Nights On Broadway

Q: You can only keep one Bee Gees song. Which one is it?

A: There’s a lot of great ones. Maybe "Nights on Broadway." That has one of the greatest bridges. I’m not really a fan of bridges but I love that one. I don’t like when a song goes from one mood to another unless it’s going to be out of sight. That bridge is incredible.

from: Spoon's Britt Daniel talks about the Bee Gees' influence on his music By ANDREW DANSBY Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle / April 15, 2009, 3:11PM http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/6374653.html

Was one of thier finest moments. Showed their talent and potential. I wish they had done more of this style. I was not a fan at the time. Disco vs. Rock and all, but have really come to appriciate them as I grow older.

I love and can deeply relate to the concept of that special girl who everyone wants. Now she resists you and doesn't understand that you're the only one who could seriously spend the rest of your life with her (not to mention how you're better man than those other idiots). You're willing to wait forever because what's the point in settling for anything less than the holy grail when you know where it's at?

To me its about a man who is infatuated by a performer and turns up to watch her despite her not wanting a relationship with him. They either had a relationship that ended unilaterally (or she never let it start). He cannot break it off in his heart so watches her performances out of sight. He blames Broadway and her fame keeping them apart.

I'M BARRY EFFIN GIBB!!!!!!!! YOU DO NOT TALK TO ME THAT WAY!!!!!!! Sorry, first post, I couldn't resist

Am I the only person who realizes that this song is about stalking?

'Standing in the dark where your eyes couldn't see me'. Though I had to follow you, though you didn't want me to'.

To me, this song offers a sad, powerful nostalgia as the Bee Gee's singlemost representative effort. It's a bit overwhelming to me to hear the captive harmony these many years later.

Perhaps the Bee Gees wrote this song out of some experience they had in life. Maybe they are writing from the perspective of a former lover they rejected when they became famous.

Here we are In a room full of strangers Standing in the dark Where your eyes couldn't see me

The rejected lover comes to Broadway, to see the celebrity they once had a relationship with. They're standing in the dark, in a room full of strangers, as one would be at such an event.

Well, I had to follow you Though you did not want me to But that won't stop my lovin' you I can't stay away

Although they know they're no longer wanted, the rejected lover still follows the celebrity around to shows, just to see them.

Now in my place There are so many others Standin' in the line How long will they stand between us

The rejected lover now has to stand in line with many other people to see the celebrity. They want to know how long the fame of the celebrity (Bee Gee?) will stand between them.

Blamin' it all on the nights on Broadway Singin' them love songs Singin' them straight to the heart songs

The rejected person blames the misfortunes of the relationship on the other person becoming famous by singing love songs.

I will wait Even if it takes forever I will wait Even if it takes a lifetime Somehow I feel inside You never ever left my side Make it like it was before Even if it takes a lifetime, takes a lifetime, ooh

The rejected person longs to get back into a relationship with the celebrity, and will wait a lifetime if necessary.

Song Review by Donald A. Guarisco -- AMG http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:wpfwxzt5ldje

This Bee Gees hit represented an interesting fusion of the new and the old for the group: its dance-friendly rhythms updated their sound to fit the disco-conscious 1970s pop mainstream but deep down it was the kind of dramatic pop tune that they had always found success with. The lyrical theme of unrequited love was something the group had long explored on notable songs like "First of May" and "I Can't See Nobody," but it had a directness that those songs never had: instead of pining away for his love, the song's narrator actively quietly pursues her as he blames it all "on the nights on Broadway/singing them love songs/singin' them straight to the heart songs." The music also pushes the envelope for the group by replacing the string-laden grandeur of songs like "Run to Me" with a streamlined melody whose taut rhythmic swing mirrors the urgency of the lyrics. The Bee Gees' recording draws the song's rhythmic quality further out by allowing a funky rhythm section built on a synth-layered bass line to dominate the verses before adding washes of ethereal synthesizer to sweeten the chorus. Barry Gibb gives a strong, dramatic lead vocal (with Robin Gibb adding layers on every other stanza) and is matched in intensity by the group on the chorus, where they trot out their soon-to-be-infamous falsetto vocal harmonies for the first time. All these elements added up to a moody but catchy tune that consolidated the success of the prior hit "Jive Talkin'" and paved the way for future, more overtly disco-styled hits like "You Should Be Dancing" and "Stayin' Alive."

Composed By Barry Gibb/Maurice Gibb/Robin Gibb

Call me old-fashioned, but I have always thought this song was written by a married man whose wife had left him for high life. Here's why:

"Here WE are in a room full of STRANGERS." -- They are a couple whose intimacy excludes all others.

He was so busy as a musician singing love songs on Broadway that he neglected his relationship with her.

"Now in MY place..." He used to be the only one, the husband. Now, she's sleeping with anybody and everybody.

"Even if it takes a lifetime..." -- Denotes marriage vows for life.

"Somehow I feel inside you never, ever left my side. Make it like it was before." -- Being by his side sounds like marriage, and he is calling her back to their marriage relationship as husband and wife.

Just thinking.