Night Fever

Last updated

...'Night Fever' started off because Barry walked in one morning when I was trying to work out something. I always wanted to do a disco version of Theme from A Summer Place by the Percy Faith Orchestra or something - it was a big hit in the Sixties. I was playing that, and Barry said, 'What was that?' and I said, 'Theme from A Summer Place', and Barry said, 'No, it wasn't'. It was new. Barry heard the idea - I was playing it on a string synthesizer and sang the riff over it. [7]

— Blue Weaver

Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb completed the lyrics for "Night Fever" sitting on a staircase (reminiscent of their first international hit "New York Mining Disaster 1941", which was written also in a staircase back in 1967). [7]

Recording

The Bee Gees began recording this song by April 1977 in France and finishing it in September the same year. A demo of "Night Fever" with some instrumental and vocals heard on it exists and was available to download on Rhino Records' website in 2009 or earlier. [2]

...For 'Night Fever' the group had the hook-line and rhythm - they usually pat their legs to set up a song's rhythm when they first sing it - and parts of the verses. They had the emotion, same as on the record. We put down battery first, so the feel was locked in. The electric piano part was put on before the bass, then the heavy guitar parts. We had the sound, but we needed something there to shake it so we used the thunder sound. [7]

—  Albhy Galuten

Reception

According to Billboard , it has a "jumping disco beat" and a "smooth falsetto lead" vocal. [8] Cash Box similarly said that it has "dancin' beat, scratchy guitar, sweeping orchestration and the familiar falsetto." [9] Record World predicted that it would become "another dance tempo hit" for the Bee Gees. [10]

Legacy

It also replaced Andy Gibb's "Love Is Thicker Than Water" at number one and was in turn replaced by Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You"—all of which were written and produced by the Gibb brothers. It would be the third of six consecutive US #1s for the band, tying the Beatles for the record for most consecutive #1 singles. Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1978, behind Andy Gibb's "Shadow Dancing". [11]

"Night Fever" topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks, their third UK number-one, and in the US it remained the number-one Billboard Hot 100 single for over two months in 1978. In addition to Saturday Night Fever, the song has also appeared in the movie and on the soundtrack for Mystery Men . The song is listed at number 38 on Billboard's All Time Top 100. [12] It is also featured in other films including Luna , Mr. Saturday Night , I.D. , Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? , and Avenue Montaigne .

Music video

A music video was made for the song in 1978, but not shown to the public until 26 years later, in 2004.[ citation needed ] It features the brothers singing the song in a darkened studio, layered over background video filmed while driving along "Motel Row" on Collins Avenue, a 3-mile (5 km) motel strip in what is now Sunny Isles Beach, Florida. [13] Most of the motels which appear in the video are now closed or demolished, including several whose names are reminiscent of Las Vegas resorts (Castaways, Desert Inn, Sahara, Golden Nugget).[ citation needed ]

Personnel

Charts

"Night Fever"
Night fever uk single bee gees.jpg
Single by Bee Gees
from the album Saturday Night Fever
B-side "Down the Road" (live)
ReleasedJanuary 1978 (US) [1]
Recorded
  • c. April 1977
  • September 1977 [2]
Studio
Genre Disco
Length3:32
Label RSO
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Bee Gees singles chronology
"Stayin' Alive"
(1977)		"Night Fever"
(1978)		"Too Much Heaven"
(1978)
Audio sample
"Night Fever"

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [52] Platinum150,000^
France—300,000 [53]
Italy (FIMI) [54]
sales since 2009 		Gold50,000‡
Japan—500,000 [55]
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [56] Gold30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [57] Gold650,000 [58]
United States (RIAA) [59] Platinum2,500,000 [60]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Ex-It version

"Night Fever"
Single by Ex-It
Released20 April 1996
Recorded1996
Genre Eurodance
Length3:45
Label BMG
Songwriter(s) Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb, Robinson, Andreas Hötter, Alexander Stiepel
Producer(s) Robinson, Andreas Hötter, Alexander Stiepel
Ex-It singles chronology
"I Want It All"
(1996)		"Night Fever"
(1996)

In 1996, the Austrian music group Ex-It covered the song and made a small notable success. Large parts of the original were retained in this version, but with many rap passages added. This cover is the compilations Dance Now! 14, Maxi Dance Sensation 21 and Hot Hits [TL 541/35].

