-M-R: You Win Again (Bee Gees 1987) #1 UK 53. B: I Can’t Help It (Andy Gibb with Olivia Newton-John, 1980) 54. B-M-R: One (Bee Gees, 1989) #1 AC 55. B-M: Alive (Bee Gees, 1972) 56. B: This Woman (Kenny Rogers, 1983) 57. B-M: Shine Shine (Barry Gibb, 1984) 58. B-M-R: Boogie Child (Bee Gees, 1976) 59. B: Spicks and Specks (Bee Gees, 1966) 60. B-R: Love Me (Yvonne Elliman, 1976) 61. B-M: Tomorrow Tomorrow (Bee Gees, 1969) 62. B-M-R: Jumbo (Bee Gees, 1968) 63. B-R: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (Al Green, 1972) Beyond the DMDB Top 20%: 64. B: Take the Short Way Home (Dionne Warwick, 1983) 65. A-B: Time Is Time (Andy Gibb, 1977) 66. B-M-R: Edge of the Universe (Bee Gees, 1975) 67. Oh! Darling (Robin Gibb, 1978) 68. B-M: Eaten Alive (Diana Ross with Michael Jackson, 1985) 69. B-R: Paying the Price of Love (Bee Gees, 1993) 70. B-M-R: He’s a Liar (Bee Gees, 1981) 71. B-M: Eyes That See in the Dark (Kenny Rogers, 1983) 72. B-M: I.O.I.O. (Bee Gees, 1970) 73. B-M-R: Someone Belonging to Someone (Bee Gees, 1983) 74. B-M-R: Islands in the Stream (Vanessa Jenkins with Bryn West, Sir Tom Jones & Robin Gibb; 2009) #1 UK 75. B-M-R: Islands in the Stream (Bee Gees, 1998) 76. B-M-R: I Saw a New Morning (Bee Gees, 1973) 77. B-R: Mr. Natural (Bee Gees, 1974) 78. B-R: Holiday (Bee Gees, 1967) 79. B-R: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (Michael Bublé, 2003) 80. B-M-R: I Started a Joke (Faith No More, 2003) 81. B-R: Promises (Barbra Streisand, 1980) 82. B-M-R: This Is Where I Came In (Bee Gees, 2001) 83. B-M-R: Immortality (Celine Dion with the Bee Gees, 1997) 84. B-M-R: Living Eyes (Bee Gees, 1981) 85. M-R: Boys Do Fall in Love (Robin Gibb, 1984) 86. B-M-R: Still Waters Run Deep (Bee Gees, 1997) 87. B-R: For Whom the Bell Tolls (Bee Gees, 1993) 88. B: Don’t Wanna Live Inside Myself (Bee Gees, 1971) 89. B-M: World (Bee Gees, 1967) 90. B-M: If Only I Had My Mind on Something Else (Bee Gees, 1970) 91. B-M-R: Wouldn’t I Be Someone (Bee Gees, 1973) 92. B-M-R: All the Love in the World (Dionne Warwick, 1982) 93. B-M-R: We Tryin’ to Stay Alive (Wyclef Jean & the Refugee All Stars, 1997) ** 94. R: Saved by the Bell (Robin Gibb, 1969) 95. B-M-R: Ups and Downs (Snoop Dogg with the Bee Gees, 2005) *** 96. B-M-R: E.S.P. (Bee Gees, 1987) 97. B-M-R: Only One Woman (Marbles, 1968) 98. B-M-R: Stayin’ Alive (Richard Ace, 1978) 99. A: Me Without You (Andy Gibb, 1980) 100. B-M-R: Buried Treasure (Kenny Rogers, 1983) * samples “Islands in the Stream” ** samples “Stayin’ Alive” *** samples “Love You Inside Out” Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Bee Gees Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists” First posted 5/20/2012; updated 6/5/2022.

