I like your reactions 🙂This song was written by Bee Gees specifically for Otis Redding, but he tragically died in an accident before he got to record it. Bee Gees decided to record it themselves. It is no wonder you have heard it as it is one of the most covered songs in history. It was covered by Janis Joplin, Nina Simone, Keith Urban, Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, Michael Buble and a bunch others. Remember Barry Gibb wrote 16 Billboard #1 songs. They sounded very different before the disco area and also very different after it. I would like you to react to Bee Gees - Words (Live 1979) or Bee Gees- For Whom The Bell Tolls
The Bee Gees had the same manager as The Beatles. They were really popular in the 1960's. They were in a slump in the 1970's until Barry write Jive Talkin'
This song was released in 1967, well before the disco era. the Bee Gees wrote all their songs, and loads of songs for other artists. They were super talented.
Good comment. We should add the number of other artists who recorded this song: Copied from Wikipedia: 1967: Lulu included on her album Love Loves To Love Lulu. The album reached number 24 on the US charts. 1968: Gary Puckett & The Union Gap covered "To Love Somebody" on their gold-selling album Woman, Woman released in early 1968. 1968: The Sweet Inspirations recorded the song, which reached number 30 on the R&B charts. 1968: Eric Burdon and the Animals covered "To Love Somebody" released on their album Love Is. 1969: James Carr released this song as a single and reached number 44 on the R&B Charts. 1969: Nina Simone covered "To Love Somebody" released on her album To Love Somebody, which reached number five in the UK and became her second British hit single after "Ain't Got No-I Got Life". 1969: Janis Joplin covered "To Love Somebody" on her solo album I Got Dem Ol Kozmic Blues Again Mama!. 1977: Narvel Felts released the song, reaching number 22 on the Hot Country Singles chart. 1988: Bonnie Tyler covered "To Love Somebody" on her solo album Hide Your Heart. 1989: Billy "Crash" Craddock from Back on Track; peaked at number 91 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.[40] 1990: Jimmy Somerville released a version that reached number eight in the United Kingdom, becoming his most recent top-ten entry in the UK.[41] It also charted highly in several other countries, reaching number seven in Ireland[42] and attaining top-five positions in Austria, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.[43] 1992: Alternative band Mule (band) covered song on her single I'm Hell/To Love Somebody.[44] 2002: Eagle Eye Cherry covered this song in an acoustic version for the Original Soundtrack Y Tu Mamá También. 2005: Billy Corgan covered this song on his first solo album TheFutureEmbrace (with Robert Smith from The Cure for the back vocals). 2013: Michael Bublé covered this song for his eighth studio album To Be Loved, the album's fifth single. It reached number 13 in Poland.[45] 2017: Sophia Fletcher from her album Nature of Truth.[46]
@@JoeKnows44 WOW!! I only knew about a couple of these covers (especially the Eric Burdon and The Animals cover, which is great), but 16 covers?! Holy fuck!! That's AMAZING!!
The Gibb Brothers are some of the best songwriters that ever lived. They all had great voices, but when they sang together, there were no better harmonizers.
Barry & Robin Gibbs wrote this song for the Legendary Otis Redding, but unfortunately he passed away, before he got it, so I guess when they did this, it was kind of a tribute to Otis!! Glad you enjoyed it & I always love and look forward to your reactions, it’s refreshing and it brings me back to when I reacted to these songs for the first time. For the record, Janis Joplin did a cover of this as well!! Much love and respect to you from your Brother and a big fan of yours, from the Great White North (Canada) 😎🤘🇨🇦
If you watch the Bee Gees documentary it'll blow your mind to see how many songs they wrote for themselves and other artists. I had no idea and I consider myself to be pretty knowledge on music.
Totally. I wasn't a fan of theirs in the early days, didn't like their stuff, until "Jive Talkin'." But now that I'm older I appreciate the early stuff better. Great documentary, I learned a lot about them, too.
This is the Bee Gees I grew up with. Fun fact: when Saturday Night Fever hit, Barry was asked how it feels to be kings of disco. Disco was a new term and Barry, having never heard the term, replied "what's disco? We wrote an R&B album" If you really listen to their disco songs....they really are R&B songs!
Exactly! I also recall, at one point, Barry was so annoyed with them having being pigeon holed as a Disco group, he said he wanted to put white pants on 'Staying Alive' and burn it😅😅. I wasn't even mad. They've done SO much great music before and after.💙💙💙🖤🖤🖤💚💚💚
Hey Jamal, Jamel I’m a 63-year-old white man I am disabled so the biggest part of my day is scrolling through music old and new. Listening to different podcasts and reactions. Jamel I want to say thank you for bringing back some of my youth. In the classics you can’t beat them there was so much emotion and feeling and most of the songs that were written. So I just want to say thank you, thank you very much for making this old man feel young again
Then you left me is a very underrated bee gees song it’s off the album cucumber castle which was at a time where Robbin Gibb left the group only to rejoin the following year for me that is a very interesting part of The Bee Gees history
The BeeGees always sang their own songs. Disco was such a small part of their music. The Brothers Gibb did much more than one style. You have miles to go with these guys.
