How Deep Is Your Love

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For the Dru Hill song, see How Deep Is Your Love (Dru Hill song). For the Sean Paul song, see How Deep Is Your Love (Sean Paul song).
"How Deep Is Your Love"
Single by Bee Gees
from the album Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track
B-side "Can't Keep a Good Man Down (live)"
Released September 1977
Format Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM)
Recorded Château d'Hérouville,
Hérouville, 1977
Genre R&B, pop, soft rock
Length 4:06
3:36 (7" version)
Label RSO
Writer(s) Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb
Producer Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten, Karl Richardson
Bee Gees singles chronology
"Edge of the Universe"
(1977)		 "How Deep Is Your Love"
(1977)		 "Stayin' Alive"
(1977)


Music sample
"How Deep Is Your Love"
Saturday Night Fever track listing
Side A
  1. "Stayin' Alive" (Bee Gees)
  2. "How Deep Is Your Love" (Bee Gees)
  3. "Night Fever" (Bee Gees)
  4. "More Than a Woman" (Bee Gees)
  5. "If I Can't Have You" (Yvonne Elliman)
Side B
  1. "A Fifth of Beethoven" (Walter Murphy)
  2. "More Than a Woman" (Tavares
  3. "Manhattan Skyline" (David Shire)
  4. "Calypso Breakdown" (Ralph MacDonald)
Side C
  1. "Night on Disco Mountain" (David Shire)
  2. "Open Sesame" (Kool & the Gang)
  3. "Jive Talkin'" (Bee Gees)
  4. "You Should Be Dancing" (Bee Gees)
  5. "Boogie Shoes" (KC and the Sunshine Band)
Side D
  1. "Salsation" (David Shire)
  2. "K-Jee" (MFSB)
  3. "Disco Inferno" (The Trammps)

"How Deep Is Your Love" is a pop song written and recorded by the Bee Gees in 1977 and released as a single in September. Originally intended for Yvonne Elliman, it was ultimately used as part of the soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever. It was a number three hit in the United Kingdom and Australia. In the United States, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 on 24 December 1977 (becoming the first of six consecutive US number-one hits) and stayed in the Top 10 for a then-record 17 weeks. The single spent six weeks atop the US adult contemporary chart. It is listed at number 20 on Billboard's All Time Top 100.[1] Alongside "Stayin' Alive", it is one of the group's two tracks on the list. The song was covered by Take That for their 1996 Greatest Hits album, reaching number-one on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks.

The song was ranked number 366 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In a British TV special shown in December 2011, it was voted "The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song" by ITV viewers.[2]

Contents

Background [edit]

Following mixing for Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live, they began recording songs for what was to be the follow-up studio album to 1976's Children of the World. Then the call came from Robert Stigwood requesting songs for a movie he was producing. The Bee Gees obliged and gave him five songs, one of which was "How Deep Is Your Love".

Recording [edit]

By the time Children of the World was recorded, it was pretty much established that Barry was now the primary vocalist of the group, mostly being falsetto leads with the occasional natural breathy voice. Even most of the backing vocals were done by Barry, such that Robin and Maurice are barely heard in the mix, even though they are there. Despite this, Robin sings the melody for the chorus and audibly sings various ad libs during this song. Recordings for all of the tracks for Saturday Night Fever, including "How Deep Is Your Love", were done in the Spring of 1977. Barry worked out the melody with keyboard player Blue Weaver, though he is not credited officially as a songwriter here. A demo was made at Le Château d'Hérouville in France, with the additional recording done at Criteria Studios when they got back to Miami.[3]

Music video [edit]

Two music videos were made for this song. In one, the brothers are singing while an image of a woman shows throughout the video. Barry Gibb had his beard shaven off in this video, as in the "Night Fever" video.[4] A second video was later made in which the brothers sing while passing by a stream of rainbow lights. In this video Barry Gibb is bearded.[5]

Awards [edit]

The song won Best Pop Performance by a Group at the 20th Grammy Awards which were held on 23 February 1978. The song also received a nomination for Best Original Song at the 35th Golden Globe awards held on 28 January 1978. The award went to "You Light Up My Life" by Kasey Cisyk. At the time of both award ceremonies, the song was still in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Lawsuit [edit]

Main article: Selle v. Gibb

In 1983, the Bee Gees were sued by a Chicago songwriter, Ronald Selle, who claimed that the Gibb brothers stole melodic material from one of his songs, "Let It End", and used it in "How Deep Is Your Love". At trial, the jury returned a finding for Selle. The Bee Gees attorney immediately asked for judgment notwithstanding the verdict. The basis for the motion was that Selle had failed to show, as was required by the law, that the Bee Gees had prior access to his song. Even Selle had admitted that he'd sent out his demo tape to only a few recording companies, none of whom did business with the Bee Gees. Selle also admitted that there were some similarities between his song and several Bee Gee compositions that predated his song by several years, as well as similarities with the John Lennon/Paul McCartney song, From Me to You. The judge ruled in favor of the Bee Gees. Selle appealed the ruling, but it was upheld by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals which agreed that Selle had not proven his case.[6][7][8]