Music video

The music video copies many elements of the movie Saturday Night Fever and satirizes the same. At the beginning of the video, the DJ plays the song, while the protagonist and his girlfriend in a tool shop look around and watch a radio. Then prepare for a visit to a disco and dance there in the rest of the plot. [61]

Charts

Chart (1996)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA Charts) [62] 82
Austrian Singles Chart [63] 30

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bee Gees</span> Music group (1958–2012)

The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in the mid- to late 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Gibb</span> British-American musician (born 1946)

Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Along with his younger brothers, Robin and Maurice, he rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popular music. Well known for his wide vocal range, Gibb's most notable trait is a far-reaching high-pitched falsetto. Gibb's career has spanned over 60 years.

<i>Saturday Night Fever</i> (soundtrack) 1977 soundtrack album by the Bee Gees and various artists

Saturday Night Fever is the soundtrack album from the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta. The soundtrack was released on November 15, 1977 by RSO Records. Prior to the release of Thriller by Michael Jackson, Saturday Night Fever was the best-selling album in music history, and still ranks among the best-selling soundtrack albums worldwide, with sales figures of over 40 million copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Stigwood</span> Australian music and film producer (1934–2016)

Robert Colin Stigwood was an Australian-born British-resident music entrepreneur, film producer and impresario, best known for managing Cream, Andy Gibb and the Bee Gees, theatrical productions like Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar, and film productions including the successful Grease and Saturday Night Fever. On his death, one obituary judged that he had been for a time the most powerful tycoon in the entertainment industry: "Stigwood owned the record label that issued his artists’ albums and film soundtracks, and he also controlled publishing rights – not since Hollywood's golden days had so much power and wealth been concentrated in the hands of one mogul."

Cheryl Lau Sang, known professionally as Samantha Sang, is an Australian singer. She had an earlier career as a teenage singer under the stage name Cheryl Gray, before adopting the stage name she is more widely known as in 1969. She first received nationwide recognition in Australia in 1967, after releasing the top ten single "You Made Me What I Am".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stayin' Alive</span> 1977 single by the Bee Gees

"Stayin' Alive" is a song written and performed by the Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack. The song was released in December 1977 by RSO Records as the second single from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. The band co-produced the song with Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson. It is one of the Bee Gees' signature songs. In 2004, "Stayin' Alive" was placed at No. 189 by Rolling Stone on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The 2021 updated Rolling Stone list of 500 Greatest Songs placed "Stayin' Alive" at No. 99. In 2004, it ranked No. 9 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema. In a UK television poll on ITV in December 2011 it was voted fifth in The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jive Talkin'</span> 1975 single by the Bee Gees

"Jive Talkin'" is a song by the Bee Gees, released as a single in May 1975 by RSO Records. This was the lead single from the album Main Course and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100; it also reached the top-five on the UK Singles Chart in the middle of 1975. Largely recognised as the group's comeback song, it was their first US top-10 hit since "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" (1971).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Too Much Heaven</span> 1978 single by Bee Gees

"Too Much Heaven" is a song by the Bee Gees, which was the band's contribution to the "Music for UNICEF" fund. They performed it at the Music for UNICEF Concert on 9 January 1979. The song later found its way to the group's thirteenth original album, Spirits Having Flown. It hit No. 1 in both the US and Canada. In the United States, the song was the first single out of three from the album to interrupt a song's stay at #1. "Too Much Heaven" knocked "Le Freak" off the top spot for two weeks before "Le Freak" returned to #1 again. "Too Much Heaven" also rose to the top three in the UK. In the US, it would become the fourth of six consecutive No. 1s, equalling the record set by Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles for the most consecutive No. 1 songs. The six Bee Gee songs are "How Deep Is Your Love", "Stayin' Alive", "Night Fever", "Too Much Heaven", "Tragedy" and "Love You Inside Out". The songs spanned the years of 1977, 1978 and 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tragedy (Bee Gees song)</span> 1979 song by the Bee Gees

"Tragedy" is a song released by the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb, included on their 1979 album Spirits Having Flown. The single reached number one in the UK in February 1979 and repeated the feat the following month on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 1998, it was covered by British pop group Steps, whose version also reached number one in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love You Inside Out</span> 1979 single by Bee Gees

"Love You Inside Out" is a 1979 hit single by the Bee Gees from their album, Spirits Having Flown. It was their last chart-topping single on the Billboard Hot 100, interrupting Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff", becoming the third single from the album to do so. In the UK, the single peaked at No. 13 for two weeks. It was the ninth and final number-one hit for the Bee Gees in the US, and the twelfth and final number-one hit in Canada as well. The trio would not return to the top 10 for ten years, with the song, "One".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Should Be Dancing</span> 1976 single by Bee Gees