The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack hit #1 for the first of 24 weeks

Saturday Night Fever Various Artists

Released: November 15, 1977 Peak: 124 US, 15 RB, 118 UK, 122 CN, 114 AU, 16 DF Sales (in millions): 15.0 US, 2.15 UK, 40.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: disco

Tracks: Song Title (ACT) (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Stayin’ Alive (BEE GEES) (12/10/77, 1 BB, 1 CB, 1 HR, 1 RR, 28 AC, 4 RB, 4 UK, 1 CN, 1 AU, 1 DF) How Deep Is Your Love (BEE GEES) (9/24/77, 1 BB, 1 CB, 2 HR, 1 RR, 1 AC, 3 UK, 1 CN, 3 AU, 5 DF) Night Fever (BEE GEES) (2/4/78, 1 BB, 1 CB, 1 HR, 1 RR, 19 AC, 8 RB, 1 UK, 1 CN, 7 AU, 6 DF) More Than a Woman (BEE GEES) (4/8/78, 21 RR, 39 AC, 29 CN, 31 AU, 18 DF) If I Can’t Have You (YVONNE ELLIMAN) (1/8/78, 1 BB, 1 CB, 1 GR, 2 HR, 4 UK, 9 AC, 60 RB, 4 UK, 1 CN, 13 DF) A Fifth of Beethoven (WALTER MURPHY) (5/29/76, 1 BB, 1 CB, 5 GR, 1 HR, 5 RR, 13 AC, 10 RB, 28 UK, 1 CN) More Than a Woman (TAVARES) (11/12/77, 32 BB, 39 CB, 39 GR, 43 HR, 36 RB, 7 UK, 23 DF) Manhattan Skyline (DAVID SHIRE) Calypso Breakdown (RALPH MacDONALD) Night on Disco Mountain (DAVID SHIRE) Open Sesame (KOOL & THE GANG) (10/30/76, 55 BB, 6 RB) Jive Talkin’ (BEE GEES) (5/24/75, 1 BB, 1 CB, 1 GR, 1 HR, 9 AC, 5 UK, 1 CN, 14 AU, 7 DF) You Should Be Dancing (BEE GEES) (7/2/76, 1 BB, 3 GR, 4 HR, 2 RR, 25 AC, 4 RB, 5 UK, 1 CN, 2 AU, 9 DF) Boogie Shoes (KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND) (7/10/76, 35 BB, 33 CB, 34 GR, 41 HR, 29 RB, 34 UK, 10 DF) Salsation (DAVID SHIRE) K-Jee (MFSB) Disco Inferno (THE TRAMMPS) (3/5/77, 11 BB, 8 CB, 13 GR, 13 HR, 6 RR, 9 RB, 16 UK, 2 DF) Total Running Time: 75:54

Rating: 4.501 out of 5.00 (average of 25 ratings) Quotable: “The definitive disco album.” – Entertainment Weekly Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

