I am having a Bee Gees moment - and loving every single second of it. When people ask me about my taste in music, I always say that I'm more Bee Gees than Beethoven. I adore the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever, but the trio wrote tons more hit songs than just those during their legendary career. Here are a few of the smashes that came from the pens and imaginations of siblings Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb.
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These guys were no slouches. Per American Songwriter, they "have nine of their own No. 1 hits, dozens more in the Top 40, earned five Grammy Awards alone for composing the music for the 1978 film Saturday Night Fever, and sold more than 220 million records worldwide...." Add to that astonishing resume all their songwriting credits and you have unforgettable musical magic. Maurice died tragically in 2003 at 53, and Robin sadly passed away in 2012 at 62. Now, at 78, Barry keeps their music (and their memory) alive.
3 Best Songs By The Bee Gees That Other Artists Made Famous
'Woman In Love' by Barbra Streisand (1980)
This song, co-written by Robin and Barry Gibb, was from Streisand's 1980 album Guilty. It not surprisingly attained the coveted top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 list. The song gorgeously showcases what she could do with a strong pop ballad. Streisand makes full use of the powerful lyrics.
With her innate sense of the dramatic, she gives every line a knockout fervor that transmits the song's theme of passion and unyielding commitment to her man. Streisand's dual skills as an actress and a singer are put to brilliant use here. The brothers Gibb knew exactly what they were doing when they crafted this classic. I haven't listened to it in ages. When I heard it today, I was floored. Great song, singer, and songwriters!
'Heartbreaker' by Dionne Warwick (1982)
This song, from the album of the same name by Dionne Warwick, was a real gem. Per the Bee Gees website, It "was released as a single in 1982 by singer Dionne Warwick. The song featured Barry Gibb's backing vocals on the chorus and was written by all three Gibb brothers. The song made it to #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and to #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart." The tune suited Warwick as much as the ones she sang that were written by the fabled team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. "Heartbreaker" was an ideal fit for her immense vocal talent.
'Islands in the Stream' by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers (1983)
Smoothradio.com lauded this song as "one of the most classic duets of all time, bringing together two of country's most iconic stars." Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers were absolutely born to sing this 1983 tune from the Bee Gees. With the disco craze, the group inspired losing favor fast after having such a delirious heyday, they instead chose to write material for other performers. This beauty was originally earmarked for Marvin Gaye, then it morphed into what the outlet called "a country-pop crossover" for a pair of superstars.
Kenny Rogers and Barry Gibb felt that it needed something - or someone - extra. According to smoothradio.com via People, "The story is the producer and the writer on the song was one of the Bee Gees, Barry Gibb. And we had been singing this song in my studio in L.A. for four days. And I finally said, 'Barry, I don't even like this song anymore.' And he said, 'We need Dolly Parton.'"
Rogers added, "And Dolly, in her inimitable fashion, marched into the room and the song was never the same."
The song reached number one and eventually went triple platinum per the RIAA.
