Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees

The subject matter of ‘Stayin’ Alive’ is actually quite a serious one; It’s about survival in the streets of New York, and the lyrics actually say that:
– Robin Gibb

This scintillating electric track from the Bee Gees is arguably their most recognisable. It also seems to be the signature disco tune of the 1970s. The music video below, with the brothers walking with that macho swagger of the young male disco type and adorned with the quintessential 1970s garb, including the tight jeans of course, has become so ingrained in pop culture too. Someone in the video comments below described it as follows:

0% drugs
0% naked girls
30% hair
70% helium

Such is Stayin’ Alive’s impact on popular culture that it is ranked No. 9 on AFI’s survey of top tunes in American cinema. Over the years, the brothers had mixed feelings about the song, admitting it brought them tremendous fame but conversely branded them as a disco act.

Despite the song’s saturation of radio and TV, I still think it’s way cool and hasn’t lost any of its lustre and appeal, at least to these ears. It remains one of the all-time dance-pop classics. You’ve got that intense rhythm, the unforgettable vocal, the tension in the lyrics and that extraordinary sense of forward motion.

Their fame from the Saturday Night Fever record was nothing short of mindblowing as they became global sensations and the record became one of the best-selling of all time. Such was their breakthrough into the disco world, their music became synonymous with the whole scene.

Barry’s unmistakable falsetto voice became as much a part of their sound and allure as anything else. Listening to it, you almost understand why men wore such tight jeans back then. Barry didn’t even realise he had that register until producer Arif Mardin asked him to try some high-pitched ad-libs in the studio while recording Nights on Broadway. Barry gave it a go and discovered a voice he didn’t know he had. But once the others heard it, the Bee Gees knew they were onto something. From then on, they milked it for all it was worth and pretty much built their disco sound around showcasing that voice.

All good things come to an end and they sure did for the Bee Gees not too long after they had summited the ‘Everest’ of global pop stardom. Lamentably, second-rate imitators flooded the market, and critics turned sharply against the genre. By the early ’80s, their notoriety was fast becoming a backlash. Radio stations and record companies wouldn’t go near them with a barge pole. They became a scapegoat of sorts for the rest of the crap out there.

They even faced bomb threats at one point and were forced to regroup and rebuild their image. For a time, they shifted focus to songwriting for other artists, and with great success. Their songs included:

• Woman in Love, Barbra Streisand (1980)
• Heartbreaker, Dionne Warwick (1982)
• Chain Reaction Diana Ross, and
• Islands in the Stream, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers (1983)

Eventually, their own music saw a revival from the mid-’90s onward, bringing in new generations of listeners. It’s also hard not to feel the weight of their story – Barry Gibb now the last surviving brother after the loss of his siblings, with whom he shared decades of music and success.

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The following was abridged from the Wikipedia article below:

Stayin’ Alive was released in December 1977 as the second single from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. It climbed the charts to hit the number one spot on the US Billboard February 1978, remaining there for four consecutive weeks. 

It would become the second of the Bee Gees’ six consecutive number-one singles, tying the record with the Beatles for most consecutive number-ones in the United States at the time. (a record broken by Whitney Houston who achieved seven consecutive number-ones).

It was was placed at No. 99 by Rolling Stone on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Stayin’ Alive is used to train people to provide the correct rate of chest compressions per minute while performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The song has around 103 beats per minute, and 100–120 chest compressions per minute are recommended for CPR.

[Verse 1]
Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk
I’m a woman’s man, no time to talk
The music loud and the women warm
I’ve been kicked around since I was born

[Pre-Chorus]
And now it’s alright, it’s okay
And you may look the other way
But we can try to understand
The New York Times’ effect on man

[Chorus]
Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother
You’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive
Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’
And we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Stayin’ alive
Oh, when you walk

[Verse 2]
Well now, I get low and I get high
And if I can’t get either, I really try
Got the wings of Heaven on my shoes
I’m a dancin’ man and I just can’t lose

[Pre-Chorus]
You know it’s alright, it’s okay
I’ll live to see another day
But we can try to understand
The New York Times’ effect on man

[Chorus]
Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother
You’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive
Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’
And we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Stayin’ alive
(Hey, yeah)

[Bridge]
Life goin’ nowhere
Somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah
Life goin’ nowhere
Somebody help me, yeah
I’m stayin’ alive

[Verse 3]
Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk
I’m a woman’s man, no time to talk
The music loud and the women warm
I’ve been kicked around since I was born

[Pre-Chorus]
And now it’s alright, it’s okay
And you may look the other way
But we can try to understand
The New York Times’ effect on man

[Chorus]
Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother
You’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive
Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’
And we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Stayin’ alive
(Hey, yeah)

[Outro]
Life goin’ nowhere
Somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah
Life goin’ nowhere
Somebody help me, yeah
I’m stayin’ alive

References:
1. Stayin’ Alive – Wikipedia