The Definitive Disco Album “Grab your white leisure suit, get out that disco ball and boogie down to the disc that launched the craze.” ZS “Every so often, a piece of music comes along that defines a moment in popular culture history…Saturday Night Fever…was precisely that kind of musical phenomenon for the second half of the '70s.” AM It is “the definitive disco album.” EW’12 The Importance of Disco Author Chris Smith asks, “Was disco really all that important?” CS He says, “Compared with the blues, folk jazz, punk, soul, and even classical genres that have informed popular tastes over the past century…the influence of disco has largely fallen by the wayside…And yet, how many of us instantly recognize the opening riff to ‘Stayin’ Alive,’…even absentmindedly sing those initial lyrics in our best Bee Gee voice…and for those of us old enough to to remember, transport ourselves for an instant to a very specific period of the late 1970s when bell bottoms and giant collars were the height of fashion?” CS “Midnight dancers were already tripping the strobe lights fantastic before the Bee Gees’ pulsating soundtrack turned disco into the fad of the moment.” VB “The disco boom had seemingly run its course, primarily in Europe, and was confined mostly to Black culture and the gay underground in America.” AM The Movie The movie was “a gritty commentary on urban escapism and class struggle” VH1 based on a Variety Fair article entitled “Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night.” VH1 Point of interest: it emerged nearly two decades later that the writer, Nik Cohn, invented most of the details in the article. TB The movie turned actor John Travolta into a superstar. “The combination of Travolta and the Bee Gees made the movie one of the biggest blockbusters up to that point, grossing more than fifteen times the expected $20 million at the box office.” CS The Bee Gees: The Disco Group The music had a “devil-may-care bravado and hip-grinding groove” VH1 spurred by the Bee Gees’ “saccharine vocal harmonies and irresistibly catchy melodies.” VH1 They had “been exploring disco and funk rhythms on two albums before this one.” TM The group had already written five songs for the intended follow-up to Children of the World. However, their manager, Robert Stigwood, thought the new material would be perfect AM for his film. The Soundtrack “There had always been musicals whose soundtracks scored high on the charts, but the songs were written specifically for the film and carried elements of the movie’s plot…In the 1970s, music graduated beyond soundtrack material to become the basis for the stories themselves.” CS Saturday Night Feverwas one of those “feature films that used music as a central element in the plot.” CS The soundtrack “made disco explode into mainstream…with new immediacy and urgency.” AM It sported a mix of old and new; six songs had been hits on the Hot 100 over the previous two years, including three #1 gold singles. However, the new material, led by three #1 Bee Gees’ singles (two platinum, one gold), propelled this to be not just “an idealized commercial-free radio set of late-‘70s dance music,” AM but the biggest-selling soundtrack of all time. VH1 It should be noted that while disco was cast in a negative light in the wake of its Saturday Night Fever-fueled explosion, this album still holds up. The Bee Gees “wrote a set of themes…sturdy enough to endure beyond the moment of hotness.” TM “Heard now, removed from the frenzy, Saturday Night Fever remains striking for the deft shimmer of Arif Mardin's production, and the sharp, hook-atop-hook songwriting of the Bee Gees.” TM “Stayin’ Alive” The movie and soundtrack open with the iconic Stayin’ Alive. “The track showcases the falsetto voices that subsequently became the group’s trademark style and which were used on this album for the first time.” TB The song has become iconic; Dave’s Music Database ranks it as one of the top 100 songs of all time. “How Deep Is Your Love” While disco is more associated with upbeat numbers, “the Bee Gees’ new songs were weighted equally toward ethereal ballads” AM like the “shining pop ballad How Deep Is Your Love.” TM The “soaring, lyrical romantic numbers” AM became a big part of the soundtrack’s appeal. “Night Fever” While “How Deep Is Your Love” was the lead single and “Stayin’ Alive” became the best-known song from the soundtrack, it was “Night Fever” which became the biggest hit at the time. It logged a whopping eight weeks at #1, compared to three weeks for “How Deep Is Your Love” and four weeks for “Stayin’ Alive.” “If I Can’t Have You” Interestingly, while the Bee Gees comprised only a third of the soundtrack, this “is virtually indispensable as a Bee Gees album” AM because it presented the Gibb brothers not just as performers but composers with cuts recorded by Yvonne Elliman (If I Can’t Have You) and Tavares (More Than a Woman).

Resources and Related Links: AM AllMusic.com review by Bruce Eder EW’12 Entertainment Weekly (9/27/2012). “Top 100 Albums” TM Tom Moon (2008). 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Workman Publishing Company, Inc.: New York, NY. CS Chris Smith (2009). 101 Albums That Changed Popular Music. Oxford University Press. Pages 141-3. TB Thunder Bay (2005). Albums: The Stories Behind 50 Years of Great Recordings. Thunder Bay Press; San Diego, CA. Page 191. VH1 VH1. (2003). 100 Greatest Albums. Edited by Jacob Hoye. Pocket Books: New York, NY. Page 57. VB Vibe (Dec. 1999). “100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century,” pages 154-164. ZS Zagat Survey (2003). Music Guide: 1,000 Top Albums of All Time. Coordinator: Pat Blashill. Music Editor: Holly George-Warren. Editors: Betsy Andrews and Randi Gollin. Zagat Survey, LLC: New York, NY. Page 47. Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/23/2008; last updated 7/23/2024.