Knit to This
The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
Dear Ann,
I watched the Bee Gees HBO documentary last weekend, not out of particular interest but because I kept seeing tweets about how good it is. The fact is, I have never been a Bee Gees fan. Yes, I can sing every word of every song going back to “Massachusetts,” but if you grew up in an English-speaking country in the ’60s and ’70s, how could you not? The Bee Gees on the radio was like oxygen in the air, everybody was drinking it in.
I loved this film. It’s a story of 3 (and later 4) brothers, who had that siblings-singing-harmony alchemy down from an early age. The storytelling style is what I loved. It’s admiring but honest, and honest but not voyeuristic. There is no mythmaking or melodrama. The brothers’ towering achievement as songwriters—the bit I never truly appreciated—is slowly revealed, and shines even brighter for the understated telling.
There is clarity about the debt the band owed to Black and gay artists, throughout their career and particularly in their disco years. It was new learning for me that the “disco sucks” backlash, which I barely noticed at the time, was racist and homophobic at the core.
I was most impressed by the part I never knew anything about: what they did after their staggering second act came crashing down. The last line of the film, from an interview of the sole surviving Gibb brother, Barry, had me in tears.
Really good. Also: my God, the clothes they/we wore! The hairdos inflated without irony, the shirts unbuttoned without mercy! And the music. I’m kind of fond of it now.
Love,
Kay
I was a fan, but also did not really know the history of the group or the breadth of their songwriting. It’s hard to imagine being the oldest of four brothers and being the only one still alive. He seems profoundly sad.
I am not a fan either, but like you their songs are woven into my young memories. I’m adding this to my to watch list now.
Well I was a fan and watched this documentary a few weeks ago. Its a great tribute to the group and the music and the place and time. Highly recommended. Even if you’re not a fan, Ill bet you will be eventually tapping your toes.
Was & still am an unapologetic fan of their music, but never realized that they were such accomplished songwriters. So much talent.
I watched as well. As a child in the 60s — 70s, I really liked their early music. In fact, “Idea” was the first LP I ever bought. This documentary brought back such strong memories. I was in tears at the end as well.
I’m already crying just thinking about watching it. Ugh! I loved the BeeGees. In 1978 you could not turn a radio station in NYC without something from Saturday Night Fever playing at any given time. And of course we all know all the ‘60’s hits. Imprinted in my DNA. And Babs and Barry! Better go watch (cue the Kleenex).
Always a great fan of The Bee Gees. Haven’t watched the documentary all the way through. Must do.
I was in college during the BeeGees’ disco phase, which I hated. Somehow I had missed most of their earlier music. Thanks to the documentary, I now know how much I love their pre-falsetto earlier work, and I’ve been listening on Spotify. We watched the documentary on a whim, but it turned out to be very well done, and I learned a lot. Highly recommend!
Oh how I love their music. The documentary is so well done.
Also, I trust none of the MDK team was physically affected by the Christmas Day event on Broadway. It saddens me to think of my town being traumatized so brutally. I know one thing for sure, Tennesseans will not lose their strength and sensibility. Hugs to all of you in Nashville.
Thank you, Mary Ann–all are safe here, stunned at what happened.
What happened? I googled & can’t find anything online about it. I did read about the terrible incident in Nashville.
Yes KarenP, the Christmas Morning bomb.
I am A fan and this makes me wish I had HBO! I still have their Saturday Night Fever album . The music was so much better than the movie! I love all good music, don’t put me in A box! Lol!
Like you not a big fan but know all the lyrics. Watched last night and it is great. The amazing ups and downs that their path took.
“When I was small and Christmas trees were small”. My favorite BG song.
I always have been a fan of the BeeGees. This documentary was so well done and evoked such feelings in me. How sad that we lost 3 of the brothers so young. Highly recommend this watch!!
Thanks for recommending this…I didn’t know it existed. I LOVED the Bee Gees growing up, and this is a really great documentary about their career. The music is taking me back and making me so happy!!!!
This was such a great documentary, and there were so many songs that I knew that I didn’t realize were Bee Gees songs! (Pre-disco *and* post disco.) Definitely worth a watch.
Fabulous documentary. I was a huge fan as a kid and loved their album Main Course, but then became so disappointed after they veered off into disco. Still, great to hear all the old songs again.
Loved The Bee Gees pre disco music and thought I knew a lot about them til I watched this. Extremely well done for all the redo s you mentioned. Fun going back in time and remembering where I was when I listened to their songs. Must admit I had no idea about the disco back lash and the real reasons for it. Learn something new everyday from you guys. Usually about knitting though
I will forever associate them with a brief fling that I had such a very long time ago. My friends were appalled that I had purchased their album. Such a long time ago…
I loved the documentary and now I can’t get their music out of my head. Trying to sleep with “staying alive ….” coursing through my brain and my heart.
You’re the second person who has recommended this, so now I’m trying to figure out a way to watch it without subscribing to HBO. I was not a huge fan of their disco music (or any disco music) at the time — I was more Eagles and Linda Ronstadt — but nevertheless, their music brings back memories, because it was everywhere. Even then, when I think I only knew one gay man who was out, I recognized the “disco sucks” backlash as homophobic, but I didn’t think about it being racist, even though it was the Black girls on my dorm floor that taught us how to do the Hustle and the Bus Stop….
We watched this documentary last night and it was very good. We really enjoyed it (and we also discovered we have access to HBO MAX). Thanks very much for suggesting it.
Love the BeeGees. Thanks for this post; I will look for this documentary. They were genius song writers as well as performers, always sensitive to the times and evolving. I think Barry is a sad figure without his brothers. I feel for him. We are all on a journey, a path, but it is quite startling to look at myself at “step one” on this path and see myself now. So much has happened in the middle…So much to appreciate and ponder…
Loved it and thank you for the recommendation. The 2 things I found most fascinating/ inspiring were: how, being brothers, their amazing creativity and versatility sprang from a sort of “hive mind” or shared consciousness; and how often and successfully they reinvented themselves and their art. The second gives me great hope for being able to rebound from knitting and other setbacks!
I’ve already watched the documentary twice. I loved their music–all of it–as one can barely stay seated when the music starts. It just lifts me up, which is great as I’m now 78! My daughter and I were talking about the show and both of us were struck by the genius of their song writing. Going to record with no songs ready when you walk into the recording studio is jaw dropping. And before the sessions were done, another fantastic album was ready. They also were able to shift gears many times to adapt to changes in style or appreciation. Crafting songs for major artists rather than for themselves kept them ‘stayin’ alive’ for a very long time. Barry at the end of the show was heart breaking. What a fantastic film.