I enjoyed this so much I have reposted it. I hope my friend Cindy ( who wrote it) and the Mountain Times do not object. It is longer than most of my stories but takes me back to a simpler time that we all shared together. Follow Cindy's Boomer Column in the Mountain Times they are always a great look back.
Hope you had a great Father's Day to all the dads. Remember Proctor Gas for all of your outdoor grilling needs.
Stayin’ Alive
posted Jun 13, 2012
Seems like just a few weeks ago I wrote a column with this same theme. It was right after the passing of Levon Helm and Dick Clark. We also lost Donna Summer since then. And I was actually writing a column about the beach, but within minutes after the death of Robin Gibb was broadcast, I received a text from my daughter. It simply said, "Robin Gibb died. Write a column. Go." After I laughed out loud, I realized she was right.
Ask any Boomer to name their favorite Bee Gees song and they will ponder the question for just a minute before admitting there is no way to narrow it to one. The ultimate boy band produced a string of hits from thought-provoking love songs to plucky dance numbers . Whether it was a slow ballad or a jolting disco number, they all shared the trade falsetto voices of the brothers Gibb.
Though the brothers had been singing and trying to launch a career from a very early age, it was in the early 70's that their career took flight. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart hit number one in 1971. That song tugged at the heart strings of many a teen-aged girl, including this eleventh grader. I was hooked.
One of my fave Bee Gees songs has always been Fanny (Be Tender With My Love). It is one of the ultimate love songs. Of course, it was also a perfect candidate for mis-sung lyrics like so many songs of our Boomer generation. What did you think some of the lyrics really said? I remember being surprised to learn it was "be tender with my love."
Songs like Holiday, Massachusetts and New York Mining Disaster 1941 were certainly not the typical love ballads we often expected from the Gibb boys. But let's face it, with those voices the subject matter could have been Port-a-Potties and halitosis and it still would have sounded like angels singing. And we would have sung along no matter how bizarre the lyrics.
The first time I heard Jive Talkin', I couldn't believe it was my Bee Gees. I actually got a little ticked off and wondered who they thought they were trying to pull a fast one like this. I admit, it was a wild year of music with genres all over the place. David Bowie was crooning Fame, we were bopping to Captain and Tenille singing Love Will Keep Us Together, Barry Manilow hit the charts with Mandy and Glen Campbell paraded Rhinestone Cowboy. Talk about a mish-mosh. But it still didn't give the Bee Gees the license to leave behind the ballads and step into dance music. Or did it?
The boys were simply prepping me for the big show - a movie and a soundtrack that would change everything. I can remember it like it was yesterday, going to see Saturday Night Fever on the big screen. John Travolta strutting his stuff on the streets of Brooklyn, chowing down on a slice and swinging a paint can. I grew up outside of New York City, so I was very familiar with the likes of Tony Manero, Stephanie, Annette, Double J and the rest of the gang. I was completely drawn in by the characters, the scenery and the plot lines. But it was the Bee Gees music that rounded out the experience.
Stayin' Alive was the perfect beat for John Travolta's bee-bop strut. It was as if his steps were totally in sync with the music. You Should Be Dancin' was the perfect backdrop for Tony's gyrations and floor slides, while Night Fever did the same for the synchronized group dance. But what girl's heart didn't melt when Tony twirled, swirled and swooned Stephanie to More Than a Woman.
Though not a member of the Bee Gees, let's not forget brother Andy. He led a troubled life, but certainly held heart throb status for teen girls worldwide. Of course we all shook our heads at the relationship with Victoria Principal. We simply could not wrap our heads around sweet, young Andy hooked up with Dallas's Pam Ewing, aka the Jhirmack Girl. How dare she rob the cradle when so many of us younger ones were waiting in the wings.
Though Barry is the sole survivor of the Gibb brothers, their songs and legacy will live on for generations. I have heard my daughters singing along with lyrics that were written before they were born. It only takes a few notes to recognize a Bee Gees song, and like so many more of our generation, it quickly invokes a cherished memory. Go ahead, try it. Put on an old Bee Gees and album and see just How Deep is Your Love.
Great Grilling
Mrs.Tom
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