Showing posts with label Stayin' Alive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stayin' Alive. Show all posts

Sunday, January 8, 2023

Ivor Novello Awards: Song Winners Ranked

Ivor Novello Awards:

Top 100 Songs

Named after entertainer Ivor Novello, these awards for songwriting and composing – nicknamed The Ivors – are presented annually by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA). Since it was founded in 1956, the organization has given out more than 1000 awards to primarily British and Irish songwriters and composers. The awards are given to performers, albums, and songs in a variety of categories. As stated on their website, they “celebrate, honour and reward excellence in songwriting and composing…They are named in honour of Ivor Novello, Britain’s most successful and distinguished theatrical composer at the time, and represent the pinnacle of musical achievement and peer recognition in the music industry.”

This page is dedicated to a top 100 ranking of those songs which I know have won Ivor Novello Awards.

Check out other “songs of the year” lists here.

DMDB Top 1%:

1. The Beatles “Hey Jude” (1968)
2. The Police “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
3. Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975)
4. Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” (1977)
5. The Beatles “Yesterday” (1965)
6. Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (1991)
7. Elton John “Candle in the Wind 1997 (Goodbye England’s Rose)” (1997)
8. Adele “Rolling in the Deep” (2010)
9. Pink Floyd “Another Brick in the Wall Part II” (1979)
10. Ed Sheeran “Shape of You” (2017)

11. Procol Harum “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (1967)
12. The Beatles “She Loves You” (1963)
13. Spice Girls “Wannabe” (1996)
14. George Harrison “My Sweet Lord” (1970)
15. David Bowie “Space Oddity” (1969)
16. Coldplay “Viva La Vida” (200v8)
17. Bee Gees “Night Fever” (1977)
18. Dexy’s Midnight Runners “Come on Eileen” (1982)
19. The Beatles “Something” (1969)
20. George Michael “Careless Whisper” (1984)

21. Cher “Believe” (1998)
22. The Beatles “Can’t Buy Me Love” (1964)
23. Puff Daddy, Faith Evans & 112 “I’ll Be Missing You” (1997)
24. The Beatles with Billy Preston “Get Back” (1969)
25. Kylie Minogue “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (2001)
26. Band Aid “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (1984)
27. James Blunt “You’re Beautiful” (2004)
28. Amy Winehouse “Rehab” (2006)
29. Harry Nisson “Without You” (1971)
30. Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight” (1981)

31. Franz Ferdinand “Take Me Out” (2004)
32. Seal “Kiss from a Rose” (1994)
33. David Bowie “Let’s Dance” (1983)
34. Pulp “Common People” (1995)
35. Gerry Rafferty “Baker Street” (1978)
36. Rick Astley “Never Gonna Give You Up” (1987)
37. Pet Shop Boys “West End Girls” (1985)
38. George Michael “Faith” (1987)
39. Avril Lavigne “Complicated” (2002)
40. Phil Collins “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” (1984)

41. 10cc “I’m Not in Love” (1975)
42. Britney Spears “Toxic” (2003)
43. Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder “Ebony and Ivory” (1982)
44. Culture Club “Karma Chameleon” (1983)
45. Radiohead “Paranoid Android” (1997)
46. The Beatles “We Can Work It Out ” (1965)
47. Passenger “Let Her Go” (2012)
48. Petula Clark “Downtown” (1964)
49. Mungo Jerry “In the Summertime” (1970)
50. Hozier “Take Me to Church” (2013)

DMDB Top 2%:

51. The Tornadoes “Telstar” (1962)
52. Robbie Williams “Angels” (1997)
53. Radiohead “Karma Police” (1997)
54. Wet Wet Wet “Love Is All Around” (1994)
55. Elton John “Daniel” (1973)
56. Paul McCartney & Wings “Mull of Kintyre” (1977)
57. Mr. Acker Bilk “Stranger on the Shore” (1961)
58. Barbra Streisand “Woman in Love” (1980)
59. U2 “Vertigo” (2004)
60. The Beatles “Michelle” (1965)

