Point to Ponder: Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did – Steve Jobs
Story Line: July 10, 1979, Oakland Coliseum. It was the very first concert in my life; courtesy of my wife who had introduced me to western music since the first time we met. The performers were Bee Gees, three brothers who composed, produced and recorded the songs. In the previous three years they had six consecutive #1 singles on the Hot 100 charts; Saturday Night Fever and Spirits Having Flown being the last two of those six.
They entertained the packed audience with many of their famous songs and also introduced their youngest brother (4th) Andy who also participated and enchanted the audience with his beautiful voice. Not one person in the coliseum that night could have known how an event two days later in Comiskey Park in Chicago will impact Bee Gees and alter the course of their career.
Yesterday while watching the newly released documentary about Bee Gees, I leaned details about that event.
Disco Demolition Night: A Bend in the road….
**In the late 1970s, dance-oriented disco was the most popular music genre in the United States, particularly after being featured in hit films such as Saturday Night Fever (1977). However, disco sparked a major backlash from rock music fans—an opposition prominent enough that the White Sox, seeking to fill seats at Comiskey Park during a lackluster season, engaged Chicago shock jock and anti-disco campaigner Steve Dahl for the promotion at the July 12 doubleheader. Admission was discounted to 98 cents for attendees who turned in a disco record; between games. White Sox officials had hoped for a crowd of 20,000, about 5,000 more than usual. Instead, at least 50,000—including tens of thousands of Dahl's adherents—packed the stadium, and thousands more continued to sneak in after gates were closed. Dahl blew up the collected records.**
Additionally, some conservative groups disliked that Disco fans were pushing for agendas for gender equality, civil rights and gay rights. They vehemently opposed and preached against Disco culture and performers. That resulted in major backlash, many radio stations dropped Bee Gees from their playlists, death threats followed and fallout in their career.
….and taking turn
Music is what Bee Gees loved since childhood. They wrote their own songs. Performing on stage was a vehicle to bring their feelings to the audiences. With the stage career declining, but their love and passion still burning strong, they decided to write songs for other known artists. The songs and albums they created for Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross and other artists became top hits; and Bee Gees stayed true to the theme of their famous song Staying Alive.
Not the end of the road - Comeback.
In 1987, Bee Gees released their first album in six years- E.S.P.-which sold over 3 million copies. That was a resurgence of their career. For the next 16 years, they kept performing until the brother Maurice died unexpectedly due to surgery complication. For six decades they entertained people around the world with their songs.
Reflection: I was introduced to Bee Gees songs in 1978 by my childhood pen-friend then and now my wife. Through the years I have enjoyed their songs. But I did not know much about their life until I saw the recently released HBO documentary The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart.
Bee Gees had many up and downs in their career. What kept them going was their love for music and flexibility to take an appropriate turn. The title of the documentary is very fitting in the sense that the song How Can You Mend A Broken Heart was written at another inflexion point in their career. After phenomenal success throughout 1960s, they had split up in 1969 because of disagreements. But their love for each other was stronger than the differences and they couldn’t stay apart too long. They reunited and created songs that represented their time away: Lonely Days and How Can You Mend A Broken Heart which reached top in the charts in 1971.
Three younger brothers (Andy, Maurice and Robin) have passed away longtime ago . At the end of the movie Barry talks about how much he misses them. He says that he would trade all the hit songs for them to be here now.
Bee Gees singing How can you mend a broken heart after Reunion:
*Quote from Helen Keller
**Source: Wikipedia