Covers [edit]

"How Deep Is Your Love" is one of the most covered songs in the Gibb catalog performed by such artists as:

Charts and certifications [edit]

Charts [edit]

Chart Peak position
Australia 3
Austria 13
Belgium 6
Brazil 1
Canada 1
Chile 1
Finland 1
France 1
Germany 21
Ireland 2
New Zealand 6
Norway 5
South Africa 2
Spain 7
Sweden 4
United Kingdom 3
United States 1
Netherlands 15

Sales and certifications [edit]

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[9] Gold 75,000^
France (SNEP)[10] Gold 846,000[11]
United Kingdom (BPI)[12] Gold 500,000^
United States (RIAA)[13] Gold 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Take That version [edit]

"How Deep Is Your Love"
Single by Take That
from the album Take That: Greatest Hits
Released 26 February 1996
Format Cassette, CD Single
Recorded 1995
Genre Pop
Length 3:40
Label Polydor
Writer(s) Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb
Certification Platinum
Take That singles chronology
"Never Forget"
(1995)		 "How Deep Is Your Love"
(1996)		 "Patience"
(2006)
Alternative covers
UK CD2

Take That's version was released as a single from their Greatest Hits compilation in 1996. The single went on to become what was to be the band's final UK number one until their 2006 comeback single "Patience" a decade later. The song stayed at number one in the UK charts for three weeks. The single sold 671,000 copies and has received a Platinum sales status certification in the UK. The song also topped the charts in Denmark, Ireland, Italy and Spain.

Music video [edit]

The music video saw the four members of the band tied to chairs and in a basement. A blonde woman with smeared mascara (actress and model Paula Hamilton) walks into the basement and circles the four members individually pulling their hair. She then puts them all into her van and drives down the motorway. She stops by a reservoir and has the four members placed on the edge, she points at each member before grabbing Gary's rope and pushes him back still holding on. Her fingers slip through the rope and he falls backwards, the others look shocked as she does. She then smirks.

Track listing [edit]

UK Cassette Single (74321 35591 5)
  1. "How Deep Is Your Love" - 3:41
  2. "Never Forget" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 7:38
UK CD Single #1 (74321 35559 2)
  1. "How Deep Is Your Love" - 3:41
  2. "Every Guy" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 5:36
  3. "Lady Tonight" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 4:13
  4. "Sunday To Saturday" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 3:48
UK CD Single #2 (74321 35560 2)
  1. "How Deep Is Your Love" - 3:41
  2. "Back For Good" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 7:06
  3. "Babe" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 6:10
  4. "Never Forget" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 7:38
EU CD Single #1 (74321 35243 2)
  1. "How Deep Is Your Love" - 3:41
  2. "Back For Good" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 7:06
EU CD Single #2 (74321 35244 2)
  1. "How Deep Is Your Love" - 3:41
  2. "Back For Good" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 7:06
  3. "Every Guy" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 5:36
Japanese CD Single (BVCP-2406)
  1. "How Deep Is Your Love" - 3:41
  2. "Every Guy" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 5:36
  3. "Babe" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 6:10
  4. "Back For Good" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 7:06
UK 7" Vinyl - Jukebox Release Only (74321 35632 2)
  1. "How Deep Is Your Love" - 3:41
  2. "Never Forget" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 7:38

Chart performance [edit]

Chart (1996) Peak
Position
Australia (ARIA Charts)[14] 12
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)[14] 7
Belgium (Ultratop 50) (Flanders)[14] 5
Belgium (Ultratop 50) (Walonia)[14] 4
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 80
Chile (IFPI)[16] 4
Denmark (Tracklisten)[14] 1
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[17] 3
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[18] 2
Germany (Media Control AG)[19] 7
Ireland (IRMA)[20] 1
Italy (FIMI)[21] 1
Japan (Oricon)[22] 3
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[14] 7
Norway (VG-lista)[14] 6
Poland (Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry)[23] 32
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[24] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 7
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] 5
UK Singles (Official Chart Company)[25] 1
End of year chart (1996) Position
Australian Singles Chart[26] 100
Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart 44
Belgian (Walonia) Singles Chart 35
Dutch Singles Chart[27] 51
Italian Singles Chart[28] 23
Swiss Singles Chart 30
UK Singles Chart (1996 Year-End) 12

Certifications [edit]

Region Certification Sales/shipments
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] Platinum 600,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone
Preceded by
"You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone		 Billboard Easy Listening number-one single (Bee Gees version)
26 November 1977 (6 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel
Preceded by
"You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone		 Billboard Hot 100 number-one single (Bee Gees version)
24 December 1977 – 7 January 1978		 Succeeded by
"Baby Come Back" by Player
Preceded by
"Spaceman" by Babylon Zoo		 Danish Number-one hits of 1996 (Take That version)
16 March 1996 – 6 April 1996 (3 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"One of Us" by Joan Osborne
Preceded by
"Don't Look Back in Anger" by Oasis		 Irish IRMA number one single (Take That version)
24 February 1996 – 16 March 1996 (3 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"Aon Focal Eile" by Richie Kavanagh
Preceded by
"Children" by Robert Miles		 Italian Singles Chart Number 1 Singles in Italy (Take That version)
23 March 1996 – 30 March 1996 (1 week)		 Succeeded by
"La terra dei cachi" by "Elio e le Storie Tese & Orchestra Spettacolo Casadei"
Preceded by
"Jesus to a Child" by "George Michael"		 Spanish Singles Chart (Take That version)
25 March 1996 – 1 April 1996 (1 week)		 Succeeded by
"Jesus to a Child" by "George Michael"
Preceded by
"Don't Look Back in Anger" by Oasis		 UK Singles Chart number-one single (Take That version)
3 March 1996 – 24 March 1996 (3 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"Firestarter" by Prodigy