61. Christina Aguilera “Genie in a Bottle” (1999)
62. Frankie Goes to Hollywood “Two Tribes” (1984)
63. The Beatles “Yellow Submarine” (1966)
64. Supertramp “The Logical Song” (1979)
65. Right Said Fred “I’m Too Sexy” (1991)
66. Mike + the Mechanics “The Living Years” (1988)
67. Ed Sheeran “Bad Habits” (2021)
68. Manic Street Preachers “A Design for Life” (1996)

DMDB Top 5%:

69. Duran Duran “The Reflex” (1983)
70. The New Vaudeville Band “Winchester Cathedral” (1966)

71. Clean Bandit with Jess Glynne “Rather Be” (2014)
72. Sting “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” (1993)
73. David Gray “Babylon” (1998)
74. Take That “Back for Good” (1995)
75. Fine Young Cannibals “She Drives Me Crazy” (1989)
76. Duffy “Mercy” (2008)
77. The Beatles “Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da” (1968)
78. Dido “White Flag” (2003)
79. Paper Lace “The Night Chicago Died” (1974)
80. Michael Andrews with Gary Jules “Mad World” (2002)

81. Tina Turner “We Don’t Need Another Hero” (1985)
82. Seal “Crazy” (1990)
83. Philip Bailey with Phil Collins “Easy Lover” (1984)
84. Kylie Minogue “I Should Be So Lucky” (1988)
85. Duran Duran “Ordinary World” (1992)
86. Streets “Dry Your Eyes” (2004)
87. Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush “Don’t Give Up” (1986)
88. Harry Styles “Adore You” (2019)
89. Brotherhood of Man “Save Your Kisses for Me” (1976)
90. Des’ree “You Gotta Be” (1994)

91. Elton John “Sacrifice” (1989)
92. U2 “Walk On” (2000)
93. Lana Del Rey “Video Games’ (2011)
94. Ed Sheeran “The A Team” (2011)
95. Supergrass “Alright” (1995)
96. Paul Hardcastle “19” (1985)
97. Celine Dion “Think Twice” (1993)
98. Beyoncé with Shakira “Beautiful Liar” (2007)
99. Coldplay with Beyoncé “Hymn for the Weekend” (2015)
100. Elton John “Nikita” (1985)

Resources/Related Links:

First posted 5/20/2012; last updated 1/8/2023.

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Monday, May 10, 2021

The Top 100 Disco Songs of All Time

Disco:

Top 100 Songs

Disco is one of the most-aligned musical genres, ridiculed for its robotic music and simplistic lyrics. However, those who rip on it for being light, trivial music miss the point: that’s what it was designed to be. It was supposed to be fun, party music and wasn’t created with the idea of standing the test of time. However, these songs exemplify how, like it or not, some of these songs have endured.

This list was created by aggregating 40 lists and compilation albums focused on disco. See sources at the bottom of the page. All songs appearing on 3 or more lists were then ranked in order of their overall status in Dave’s Music Database.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

1. Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” (1977)
2. Abba “Dancing Queen” (1976)
3. Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive” (1978)
4. Chic “Le Freak” (1978)
5. Blondie “Heart of Glass” (1978)
6. Village People “Y.M.C.A.” (1978)
7. Kool & the Gang “Celebration” (1980)
8. Bee Gees “How Deep Is Your Love” (1977)
9. Sister Sledge “We Are Family” (1979)
10. Queen “Another One Bites the Dust” (1980)

11. Bee Gees “Night Fever” (1977)
12. Wild Cherry “Play That Funky Music” (1976)
13. Michael Jackson “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” (1979)
14. Lipps Inc. “Funkytown” (1980)
15. Diana Ross “Upside Down” (1980)
16. The Sugarhill Gang “Rapper’s Delight” (1979)
17. Chic “Good Times” (1979)
18. Donna Summer “Hot Stuff” (1979)
19. Commodores “Brick House” (1977)
20. The Emotions “Best of My Love” (1977)

