Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track

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Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track
Soundtrack album by Bee Gees & Various Artists
Released November 15, 1977 (1977-11-15)
Recorded 1975–1977
Genre Disco
Length 1:15:54
Label RSO
Polydor
Reprise
Producer Bill Oakes (Music Supervisor)
Bee Gees chronology
Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live
(1977)		 Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track
(1977)		 Spirits Having Flown
(1978)
Singles from Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track
  1. "How Deep Is Your Love"
    Released: October 1977
  2. "Stayin' Alive"
    Released: December 1977 (US), January 1978 (UK)
  3. "Night Fever"
    Released: February 1978
  4. "More Than A Woman"
    Released: April 1978
  5. "If I Can't Have You"
    Released: 1978
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 5/5 stars[1]
Robert Christgau (B+)[2]
Pitchfork Media (8.7/10.0)[3]

Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track is the soundtrack album from the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta. In the United States, the album was certified 15x Platinum for shipments of over 15 million copies.[4] The album stayed atop the album charts for 24 straight weeks from January to July 1978 and stayed on Billboard's album charts for 120 weeks until March 1980. In the UK, the album spent 18 consecutive weeks at No. 1. The album epitomized the disco phenomenon on both sides of the Atlantic and was an international sensation.[5] The album has been added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress. [6]

Contents

Background [edit]

After the Bee Gees completed mixing their live album Here at Last...Bee Gees...Live at Le Château, they began recording songs for their next album. "If I Can't Have You" was the first song they recorded, but it was not used on the film. The Bee Gees' songs began in Le Chateau, France and finished in Criteria and Cherokee Studios. Barry was the lead vocalist on all of the songs as it was pretty much established on Children of the World that his voice was now the voice of the Bee Gees. With mostly falsetto and an occasional breathy natural voice, Barry performed much of the backing and harmony vocals with Robin and Maurice. On the recording of the songs, Maurice was sometimes notable for bass guitar parts and Blue Weaver on keyboards and synthesizer.[7]

The original issue of the album included the original studio version of "Jive Talkin'"; later LP pressings included a version culled from Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live. All CD releases have included the original "Jive Talkin'". "Jive Talkin'" was to have been used in a deleted scene taking place the day after Tony Manero's first Saturday night at the disco, but as the sequence was cut for the final film, the song was cut as well.

In addition to the Bee Gees songs, additional incidental music was composed and adapted by David Shire. Three of Shire's cues-"Manhattan Skyline", "Night on Disco Mountain" (based on the classical piece "Night on Bald Mountain") and "Salsation"-are included on the soundtrack album as well. Five additional cues-"Tony and Stephanie", "Near the Verrazano Bridge" (both adapted from the Bee Gees' song "How Deep Is Your Love") "Barracuda Hangout", "Death on the Bridge" and "All Night Train"-while heard in the film, remain unreleased on CD.

In 1994, the soundtrack was re-released on CD through Polydor Records. The album was recently re-released on Reprise Records as part of the Bee Gees' regaining control of their master tapes.

Along with the success of the movie, the soundtrack, composed and performed primarily by the Bee Gees, was the best-selling soundtrack album of all time (it was later surpassed by Whitney Houston's soundtrack to The Bodyguard).[8] Saturday Night Fever had a large cultural impact in the United States. The Bee Gees had originally written and recorded the five of the songs used in the film, "Stayin' Alive", "Night Fever", "How Deep Is Your Love", "More Than a Woman" (performed in the film in two different versions—one version by Tavares, and another by the Bee Gees) and "If I Can't Have You" (performed in the movie by Yvonne Elliman) as part of a regular album. They had no idea at the time they would be making a soundtrack and said that they basically lost an album in the process.[citation needed] Two previously-released Bee Gees songs—"Jive Talkin'" and "You Should Be Dancing"—are also included on the soundtrack. Other previously released songs from the disco era round out the music in the movie.

The soundtrack also won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year.[9] The only disco album to do so.

In 2003, the album was ranked No. 131 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

The soundtrack hit the No. 1 spot on Billboard Music Chart's Pop Album and Soul Album charts. In 2003 the TV network VH1 named it the 57th greatest album of all time.

Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Soundtrack was ranked 80th in a 2005 survey held by British television's Channel 4 to determine the 100 greatest albums of all time.Empty citation‎ (help) Pitchfork Media listed Saturday Night Fever as the 34th best album of the 1970s.