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Billboard's All Time Top 100". www.billboard.com. 
  2. ^ "ITV". ITV. Retrieved 2013-03-07. 
  3. ^ "Gibb Songs: 1977". Columbia.edu. 1976-12-20. Retrieved 2013-03-07. 
  4. ^ Log in om een reactie te plaatsen. "1977 Bee Gees - How deep is your love (Alternate Version)". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-03-07. 
  5. ^ Log in om een reactie te plaatsen. "Bee Gees - How Deep Is Your Love (Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-03-07. 
  6. ^ "741 F.2d 896: Ronald H. Selle, Plaintiff-appellant, v. Barry Gibb, et al., Defendants-appellants,andronald H. Selle, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Barry Gibb, et al., Defendants-appellants :: US Court of Appeals Cases :: Justia". Law.justia.com. Retrieved 2013-03-07. 
  7. ^ "Selle v. Gibb and the forensic analysis of plagiarism". M. Fletcher Reynolds. 
  8. ^ CUDAHY. "SELLE v. GIBB, 741 F.2d 896 (7th Cir. 1984) (LOISLAW)". Law.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2013-03-07. 
  9. ^ "Canadian certifications – Bee Gees – How Deep Is Your Love". Music Canada. Retrieved 29 March 2012. 
  10. ^ "French certifications – Bee Gees – How Deep Is Your Love" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 29 March 2012.  Select BEE GEES and click OK
  11. ^ "Les Singles en Or :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 29 March 2012. 
  12. ^ "British certifications – Bee Gees – How Deep Is Your Love". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 March 2012.  Enter How Deep Is Your Love in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Click Go
  13. ^ "American certifications – Bee Gees – How Deep Is Your Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 29 March 2012. 
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i Steffen Hung. "Hung Medien". Swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2013-03-07. 
  15. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 26 November 2011. 
  16. ^ "LAS DIEZ QUE MÁS SUENAN EN AMÉRICA - Archivo - Archivo Digital de Noticias de Colombia y el Mundo desde 1.990". eltiempo.com. Retrieved 2013-03-07. 
  17. ^ "Hits of the World - Eurochart Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 6 April 1996. p. 79. Retrieved 21 July 2012. 
  18. ^ source: Pennanen, Timo: Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava, 2006. ISBN 9789511210535. page: 280
  19. ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche". musicline.de. Retrieved 26 November 2011. 
  20. ^ "Chart Track". Irish Singles Chart. GfK. Retrieved 17 June 2011. 
  21. ^ "Italian Single Chart". Hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2013-03-07. 
  22. ^ Oricon Singles Chart Oricon Singles Chart (Retrieved 2 November 2012)
  23. ^ "Take That - BACK FOR GOOD - Lista Przebojów Trójki - Polskie Radio Online". Lp3.polskieradio.pl. 1995-05-19. Retrieved 2013-03-07. 
  24. ^ Davidalic (27 February 2004). "LISTAS DE AFYVE: 1996 Singles (1ª parte)". Afyvecharts.blogspot.com. Retrieved 26 November 2011. 
  25. ^ "UK Chart Stats". Chartstats.com. 1996-06-15. Retrieved 2013-03-07. 
  26. ^ Posted by Grant (2011-05-18). "Top 100 Singles: ARIA Top Singles of 1996". Top100singles.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-03-07. 
  27. ^ 1996 Dutch Singles Chart http://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1996&cat=s (Retrieved 1 September 2008)
  28. ^ "Italian Single Chart". Hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2013-03-07. 
  29. ^ "British certifications – Take That – How Deep Is Your Love". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 March 2012.  Enter How Deep Is Your Love in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Click Go

External links [edit]
Side one
Side two
Side three
Side four
Bee Gees
Studio albums
Extended plays
  • The Bee Gees
  • New York Mining Disaster 1941
  • Words
  • I Started a Joke
  • Jumbo
  • Rare, Precious and Beautiful
  • Bee Gees' Biggest
  • I Started a Joke (1968 EP)
  • First of May
  • Don't Forget to Remember
  • Lamplight
  • Melody Fair
  • You Should Be Dancing
  • Tragedy
  • Forever
Soundtracks
Live albums
Compilation albums
Gibb Productions
Videography
Tours
Related
Articles
Bands
People
Take That
Studio albums
Other albums
Compilation albums
Singles
Tours
Television
Related articles
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