21. Rick James “Super Freak” (1981)
22. Andy Gibb “Shadow Dancing” (1978)
23. Rod Stewart “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” (1978)
24. Van McCoy “The Hustle” (1975)
25. Carl Douglas “Kung Fu Fighting” (1974)
26. Donna Summer “I Feel Love” (1977)
27. Earth, Wind & Fire “September” (1978)
28. Andy Gibb “I Just Want to Be Your Everything” (1977)
29. KC & the Sunshine Band “Get Down Tonight” (1975)
30. KC & the Sunshine Band “That’s the Way I Like It” (1975)

31. Thelma Houston “Don’t Leave Me This Way” (1976)
32. George McCrae “Rock Your Baby” (1974)
33. Michael Jackson “Rock with You” (1979)
34. Donna Summer “Bad Girls” (1979)
35. The Rolling Stones “Miss You” (1978)
36. Bee Gees “You Should Be Dancing” (1976)
37. Donna Summer “Last Dance” (1978)
38. The Trammps “Disco Inferno” (1977)
39. The Four Seasons “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)” (1975)
40. The O’Jays “Love Train” (1973)

41. Rose Royce “Car Wash” (1976)
42. Anita Ward “Ring My Bell” (1979)
43. Marvin Gaye “Got to Give It Up” (1977)
44. Barry White “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” (1974)
45. Barry White “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything” (1974)
46. LaBelle “Lady Marmalade” (1974)
47. Earth, Wind & Fire “Shining Star” (1975)
48. A Taste of Honey “Boogie Oogie Oogie” (1978)
49. Diana Ross “Love Hangover” (1976)
50. Bee Gees “Jive Talkin’” (1975)

51. Bee Gees “Tragedy” (1979)
52. Patrick Hernandez “Born to Be Alive” (1979)
53. Donna Summer “Love to Love You Baby” (1975)
54. Earth, Wind & Fire “Let’s Groove” (1981)
55. The Hues Corporation “Rock the Boat” (1974)
56. The Weather Girls “It’s Raining Men” (1982)
57. McFadden & Whitehead “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” (1979)
58. Hot Chocolate “You Sexy Thing” (1975)
59. Average White Band “Pick Up the Pieces” (1974)
60. Diana Ross “I’m Coming Out” (1980)

61. Kool & the Gang “Jungle Boogie” (1973)
62. Ohio Players “Love Rollercoaster” (1976)
63. Yvonne Elliman “If I Can’t Have You” (1977)
64. KC & the Sunshine Band “Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake Your Booty” (1976)
65. Vicki Sue Robinson “Turn the Beat Around” (1976)
66. Peaches & Herb “Shake Your Groove Thing” (1978)
67. Love Unlimited Orchestra “Love’s Theme” (1973)
68. Rufus & Chaka Khan “Ain’t Nobody” (1983)
69. Kiss “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” (1979)
70. MFSB with the Three Degrees “T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia)” (1974)

71. The S.O.S. Band “Take Your Time, Do It Right” (1980)
72. Alicia Bridges “I Love the Nightlife (Disco ‘Round)” (1978)
73. Rick James “Give It to Me Baby” (1981)
74. Cheryl Lynn “Got to Be Real” (1978)
75. Kool & the Gang “Get Down on It” (1982)
76. Earth, Wind & Fire with the Emotions “Boogie Wonderland” (1979)
77. Kool & the Gang “Ladies’ Night” (1979)
78. Silver Convention “Fly Robin Fly” (1975)
79. Meco “Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band” (1977)
80. Andrea True Connection “More, More, More” (1976)