Agreed. I just turned 26 a few weeks ago but geowing up my head got turned to groups like the Bee Gees, Marty Robins, Bobby Bare, Temptations, Manhattans and more. Was always searching for all their songs when i got a hold off youtube at 15 and my ma sat me down to look at Soul Train, Old school MTV, and more taking me all the way back to them 30s with music.
They reinvented themselves when they needed to. They were prolific song writers, they wrote all their own songs plus they wrote for many many artist, they were that good!!!!!!!!
Barry Gibb wrote this for Otis Redding. He died before he could record it. They wrote all their own music and a ton of hits for other famous musical artists, Barbra Streisand, a bunch of others. They wrote almost all of the songs for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack without reading the script. Barry discovered by accident that he could sing Falsetto. Barry Gibb is only 2nd to Paul McCartney in writing. He’s 22 here and the twins are 18. Listen to some of their early stuff from the 1960s. They were performing professionally since they were little kids. No stage parents. They loved it. Barry wrote hits for baby brother Andy. There’s a great documentary on The Bee Gees on HBOMAX right now. It’s really worth your time. They were early Blue-eyed Soul. Barry is the eldest and the last living of the four brothers. He has an older sister. Thanks for sharing this. That song is 45 years old. Made it to the top 20 in US. Not sure if it made it to top 10. It’s Barry’s favorite song he wrote.
They are criminally underrated for their pre-disco career--more than a decade worth of hits. Everyone remembers the disco stuff. The Bee Gees stopped touring for a while because, as Barry put it, their disco success had made to Bee Gees "oversaturated".
One of my favorite Bee Gees songs.....I was a high school senior in 1967. "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. (This song is very special to me....I was in love, for the first time, at age 17 in 1967)
I believe the Bee Gees wrote this song for Otis Redding to sing but he died too soon. At the time when the Bee Gees transitioned to Disco, which rejuvenated their career, Barry G. previously had no clue about his falsetto.
Ummm, no-- If you pay attention to the earlier 1963 video, Barry used his falsetto to sing the woman's parts in the "My Dad Is The Dustman" song!! He was well aware of it even at 17!!
@@akashicvizion If you watch the documentary on the Bee Gees you'll hear him discuss how he discovered his falsetto. In the video from 1963 he is simply imitating a woman's voice, not singing in a falsetto as he did during the disco era and later on. There's a difference.
Yes, the recent documentary on The Bee Gees said they were influenced by soul & this was written for Otis Redding but he died in the plane crash & never got a chance to record it.
I kind of preferred the early Bee Gees to their disco era. Lot of great tunes in that earlier pop era. Massachusetts, I Started a Joke, Lonely Days, I’ve Gotta Get a Message To You, World...I could go on and on.
They were never a “Disco Group” these brothers are master song writers in any style, decade, fir them and any artist. After the sixties they started to break up. Barry (Main) and Robin fought for the spotlight a bit but early 70’s they atarted back writing what would be those great dance tunes before disco . They wanted funk, and they got that plus! , There are so much more awesome songs during that time like “Nights on Broadway “
Great concise review. This group should have been much earlier induced into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame since their songwriting and songs played across so many decades.
Yes this is their song, they wrote it. The neet thing about this group is that their music was constantly evolving and changed with the times. That's why they lasted 40 plus years!!
So much talent in one family is a rare thing. They wrote their own songs and mega hits for so many other artists. They stayed relevant through the years as music evolved. The falsetto was supposed to be a one time thing but it was so loved by the fans that Barry kept it in their repertoire.
Please, please blow your mind even further by listening to their 80's and 90's songs. Yet another rebirth for this amazing and versatile band. For Whom the Bell Tolls is a MUST, along with One and Alone. There are others but these are the best. And don't forget Barry just came out with a compilation album where he sings song from The Bee Gees library with mainly country artists called Greenfields, Volume 1. The Bee Gees and Barry especially have released albums in SEVEN different decades, beginning with the 60's! Think about that....amazing band and the Greatest Of All Time!!!
"Words" is certainly worth a listen. It was my favorite song back when it was released. Also: Holiday; New York Mining Disaster, 1943; Massachusetts; Got to Get a Message to You. All well worth your 'reaction time'. Then you will know the BeeGees as we knew them, when they first came to the world's attention.