"You Should Be Dancing" is a song by the Bee Gees, from the album Children of the World, released in 1976. It hit No. 1 for one week on the American Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 for seven weeks on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, and in September the same year, reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Soul chart. It was this song that first launched the Bee Gees into disco. It was also the only track from the group to top the dance chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Words (Bee Gees song)</span> 1968 song by the Bee Gees

"Words" is a song by the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. The song reached No. 1 in Germany, Canada, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">How Deep Is Your Love (Bee Gees song)</span> 1977 single by Bee Gees

"How Deep Is Your Love" is a pop ballad written and recorded by the Bee Gees in 1977 and released as a single in September of that year. It was ultimately used as part of the soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever. It was a number-three hit in the United Kingdom and Australia. In the United States, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 on 25 December 1977 and stayed in the Top 10 for 17 weeks. It spent six weeks atop the US adult contemporary chart. It is listed at No. 27 on Billboard's All Time Top 100. Alongside "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever", it is one of the group's three tracks on the list. The song was covered by Take That for their 1996 Greatest Hits album, reaching No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks.

"If I Can't Have You" is a disco song written by the Bee Gees in 1977. The song initially appeared on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in a version by Yvonne Elliman, released in November 1977. The Bee Gees' own version appeared a month later as the B-side of "Stayin' Alive".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(Love Is) Thicker Than Water</span> 1977 single by Andy Gibb

"(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" is a song performed by Andy Gibb, released in September 1977 as the second and final single from his debut album, Flowing Rivers. The song was his second single that topped the US Billboard Hot 100. It was mainly written by Barry Gibb, with help from Andy Gibb. The B-side of this song was "Words and Music" in the US, but "Flowing Rivers" in the UK. It became a gold record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shadow Dancing (song)</span> 1978 single by Andy Gibb

"Shadow Dancing" is a disco song performed by English singer-songwriter Andy Gibb. The song was released in April 1978 as the lead single from his second studio album of the same name. The song reached number one for seven consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. Albhy Galuten arranged the song with Barry Gibb. While Andy Gibb would have three more Top 10 hits in the U.S., this would be his final chart-topping hit in the United States. The song became a platinum record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">To Love Somebody (song)</span> 1967 single by Bee Gees

"To Love Somebody" is a song written by Barry and Robin Gibb. Produced by Robert Stigwood, it was the second single released by the Bee Gees from their international debut album, Bee Gees 1st, in 1967. The single reached No. 17 in the United States and No. 41 in the United Kingdom. The song's B-side was "Close Another Door". The single was reissued in 1980 on RSO Records with "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" as its flipside. The song ranked at number 94 on NME magazine's "100 Best Tracks of the Sixties". It was a minor hit in the UK and France. It reached the top 20 in the US. It reached the top 10 in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Just Want to Be Your Everything</span> 1977 single by Andy Gibb

"I Just Want to Be Your Everything" is a song recorded by Andy Gibb, initially released in April 1977 as the first single from his debut album Flowing Rivers. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, starting on the week ending 30 July 1977, and again for the week ending 17 September 1977. It was Gibb's first single released in the United Kingdom and United States. His previous single, "Words and Music" was only released in Australia. It is ranked number 26 on Billboard's 55th anniversary All Time Top 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">More Than a Woman (Bee Gees song)</span> 1977 song by the Bee Gees

"More Than a Woman" is a song by musical group the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb for the soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever. It became a regular feature of the group's live sets from 1977 until Maurice Gibb's death in 2003 and was often coupled with "Night Fever".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away</span> Song by Andy Gibb

"(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away" is a song penned by Barry Gibb and Blue Weaver and recorded by the Bee Gees in 1977 on the Saturday Night Fever sessions but was not released until Bee Gees Greatest (1979). A different version was released in September 1978 as the third single by Andy Gibb from his second studio album Shadow Dancing.