81. Leo Sayer “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” (1976)
82. Evelyn “Champagne” King “Shame” (1978)
83. Johnnie Taylor “Disco Lady” (1976)
84. Barry Manilow “Copacabana (At the Copa)” (1978)
85. Donna Summer “MacArthur Park” (1978)
86. Amii Stewart “Knock on Wood” (1979)
87. The Jacksons “Shake Your Body Down to the Ground” (1979)
88. Heatwave “Boogie Nights” (1977)
89. The Miracles “Love Machine” (1975)
90. Gloria Gaynor “Never Can Say Goodbye” (1974)
91. Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes “The Love I Lost” (1972)
92. Candi Staton “Young Hearts Run Free” (1976)
93. Village People “Macho Man” (1978)
94. Tavares “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” (1976)
95. Lou Rawls “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” (1976)
96. Silver Convention “Get Up and Boogie (That’s Right)” (1976)
97. Village People “In the Navy” (1979)
98. Donna Summer “On the Radio” (1980)
99. Commodores “Lady, You Bring Me Up” (1981)
100. Stephanie Mills “Never Knew Love Like This Before” (1980)

Resources and Related Links:

First posted 6/18/2015; last updated 5/10/2021.

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Friday, January 22, 2021

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Song Inductees (January 2021)

Originally posted 1/22/2021.

In honor of the 10th anniversary of the DMDB blog on January 22, 2019, Dave’s Music Database launched its own Hall of Fame. This is the ninth set of song inductees. From 1973 to 1982, there were four major charts which tracked U.S. pop songs: Billboard (1898-), Cashbox (1950-1996), Hit Records (1954-1982), and Radio & Records (1973-). 106 songs topped all four charts during that time. (See “USA #1 Pop Songs: 1890-present”). When narrowed down further, there were only 12 songs which combined for 20 or more weeks on top of those four charts.

Bee Gees “Night Fever” (1977)

Inducted January 2021 as “Song with 20+ weeks atop 4 pop charts”

“How Deep Is Your Love” was the first single from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack and “Stayin’ Alive” is the one which endured to become the most iconic, but “Night Fever” was the biggest hit at the time. In the U.S., the first two spent a combined 7 weeks atop the chart, but “Night Fever” stayed there for a whopping 8 weeks. It was the biggest #1 of the year. Read more.

Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” (1977)

Inducted January 2021 as “Song with 20+ weeks atop 4 pop charts”

For better or worse, there are few songs more associated with disco than “Stayin’ Alive.” BB100 “Confident, cocky, streetwise and upbeat,” LW the song perfectly complements John Travolta’s character in Saturday Night Fever, the movie from which the song came. LW The song was not intended as a single, but after fans saw trailers for the movie, they swamped radio stations and RSO Records with calls for the song. WK Read more.

Blondie “Call Me” (1980)

Inducted January 2021 as “Song with 20+ weeks atop 4 pop charts”

Composer and producer Giorgio Moroder, best known for his work with Donna Summer, approached Blondie about writing the theme song for the movie American Gigolo. BB Debbie Harry, the lead singer, said the band jumped at the chance “to work with their hero…‘He was the king of disco…And we were still the anti-establishment invaders.’” RS After seeing a rough cut of the film, BR1 she wrote lyrics in just a few hours from the perspective of a male prostitute – the main character of the film. WK The song’s six weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart earned it the distinction of the magazine’s top song of the year. Read more.

Debby Boone “You Light Up My Life” (1977)

Inducted January 2021 as “Song with 20+ weeks atop 4 pop charts”

Director Joe Brooks commissioned Debby Boone, the daughter of legendary singer Pat Boone, to record a new version of his song “You Light Up My Life” initially featured in the 1977 movie of the same name. Her version became the biggest #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit of the 1970s. Its 10 weeks on top of the chart made it the biggest #1 since Elvis Presley topped the charts for 11 weeks in 1956 with his double A-side hit “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Hound Dog.” Read more.

Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes” (1981)

Inducted January 2021 as “Song with 20+ weeks atop 4 pop charts”

Songwriter Donna Weiss wrote the lyrics while Jackie DeShannon, whose “What the World Needs Now Is Now” and “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” were both top tens, wrote most of the music. BR1 DeShannon recorded a honky-tonk version of the song for her 1975 album New Arrangement. When Carnes was given the song, she wasn’t convinced it had hit potential. BR1 However, when her synthesizer player, Bill Cuomo, reworked the track into a new-wavish pop song, BB100 Carnes was sold. So was the record buying public – it hit #1 in 31 countries WK and topped 1981’s year-end Hot 100 in the U.S. BB100 Read more.

Chic “Le Freak” (1978)

Inducted January 2021 as “Song with 20+ weeks atop 4 pop charts”

“Le Freak” became the best-selling single in the history of Atlantic Records. BR1 It came about when Chic members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards were invited to New York City’s famed disco club Studio 54 by Grace Jones on New Year’s Eve in 1977. However, she forgot to notify the staff and the pair and the doorman told them to “fuck off” as he slammed the door on them. They used it in a song, changing it to “freak out” after realizing radio would never play it otherwise. WK Read more.

Andy Gibb “Shadow Dancing” (1978)

Inducted January 2021 as “Song with 20+ weeks atop 4 pop charts”

The Gibb brothers (Barry, Maurice, Robin, and Andy) dominated the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1978. Andy’s brothers – the Bee Gees – had three #1 songs from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack while “Shadow Dancing” was Andy’s third #1 song, making him the first solo artist in the U.S. pop chart history to have his first three releases hit #1. WK “Shadow Dancing” was also named the biggest song of the year by Billboard magazine. Read more.

The Knack “My Sharona” (1979)

Inducted January 2021 as “Song with 20+ weeks atop 4 pop charts”

The New York Times called “My Sharona” “an emblem of the new wave era in rock.” WK Doug Fieger, the lead singer of the Knack, fell for the real-life Sharona Alperin when she was in a relationship with someone else. He wrote the song in about 15 minutes, saying she “sparked something and I started writing a lot of songs feverishly in a short amount of time.” WK The song “compressed a sense of teenage sexual frustration into its stutter beat built on simple rock and roll.” BR1 They eventually ended up together and even became engaged, but his alcoholism and rock n’ roll lifestyle led to their breakup. Read more.

Lionel Richie & Diana Ross “Endless Love” (1981)

Inducted January 2021 as “Song with 20+ weeks atop 4 pop charts”

In 2002, Richie told Billboard magazine, “When I put out ‘Endless Love’…during the days of disco, the reaction was, ‘Are you nuts?’” BB100 However, this unforgettable ballad from the completely forgettable Brooke Shields and Tom Cruise movie of the same name was the biggest hit Motown had up to that time, not to mention the biggest soundtrack single and most successful duet. BR1 Richie and Ross both had numerous #1’s with their groups the Supremes and the Commodores respectively and as solo acts, but this was the biggest hit for both of them. Read more.

Kenny Rogers “Lady” (1980)

Inducted January 2021 as “Song with 20+ weeks atop 4 pop charts”

In 1980, Kenny Rogers’ record label wanted a Greatest Hits package to ring in the Christmas season. Rogers turned to the Commodores’ Lionel Richie for new material to add to the collection. Rogers said, “The idea was that Lionel would come from R&B and I’d come from country, and we’d meet somewhere in the middle.” BR1 The resulting “Lady” became Rogers’ fourth million-selling single and his first #1 on the pop charts. BB100 It was also the biggest pop song of 1980 WHC and the first song of the decade to hit Billboard’s pop, country, adult contemporary, and R&B charts, BR1 hitting #1 on the first three. Read more.

Rod Stewart “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” (1976)

Inducted January 2021 as “Song with 20+ weeks atop 4 pop charts”

Some radio programmers, the BBC, and Jesse Jackson’s People United to Save Humanity all saw this song as too sexually explicit, but public demand won out in the end and the song became the biggest #1 of 1976 WHC and the best-sellig song in the United States the following year. WK Its eight weeks on top made it the biggest #1 since the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” in November 1968. It was also the biggest hit of Stewart’s career. In 2018, Billboard ranked the song the 19th biggest in the history of the Hot 100. Read more.