A song from my childhood! I love their early music!! They were phenomenal!! Barry Gibb is the only one left now but he is still performing and writing.
This song... 💛💙💗 Bee Gees are one of the absolute best groups. Their harmonies were like no other and I always say we grew up in the greatest times when it came to music.Thank you Jamel for this video!!
Really? That's funny, because I've always thought of this as the greatest Otis Redding song that he never recorded. I didn't know it was actually written for him. That makes so much sense!
This knocked me on the floor! My mom was a music performer in the late 60s 70s she auditioned for many. Osmonds, Beach Boys. She knew Merrill Osmond. These songs brighten the memories flowing she gone 5yrs.this yr! This was one of her fav! I can hear her! Love your stuff!!Thank you 😊 you 😭😭
This was written for Otis Redding by the Bee Gees, but Otis died in a plane crash, so the Bee Gees recorded this themselves. Such a beautiful, timeless song.
One of my favourite Bee Gees songs was also one of their first; 'New York Mining Disaster 1941'. Being a young 14 year old in a rural part of England the title and subject matter always fascinated me. It was a long time before I found out the true inspiration for the song.
Barry wrote it for Otis Redding after seeing him perform. Unfortunately, Otis Redding never had a chance to record it. Would have loved to hear him sing it.
Yessir. It’s their song. Nina Simone did a nice cover as well. How can you a broken heart is theirs too. But the good reverend Al made it all his own didn’t he?
All the songs they sing are theirs. This group was a phenomenal talent in every regard from writing, arrangement, producing to recording. The 60’s to 70’s were their best imo.
This is what they became famous. In the 70s when this style faded, they moved to Miami to work with new producer. He kept telling them a new era in music was coming. Then they were approached to do the movie. They actually wrote all the songs before they saw the movie.
You ought to listen to Al Greene's cover of their hit, "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart". And yes, that was a Bee Gees original song, written and sung by the Bee Gees.
Hey, Jamel, when did that little high notes thing, I immediately sang the words "I just wanna be your everything" by Andy Gibb, written by his Bee Gees brothers. You hit that melody without even knowing it. 😊
Amazing catalog of classic RnB, Disco, Blues and Funk. They don’t get the credit they deserve. They were huge a decade before disco. Thank you brother for keeping it alive, love your show and your spirit.
Run to me was the first of their songs that I went out and bought and I still think that it's one of their best. I wasn't crazy about the change over to disco, SNF specifically but later on, I feel like they found a happy balance between their previous styles, on songs like Too much heaven, For whom the bell tolls etc, .
I have a playlist of about 40 beegee songs and I never notice a change in their sound much. Mostly cause their vocals are the consistent factor in all their music. Its incredibly distinct. They were always soulful & thats what shines through whichever era you focus on. The songs were always strong.
This song is theirs thru and thru. They were very versatile and prolific songwriters, especially Barry, who wrote hundreds of hit songs for other artists throughout the 70s and beyond.
Jamel, They wrote this for Otis Redding, their favorite singer at that time but 3 months later he died and never got to record it. That would have been awesome but they recorded it and it became a classic. It has been covered over 200 times! You need to react to to 2 more versions:1) Keith Urban's rendition performed at the Music Hall of Fame's honor night to the BeeGee's. You will be blown away with his rendition. then 2) catch Janis Joplins rendition that she performed on the Dick Cavett show. You will be blown away. Thanks!
This is what I grew up with... been listening to them for 50 years and each decade their music evolved... love love love them, my favs! You need to react to more of their 60's hits!
Not only did they write most of their own material but they also wrote songs for a wide variety of other artists. So gifted, these three, as was poor Andy, the baby of the family, who died so young. Jamel, I don't think you've listened to anything by Andy Gibb yet. He had his own solo career though he occasionally sang with his big brothers. Try "I just want to be your everything" or "Shadow dancing." Andy looks exactly like the young Barry and sounds like him too. Barry was quoted as saying, "Andy is my 12-years younger twin."
If you hear the Bee Gees perform a song, they wrote it. And the reason you know this song is because it's a modern standard; a classic that everyone's heard.
There is a whole catalog of Bee Gees songs in their pre-Disco career. Others include "Got To Get a Message To You", "Massachusettes", "Words", "First of May", and I could go on and on.
This is a BeeGees original & it has been covered by a couple hundred performers!❤ Yes Janis Joplin , Michael Bolton, and others covered this! Great reaction!
They sang in 60s 70s 80s 90s and 2000 they changed each decade to suit current trends they were and will always be the most versatile trio in the world...they always sung their own original songs and wrote for many many stars