References

  1. ↑ "Bee Gees singles".
  2. 1 2 Brennan, Joe. "Gibb Songs : 1977". Columbia University. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  3. ↑ "Song-Database "Night Fever"". song-database.com/. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  4. ↑ "Gibb Songs : 1978". www.columbia.edu. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  5. ↑ "Here at Last...Bee Gees...Live - Bee Gees | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Night Fever by Bee Gees". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 Melinda Bilyeu; Hector Cook; Andrew Môn Hughes (January 2011). The Bee Gees. Omnibus Press. ISBN   9780857128942 . Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  8. ↑ "Hot Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. 4 February 1978. p. 88. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  9. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 4 February 1978. p. 18. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 4 February 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  11. ↑ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1978
  12. ↑ Bronson, Fred (2 August 2012). "Hot 100 55th Anniversary: The All-Time Top 100 Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  13. ↑ "Bee Gees - Night Fever (Video)" on YouTube. Retrieved on 2020-10-27.
  14. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (doc). Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  15. ↑ "Bee Gees – Night Fever" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  16. ↑ "Bee Gees – Night Fever" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  17. ↑ "Songs Written by the Gibb Family on the International Charts - Part 3" (PDF). brothersgibb.org. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  18. ↑ "Night fever in Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  19. ↑ "Bee Gees cuts from Saturday Night Fever in Canadian Top 30 Playlist". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  20. ↑ "Night fever in Canadian Top Singles Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  21. ↑ "Songs Written by the Gibb Family on the International Charts - Part 3" (PDF). brothersgibb.org. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  22. ↑ "Night fever in Irish Chart". IRMA. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 10 July 2013. 2nd result when searching "Night fever"
  23. ↑ Danyel Smith, ed. (1978). "Billboard 2 september 1978". Billboard. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  24. ↑ Danyel Smith, ed. (1978). "Billboard 12 august 1978". Billboard. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved 10 July 2013.(mistakenly called "Saturday Night fever")
  25. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bee Gees" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  26. ↑ "Bee Gees – Night Fever" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  27. ↑ "Bee Gees – Night Fever". Top 40 Singles.
  28. ↑ "Bee Gees – Night Fever". VG-lista.
  29. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 20 January 1979. p. 183. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  30. ↑ John Samson. "Night fever in South African Chart" . Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  31. ↑ Danyel Smith, ed. (1978). "Billboard 8 july 1978". Billboard. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  32. ↑ "Bee Gees – Night Fever". Singles Top 100.
  33. ↑ "Bee Gees – Night Fever". Swiss Singles Chart.
  34. ↑ "1978 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive - 29th April 1978". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  35. 1 2 3 "Saturday Night Fever [Original Movie Soundtrack] awards on Allmusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  36. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 26.
  37. ↑ "Cashbox Top 100". Cashbox Archives. 18 March 1978. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  38. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Bee Gees – Night Fever" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  39. ↑ "Bee Gees – Night Fever" (in French). Les classement single.
  40. ↑ "Bee Gees Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard.
  41. ↑ "Kent Music Report No 236 – 1 January 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1978". Kent Music Report . Retrieved 8 January 2022– via Imgur.com.
  42. ↑ Bac-lac.gc.ca
  43. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1978". Dutch Top 40 . Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  44. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1978". MegaCharts . Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  45. ↑ "End of Year Charts 1978". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  46. ↑ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1978" . Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  47. ↑ Swiss Year-End Charts, 1978
  48. ↑ Scaping, Peter, ed. (1979). "Top 200 Singles in 1978". BPI Year Book 1979 (4th ed.). London, England: The British Phonographic Industry Ltd. pp. 186–89. ISBN   0-906154-02-2.
  49. ↑ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1978". Cashbox Archives. 31 December 1978.
  50. ↑ Musicoutfitters.com
  51. ↑ "Hot 100 turns 60". Billboard . Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  52. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Bee Gees – Night Fever". Music Canada . Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  53. ↑ Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP). Fabrice Ferment (ed.). TOP – 1978 (in French). 40 ans de tubes : 1960–2000 : les meilleures ventes de 45 tours & CD singles. OCLC   469523661. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2023– via Top-France.fr.
  54. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Bee Gees – Night Fever" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  55. ↑ "Bee Gees". Billboard . Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  56. ↑ "Bee Gees - Night Fever". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España . Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  57. ↑ "British single certifications – Bee Gees – Night Fever". British Phonographic Industry.
  58. ↑ "Polydor Hard Pressed To Soothe U.K. 'Fever'" (PDF). Billboard . 27 May 1978. p. 66. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  59. ↑ "American single certifications – Bee Gees – Night Fever". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  60. ↑ Grein, Paul (26 August 1978). "Billboard Vol. 90, No. 34". Billboard .
  61. ↑ Musicvideo in Youtube.com
  62. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 97.
  63. ↑ austriancharts.ch
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.