Rod Stewart “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” (1978)

Inducted January 2021 as “Song with 20+ weeks atop 4 pop charts”

According to Carmine Appice, who had recently joined Stewart’s band and co-wrote the song, Stewart “was always looking at the charts and listening. He was a big fan of the Rolling Stones…so he wanted to do some kind of disco-y song, something like ‘Miss You.’” SF Some fans and critics thought his “defection to disco was unforgivable” BR1 but “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy” gave Stewart his third chart-topping hit after “Maggie May” in 1971 and “Tonight’s the Night” in 1976. Read more.
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Saturday, December 22, 2018

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”

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First posted 5/20/2012; updated 6/5/2022.
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Saturday, February 4, 1978

Bee Gees hit #1 with “Stayin’ Alive”

Stayin’ Alive

Bee Gees

Writer(s): Barry Gibb/ Robin Gibb/ Maurice Gibb (see lyrics here)

First Charted: December 10, 1977

Peak: 14 US, 14 CB, 16 GR, 16 HR, 16 RR, 28 AC, 4 RB, 4 UK, 14 CN, 17 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.)

Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, 0.6 UK, 5.77 world (includes US + UK)

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 889.2 video, 635.81 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

Robert Stigwood was born in Australia in 1934. He came to England in the 1950s and became an agent for actor John Leyton. When Leyton had dreams of making it in music, Stigwood took on the role of music producer as well. He became a manager working with Cream and the Bee Gees. In the 1970s, Stigwood had moved into film and television production as well. One of his projects was a movie based on an article in a New York magazine about the club scene in Brooklyn. RS500 He asked the Bee Gees to contribute some songs to the project.

The movie, Saturday Night Fever, was about “a vigorous subculture of working-class kids, mostly from European immigrant backgrounds, who loved to dance.” TC It was “a low-budget film with a gritty, not particularly romantic story.” TC Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees “confidently predicted [it] would flop in the face of the rising tide of punk.” TB

The movie was introduced with a “largely unmemorable” TB trailer in December 1977 that was mostly a close-up of the feet of the leading man, John Travolta, strutting down a New York street. The song that played was “Stayin’ Alive,” “a first-rate piece of falsetto” DM with “a pounding dance beat.” SS It “brought the trailer vibrantly to life,” TB perfectly complementing the character; both were “confident, cocky, streetwise and upbeat.” LW Surprisingly, the Bee Gees had never seen the script or a rough cut of the movie. SS Robin Gibb said it was “a very straightforward song about survival in the city.” TC

When Stigwood first heard it, he asked why the group wasn’t singing “Saturday Night, Saturday Night.” Maurice Gibb explained that “It’s corny; it’s a terrible title.” FB “There are so many blood records out there called ‘Saturday Night.’” FB The Bee Gees won out and, for better or worse, few songs are more associated with disco than “Stayin’ Alive.” BB The Bees became superstars on the level of the Beatles because of the massive success of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, which sold 25 million copies worldwide, making it the biggest album of all-time until Michael Jackson’s 1982 Thriller album. FB

“Stayin’ Alive” was not intended as a single, but after fans saw the trailer they swamped radio stations and RSO Records with calls for the song. WK The fans were appeased when the song was released as the second single after the blockbuster ballad “How Deep Is Your Love.” Those songs, as well as the Bee Gees’ “Night Fever” and Yvonne Elliman’s “If I Can’t Have You,” gave the soundtrack four #1 songs and gave the brothers Gibb bragging rights to having penned four chart-toppers in six months. However, Barry could boast an even bigger accomplishment. He shared writing credit on all three of younger brother Andy’s #1 songs from July 1977 to July 1978. This gave Barry seven trips to the pinnacle and a total of 29 weeks in the pole position as a writer in a year’s time.

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First posted 1/6/2015; last updated 4/12/2023.

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