"To Love Somebody" | ||||
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Single by the Bee Gees | ||||
from the album Bee Gees' 1st | ||||
B-side | "Close Another Door" | |||
Released | June 1967 | |||
Recorded | April 1967 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:02 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | ||||
The Bee Gees UKsingles chronology | ||||
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The Bee Gees USsingles chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
![]() Japanese cover of "To Love Somebody" | ||||
Music video | ||||
"To Love Somebody" on YouTube |
"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. [4] 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". [5] 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". [6] The entry was a minor hit in France but reached the top 10 in Canada.
In a 2017 interview with Piers Morgan's Life Stories ,Barry was asked "of all the songs that you've ever written,which song would you choose?" Barry said that "To Love Somebody" was the song that he'd choose as it has "a clear,emotional message". [7] The song has been recorded by many other artists,including Janis Joplin,Roberta Flack,Lulu,James Carr,the Sweet Inspirations,Nina Simone,the Flying Burrito Brothers,Bonnie Tyler,Slobberbone and Jimmy Somerville.
At the request of Robert Stigwood, the band's manager, Barry and Robin Gibb wrote "To Love Somebody", a soulful ballad in the style of Sam & Dave or The Rascals, for Otis Redding. [8] Redding came to see Barry at the Plaza in New York City one night. Robin claimed that "Otis Redding said he loved our material and would Barry write him a song". [9]
The Bee Gees recorded "To Love Somebody" at IBC Studios, London with "Gilbert Green" and "End of My Song" in April 1967 and released it as a single in mid-June. Redding died in a plane crash later that year, before having a chance to record the song.
Robin said, "Everyone told us what a great record they thought it was, Other groups all raved about it but for some reason people in Britain just did not seem to like it." Barry said, "I think the reason it didn't do well here was because it's a soul number, Americans loved it, but it just wasn't right for this country". [10]
Barry Gibb explained in a June 2001 interview with Mojo magazine:
It was for Robert (Stigwood). I say that unabashedly. He asked me to write a song for him, personally. It was written in New York and played to Otis but, personally, it was for Robert. He meant a great deal to me. I don't think it was a homosexual affection but a tremendous admiration for this man's abilities and gifts. [11]
Billboard described the single as a "smooth, easy beat ballad" that "should put them right back up there at the top of the Hot 100." [12] Record World said that it "is well written; the group, the Gee Bees [sic], sing it well." [13]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) [21] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
"To Love Somebody" | ||||
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Single by Michael Bolton | ||||
from the album Timeless: The Classics | ||||
B-side | "Now That I Found You" | |||
Released | September 1992 | |||
Length | 4:08 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Michael Bolton singles chronology | ||||
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American singer Michael Bolton covered and released it as a single from his 1992 album Timeless: The Classics . His version reached number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became his fourth single to peak at number two in Canada, his highest position in that country. It is also his highest-charting single in France, where it reached number seven.
Chart (1992–1993) | Peak position |
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Australia (ARIA) [22] | 39 |
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [23] | 2 |
Canada Adult Contemporary ( RPM ) [24] | 1 |
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [25] | 31 |
France (SNEP) [26] | 7 |
Germany (Official German Charts) [27] | 61 |
Ireland (IRMA) [28] | 13 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [29] | 36 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [30] | 35 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [31] | 32 |
UK Singles (OCC) [32] | 16 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [33] | 11 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [34] | 1 |
US Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [35] | 6 |
US Rhythmic ( Billboard ) [36] | 31 |
Chart (1992) | Position |
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Canada Top Singles (RPM) [37] | 55 |
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM) [38] | 26 |
Chart (1993) | Position |
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Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM) [39] | 9 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [40] | 83 |
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) [41] | 33 |
"To Love Somebody" has been used in several movies including I Love You Phillip Morris , Y Tu Mamá También , Melody , The Wrong Man , My Entire Life , 50/50 , Joy , and Glass Onion .
The Bee Gees' version appears in a 2013 television commercial for Coca-Cola Life.
The Bee Gees' version also appears in a 2019 TV commercial for Facebook Groups.
The Bee Gees' version also appears in a 2019 McDonald's television commercial.
The Bee Gees’ version also appears in the newly released, Baker 4 video.
"Islands in the Stream" is a song written by the Bee Gees and recorded by American country music artists Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. It was released in August 1983 as the first single from Rogers's fifteenth studio album Eyes That See in the Dark. The Bee Gees released a live version in 1998 and a studio version in 2001.
"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 wrote the song and co-produced it 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.
"Nights on Broadway" is a song by the Bee Gees from the Main Course album released in 1975. The second single released from the album, it immediately followed their number-one hit "Jive Talkin'". This track was credited to Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb.
"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).
"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.
"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.
"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.
"Alone" is a song by musical group the Bee Gees. The ballad, written by Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, is the opening track on their 21st studio album, Still Waters (1997), and was the first single released from the album on 17 February 1997. In the United Kingdom, the song was backed with two B-sides: "Closer Than Close" and "Rings Around the Moon", while in the United States, a live version of "Stayin' Alive" was included on the single releases.
"You Win Again" is a song written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb and performed by the Bee Gees. The song was produced by the brothers, Arif Mardin and Brian Tench. It was released as the first single on 7 September 1987 by Warner Records, from their seventeenth studio album E.S.P. (1987). It was also their first single released from the record label. The song marked the start of the group's comeback, becoming a No. 1 hit in many European countries, including topping the UK Singles Chart—their first to do so in over eight years—and making them the first group to score a UK No. 1 hit in each of three decades: the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
"I've Gotta Get a Message to You" is a song by the Bee Gees. Released as a single in 1968, it was their second number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart, and their first US Top 10 hit. Barry Gibb re-recorded the song with Keith Urban for his 2021 album Greenfields.
"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.
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" is a song released by the Bee Gees in 1971. It was written by Barry and Robin Gibb and was the first single on the group's 1971 album Trafalgar. It was their first US No. 1 single and also reached No. 1 in Cashbox magazine for two 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".
"Heartbreaker" is a song performed by American singer Dionne Warwick. It was written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees for her 1982 studio album of the same name, while production was helmed by Barry Gibb, Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson under their production moniker Gibb-Galuten-Richardson. Barry Gibb's backing vocal is heard on the chorus.
"I Just Want to Be Your Everything" is a song recorded by Andy Gibb, initially released in April 1977 by RSO Records as the first single from his debut album Flowing Rivers (1977). The song was written by Gibb's older brother Barry, and produced by Gibb-Galuten-Richardson. 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.
"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".
Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live is the first live album by the Bee Gees. It was recorded on December 20, 1976 at the LA Forum and was released in May 1977 by RSO Records. It reached No. 8 in the US, No. 8 in Australia, No. 1 in New Zealand, and No. 2 in Spain.
"Run to Me" is a song by the Bee Gees, the lead single from the group's album To Whom It May Concern (1972). The song reached the UK Top 10 and the US Top 20.
"Love Me" is a song recorded by the Bee Gees, released on the 1976 album Children of the World. It was also included on the compilation albums Bee Gees Greatest and Love from the Bee Gees, which was released only in the UK.
"(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 by RSO Records as the third single by Andy Gibb from his second studio album Shadow Dancing. His version was produced by Gibb-Galuten-Richardson.
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