Recorded - January 28, 1971
Released - June 1971 (UK and US)
#1 for weeks of August 7, 14, 21 and 28, 1971.
"The Bee Gees", a name that strikes terror into the ears of disco haters everywhere. The minute you mention their name to a casual music fan, they instantly picture leisure suits, disco lights, and abnormally high falsetto voices. For years, I thought this exact way too. Then one day, I casually stumbled upon their 1967 single "New York Mining Disaster 1941". Lo and behold, there wasn't a single falsetto voice or disco drum beat anywhere in sight. This was classy and catchy Beatle-esque pop rock. That song was the catalyst that led to me changing my opinion about the Brothers Gibb entirely.
The Bee Gees started their music career in Australia when they were all still pre-teens. Their very first single release from early 1963 featured two songs entirely written by a then-sixteen year old Barry Gibb. Over the years, the Bee Gees added more of a rock element to their music, and just as they jumped on a boat back to England, they also jumped right onto the psychedelic bandwagon. Their third album, confusingly titled Bee Gees 1st, is a psychedelic/baroque masterpiece. Give it a full listen and you'll be surprised that this was the same band that went full disco just 8 years later.
For the rest of the 1960's, The Bee Gees continued to release album after album, many of which are quite underrated. However, in 1969, Robin Gibb had a falling out with his brothers and by 1970, the Bee Gees essentially broke up. Later on in the year, the three made amends and wrote several new songs celebrating this reconciliation. One of these, "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart", was recorded for their 1971 album Trafalgar. It wound up being the brothers' first of many US #1 pop hits.
On the surface, the lyrics of "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" deal with a man asking a woman to help cure his heartbreak. Dig deeper and the lyrics are revealed to be about the arguments and fights that the brothers had amongst each other during the previous two years. I find I appreciate the song even more with this back story in mind.
Musically, we have Barry on guitar and multi-instrumentalist Maurice on guitar, bass and keyboards. As is the case with many of the Bee Gees' earlier ballads, there is a full bodied string section. Unlike several other soft-pop songs, these strings act as a natural enhancement to the song's emotionally driven vocals.
Yes, it was vocals that the Bee Gees are most noted for, even back in the pre-falsetto days. Barry, Robin and Maurice had quite distinctive voices, and the former two brothers sing lead vocals on the record. Maurice joins the duo on harmonies for the song's powerful choruses. Overall, the Bee Gees created quite a rich sound when singing in harmony, using their natural singing voices.
One year after "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" became a US hit, the brothers moved to the U.S. permanently. They would spend the next two and a half years trying to find a new sound. Nobody, not even perhaps the brothers themselves, could have predicted what their sound would morph into starting in 1975...
Final Verdict - "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" is a rather emotionally resonant soft pop song. It has powerful lyrics and vocals, all set to a rich music track. This song remains one of the many examples that The Bee Gees were more than just "Those disco guys". If you've never heard this song before, give it a listen yourself and prepare to be shocked.
Coming Up Next - "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" by Paul & Linda McCartney.
Until Next Time, I'm Dr. Rock and I'm going back to Maaa-ssachusetts, to mend a broken heart -
"Bee Gees: In Our Own Time" is a great documentary about the Bee Gees that made me appreciate them a lot more.
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