Summary
- The Bee Gees' hit song "How Deep Is Your Love" was originally intended for someone else, not the band themselves.
- The song became a global success in 1977, climbing to the top of charts in countries like the US, France, and Finland.
- "How Deep Is Your Love" earned the Bee Gees a Grammy award, spurred various artist covers, and holds a spot on Rolling Stone's Greatest Songs list.
Who hasn’t heard of the Bee Gees? The music group was started in 1958 by a group of three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb.
The trio went on to create some of the best hits of the late 1960s and early 1970s, including “You Should Be Dancing” and “Stayin’ Alive.” Both of those songs were featured on their 1977 album Saturday Night Fever.
Although the album catapulted the trip to success, it was the song “How Deep Is Your Love” that really put the brothers on the map.
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The Bee Gees Got Their Big Break With "How Deep Is Your Love"
"How Deep Is Your Love" is a famous Bee Gees song… but they wanted it to go to someone else!
It’s hard to imagine what the music scene would have looked like without the classic Bee Gees hit song “How Deep Is Your Love.” The Bee Gees were writing a few songs for the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever, but the band did not actually intend to perform the song themselves.
The group’s manager, Robert Stigwood, who also served as the film’s producer, called the band, who were working in France at the time, and asked them to work on a few new songs for the soundtrack. The Bee Gees wrote “How Deep Is Your Love” intending for Yvonne Elliman to sing it on the album. However, Stigwood insisted that the Bee Gees record the song and release it themselves.
Fortunately, there was no love lost between Yvonne Elliman and the Bee Gees. Elliman sang another Bee Gees song, “If I Can’t Have You,” which also went on to achieve massive commercial success.
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"How Deep Is Your Love" Won The Bee Gees A Grammy
“How Deep Is Your Love” has influenced other artists decades after its release
“How Deep Is Your Love” has been used in many different TV shows, movies, and commercials since its release. In 1996, Take That released a cover of the song after Robbie Williams led the band. In 1993, Luther Vandross released a soulful medley of the hit tune.
In 1995, American quartet Portrait released an R&B cover. Most recently, in 2017, PJ Morton released a funky cover of the tune which ended up winning a Grammy! Fortunately, the Bee Gees also won a Grammy for the hit song.
In 1978, their original version of the song won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance for a Group. “How Deep Is Your Love” also received a Golden Globe nomination, although it didn’t win. The award instead went to “You Light Up My Life” by Joe Brooks.
At the time of the awards ceremony, "How Deep Is Your Love" was still on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and stayed there until the end of the year.
As for the movie, Saturday Night Fever grossed over $94,000 on a budget of $3.5 million. The movie became a pop culture phenomenon due to the star power of John Travolta and his legendary dance moves!
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The Bee Gees Went To The Top Of The Charts In Several Countries
"How Deep Is Your Love" was a smash success around the globe
When “How Deep Is Your Love” was first released in 1977, it rose to the number one spot on the charts in countries like Chile, Finland, and France. In the United States, it placed number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the US Billboard Adult Contemporary station. However, it only peaked at the third spot on the UK Singles chart.
On the all-time US Billboard Hot 100 chart, which records hit songs from 1958 to 2018, “How Deep Is Your Love” sits in the 25th position. The song continues to make waves throughout the years, with the song rising to the 85th position in France in 2012.
In addition, the song has been ranked number 375 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Considering its overwhelming influence on other artists throughout the years, many still wonder if "How Deep Is Your Love" would have had the same success if it had been performed by another artist.
