"You Win Again" is a 1987 song written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb and performed by the Bee Gees. Released as a single in late 1987, it marked the start of the group's comeback, becoming a No. 1 hit in many European countries, including the UK--their first to do so in over eight years, and made them the first group to score a UK No. 1 hit in each of three decades: the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
As songwriters, the Gibb brothers received the 1987 British Academy's Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. In 1988, the band received a Brit Award nomination for Best British Group. In a UK television special on ITV in December 2011, it was voted second (behind "How Deep Is Your Love") in "The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song".
Video You Win Again (Bee Gees song)
Recording
Barry Gibb wrote the melody while brother Maurice conceived the drum sounds (in his garage) that open the track. On "1000 UK #1 Hits" by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, Robin Gibb said "We absolutely thought that 'You Win Again' was going to be a big hit. It took us a month to cut it and get the right mix.
Maurice Gibb explained "You Win Again" in a May 2001 interview with Mojo magazine:
"When we get together and write, it's not like three individuals - it's like one person in the room. Usually, we have a book of titles and we just pick one. I loved 'You Win Again' as a title, but we had no idea how it might turn out as a song. It ended up as a big demo in my garage, and I recorded stomps and things. There was just one drum on there. The rest was just sounds. Then, everybody tried to talk us out of the stomps at the start. They didn't want it. 'Take it off. Too loud! Can we have them not on the intro, just when the music starts?' All this stuff, but as soon as you hear that 'jabba-doomba, jabba-doomba' on the radio, you know it's us. It's a signal. So, that's one little secret - give people an automatic identification of who it is."
Maps You Win Again (Bee Gees song)
Release
"You Win Again" was a No. 1 single in Britain, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Denmark and Norway, as well as making the top 10 in Italy, the Netherlands, Australia and Sweden. It also topped the Eurochart for four weeks. When the song reached No. 1 on 17 October 1987 in the UK, it made the Bee Gees the first group to score a UK No. 1 hit in each of three decades: the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. "You Win Again" entered the UK Singles Chart in September at No. 87, eventually staying at No. 1 for four weeks keeping off George Michael's single "Faith".
It was less successful in the US however, only reaching No. 75 in the Billboard Hot 100, as many American DJs were still reluctant to play any Bee Gees music due to the disco backlash of the early 1980s. They finally overcame that problem in 1989 with the hit single "One".
Formats
As CD singles were not common in the late 1980s, "You Win Again" was released commercially on vinyl and cassette, though a 1-track CD single was produced as a promotional-only copy given to radio stations and reviewers in the US and a 2-track mini CD single was commercially released in Japan. The song also appeared as a bonus track on the American version of One, replacing the song "Wing and a Prayer".
Releases and track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album E.S.P.
- Barry Gibb - vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, additional keyboards
- Robin Gibb - vocals
- Maurice Gibb - vocals, drum programming
- Robbie Kondor - keyboards, synthesizer bass
- Rhett Lawrence - drum programming
Chart performance
See also
- List of European number-one hits of 1987
- List of number-one hits of 1987 (Germany)
- List of number-one singles of 1987 (Ireland)
- List of number-one songs in Norway
- List of number-one singles of the 1980s (Switzerland)
- List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1980s
References
External links
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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