BEE GEES - STAYIN’ ALIVE

Publicació: 15 de desembre de 1977

Llistes: Regne Unit: #4 EUA: #1

"Stayin' Alive" és una cançó de la banda sonora de "Saturday Night Fever". Va ser llançada com el segon senzill de l'àlbum doble. Aquest va ser el segon dels quatre èxits número 1 als EUA de la banda sonora de “Saturday Night Fever”, després de "How Deep Is Your Love", que es va editar abans de la pel·lícula, que va arribar als cinemes el 14 de desembre de 1977. "Stayin' Alive" es va publicar un dia abans de la pel·lícula, però molts espectadors ja havien escoltat la cançó als tràilers. En el seu llançament, "Stayin' Alive" va pujar a les llistes per aconseguir el primer lloc del Billboard Hot 100 la setmana del 4 de febrer de 1978, romanent-hi durant quatre setmanes consecutives i es va convertir en una de les cançons més reconeixibles de la pel·lícula. Als Estats Units, es convertiria en el segon dels sis senzills número u consecutius dels Bee Gees, empatant el rècord dels Beatles de números u consecutius al país en aquell moment.

"Stayin' Alive" s’escolta durant els crèdits inicials de la pel·lícula "Saturday Night Fever", mentre John Travolta es pavoneja pels carrers de la ciutat de Nova York. Aquesta escena inicial estableix Tony Manero com una mena d'ideal masculí ètnic blanc de Brooklyn. Les dues hores següents de la pel·lícula intentaran trencar aquesta imatge inicial que projecta. La pel·lícula va representar com cap altra l'era de la música disco i va fer de "Stayin' Alive" una de les cançons més associades a aquest estil. 

Els Bee Gees havien començat a imposar el falset alt a les seves cançons des del seu èxit de 1975 "Jive Talkin'", que també estava a la banda sonora, tot i que van ser molt populars com a grup d'harmonia vocal a finals dels anys 60 i principis dels 70. Les seves contribucions a "Saturday Night Fever" els va reportar un gran èxit, però els va marcar com a cantants de música disco. En una entrevista de 1989 van parlar d'aquest estigma i per què no el mereixien. "No érem disco", va dir Robin Gibb. "La gent que ens emulava eren disco. Tot el que escoltaves a la ràdio era aquell so de bombo sincronitzat que nosaltres no vam tenir mai en els nostres discos!" Els Bee Gees sovint van assenyalar que el ball no s'esmenta mai específicament a "Stayin' Alive", encara que diu que l'home va on hi ha "música alta i dones calentes", està clar que està preparat per ballar i el que calgui. Robin Gibb va dir que la lletra parla molt òbviament d’un “escenari de supervivència", i Barry va dir que estava influenciada per la ciutat de Nova York. "El nivell en aquell moment a finals dels anys 70 a la ciutat era realment això: supervivència".

Demostrant encara més el domini dels Bee Gees en les llistes nord-americanes l'any 1978, "Stayin' Alive" va ser substituïda al número u pel senzill del germà petit del grup, Andy Gibb, "Love is thicker than water", seguida per "Night Fever" dels Bee Gees on s’hi va estar vuit setmanes. Després "If i can't have you" d'Yvonne Elliman li va prendre el lloc. Barry Gibb va escriure les quatre cançons, convertint-se en l'única persona de la història a escriure quatre senzills successius número u als EUA.

"Stayin' Alive" va ser una petita part de la cursa dominant dels Bee Gees el 1978, però ha arribat a ser la peça fonamental del seu repertori marcant el seu llegat. La trajectoria dels Bee Gees va caure enormement després que el boom de la música disco va acabar, i l'omnipresència de "Stayin' Alive" probablement hi va tenir molt a veure. Se’n van ressentir. Havien estat un grup molt abans del disco, i ho serien també després, però aquesta cançó ha quedat com la que els representa i tothom coneix. 

"Stayin' Alive" és la melodia de ball perfecta i atemporal, que fa que els oients se sentin bé. El seu riff d'inici clarament impulsa la gent cap a les pistes de ball i gairebé és impossible no moure's amb el seu ritme captivador. 🎶Ah, ha, ha,ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive! 🎶

STAYIN’ ALIVE

Released: December 15, 1977

Charted:  UK: #4 US: #1

"Stayin' Alive" is a song from the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack. It was released as the second single from the double album. It is one of the Bee Gees signature songs. This was the second of four US #1 hits from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, following "How Deep Is Your Love" which was released ahead of the film, which hit theaters December 14, 1977. "Stayin' Alive" was released one day before the movie, but many theatergoers had already heard the song in trailers for the film. On its release, "Stayin' Alive" climbed the charts to hit the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of 4 February 1978, remaining there for four consecutive weeks. Consequently, it became one of the band's most recognisable tunes. In the United States, it would become the second of six consecutive number one singles, tying the record with The Beatles for most consecutive number ones in the United States at the time.

This plays over the opening credits of the movie “Saturday Night Fever” while John Travolta struts through the streets of New York City. That opening scene establishes Tony Manero as some kind of white ethnic masculine ideal, a peacocking prince of Brooklyn. The next two hours of the movie work overtime to break down that image, to burn it to cinders. The movie has come to represent the disco era, and has made "Stayin' Alive" one of the songs most associated with disco. The Bee Gees had been singing in a high-falsetto style since their 1975 hit "Jive Talkin’" which was also on the soundtrack, but they were very popular as a vocal harmony group in the late '60s and early '70s. Their contributions to “Saturday Night Fever” brought them huge success, but marked them as disco singers. In a 1989 interview they talked about this stigma and why they didn't deserve it. "We were not disco," Robin Gibb said. "People who emulated us were disco. All you heard on the radio was that dooo! dooo! syn-drum sound. We never had a syn-drum on one of our records!" The Bee Gees often pointed out that dancing is never specifically mentioned in "Stayin' Alive," although when this woman's man goes where there's "music loud and women warm," it's clear he's ready to boogie. Robin Gibb said the lyrics "very obviously state the scenario of survival," and Barry said it was influenced by New York City. "The energy level at that point in the late '70s was really that - it was survival," he said. 

Further demonstrating the Bee Gees' US chart domination in 1978, "Stayin' Alive" was replaced at number one with the group's younger brother Andy Gibb's single, "Love is thicker than water", followed by the Bee Gees' "Night Fever" for their longest run, eight weeks. This was then replaced by Yvonne Elliman's "If i can’t have you". Barry Gibb had a hand in writing all four of these songs, becoming the only person in history to write four successive US number-one singles. 

Beatles producer George Martin commented about this song saying: "The great thing about 'Stayin' Alive' is that it had a great guitar hook to start with which set up the theme, that pulsating beat. It's no coincidence, by the way, that the disco beat of 120 beats per minute coincides the heartbeat of your heart when you're excited. This was a key thing which underlined the whole tune, and when the vocals came in, the vocals were so designed that they pushed that beat further".

“Stayin’ Alive” was one small part of the Bee Gees’ dominant 1978 run, but it’s come to tower over the rest of their catalog and to dominate their legacy. The Bee Gees’ career took a tremendous nosedive after the disco boom ended, and the omnipresence of “Stayin’ Alive” probably had a lot to do with that. They resented it. They’d been a group long before disco, and they’d be a group long after, but this song was the one thing that everyone knew about them. “Stayin’ Alive” is the perfect and timeless dance tune, making listeners need to groove. An opening riff that will clearly propel people towards dance-floors, it’s almost possible not to move with the strutting rhythm and exciting horns. 🎶Ah, ha, ha,ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive! 🎶.