The soundtrack album has been added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress on March 21, 2013 for long-term preservation.[10]

Track listing [edit]

CD release [edit]

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Stayin' Alive" (Bee Gees) Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb & Maurice Gibb Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten, Karl Richardson 4:45
2. "How Deep Is Your Love" (Bee Gees) B. Gibb, R. Gibb & M. Gibb Bee Gees, Galuten, Richardson 4:05
3. "Night Fever" (Bee Gees) B. Gibb, R. Gibb & M. Gibb Bee Gees, Galuten, Richardson 3:33
4. "More Than a Woman" (Bee Gees) B. Gibb, R. Gibb & M. Gibb Bee Gees, Galuten, Richardson 3:18
5. "If I Can't Have You" (Yvonne Elliman) B. Gibb, R. Gibb & M. Gibb Freddie Perren 3:00
6. "A Fifth of Beethoven" (Walter Murphy) Murphy (based on Beethoven's Fifth Symphony) Thomas J. Valentino 3:03
7. "More Than a Woman" (Tavares) B. Gibb, R. Gibb & M. Gibb Perren 3:17
8. "Manhattan Skyline" (David Shire) Shire Shire & Bill Oakes 4:45
9. "Calypso Breakdown" (Ralph MacDonald) William Eaton 7:51
10. "Night on Disco Mountain" (David Shire) Modest Mussorgsky (arranged by Shire) Shire & Oakes 5:13
11. "Open Sesame" (Kool & the Gang) Robert Bell Kool & the Gang 4:01
12. "Jive Talkin'" (Bee Gees) B. Gibb, R. Gibb & M. Gibb Arif Mardin 3:44
13. "You Should Be Dancing" (Bee Gees) B. Gibb, R. Gibb & M. Gibb Bee Gees, Galuten & Richardson 4:14
14. "Boogie Shoes" (KC and the Sunshine Band) Harry Wayne Casey & Richard Finch Casey & Richard Finch 2:17
15. "Salsation" (David Shire) Shire Shire & Oakes 3:51
16. "K-Jee" (MFSB) Charlie Hearndon & Harvey Fuqua Bobby Martin & Broadway Eddie 4:13
17. "Disco Inferno" (The Trammps) Leroy Green & Ron Kersey Kersey 10:51
Total length:
 1:15:54

Original vinyl release [edit]

Side A:

  1. "Stayin' Alive" performed by Bee Gees, produced by Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten, Karl Richardson – 4:45
  2. "How Deep Is Your Love" performed by Bee Gees, produced by Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten, Karl Richardson – 4:05
  3. "Night Fever" performed by Bee Gees, produced by Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten, Karl Richardson – 3:33
  4. "More Than a Woman" performed by Bee Gees, produced by Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten, Karl Richardson – 3:17
  5. "If I Can't Have You" performed by Yvonne Elliman, produced by Freddie Perren – 2:57

Side B:

  1. "A Fifth of Beethoven" performed Walter Murphy, produced by Thomas J. Valentino – 3:03
  2. "More Than a Woman" performed by Tavares, produced by Freddie Perren – 3:17
  3. "Manhattan Skyline" performed by David Shire, produced by David Shire & Bill Oakes – 4:44
  4. "Calypso Breakdown" performed and produced by Ralph MacDonald – 7:50

Side C:

  1. "Night on Disco Mountain" performed by David Shire, produced by David Shire & Bill Oakes – 5:12
  2. "Open Sesame" performed and produced by Kool & the Gang – 4:01
  3. "Jive Talkin'" performed by Bee Gees, produced by Arif Mardin – 3:43
  4. "You Should Be Dancing" performed by Bee Gees, produced by Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten, Karl Richardson – 4:14
  5. "Boogie Shoes" performed by KC and the Sunshine Band, produced by H. W. Casey, Richard Finch – 2:17

Side D:

  1. "Salsation" performed by David Shire, produced by David Shire & Bill Oakes – 3:50
  2. "K-Jee" performed by MFSB, produced by Bobby Martin & Broadway Eddie – 4:13
  3. "Disco Inferno" performed by The Trammps, produced by Ron Kersey – 10:52

Note [edit]

  • "Jive Talkin'" was not contained in the film.
  • "Salsation" is credited to MFSB on some early cassette and 8-track versions of this album.

Additional songs in the film not on the soundtrack album [edit]

Additional songs recorded for the film but not used [edit]

Personnel [edit]

  • Mike Baird – Drums (Track C 1)
  • Michael Boddicker – Synthesizer (Tracks B 3, C 1)
  • Bob Bowles – Guitar (Tracks A 5, B 2)
  • Dennis Bryon – Drums (Tracks A 1 to 4, Side C 3 & 4)
  • Dennis Budimir – Guitar (Track C 1)
  • Sonny Burke – Piano (Tracks A 5, B 2 & 3)
  • Sonny Burke – Electric Keyboards (Track D 1)
  • Eddie Cano – Acoustic Piano (Track D 1)
  • Carmine d'Amico – Guitar, Electric Guitar (Track B 1)
  • Paulinho DaCosta – Percussion (Tracks A 5, B 2)
  • Scott Edwards – Bass (Tracks A 5, Side C 1, D 1)
  • Steve Forman – Percussion (Tracks B 3, C 1, D 1)
  • James Gadson – Drums (Tracks A 5, B 2 & 3)
  • Robin Gibb – Vocals (Tracks A 1 to 4, C 3 & 4)
  • Barry Gibb – Vocals, Guitar (Tracks A 1 to 4, C 3 & 4)
  • Maurice Gibb – Vocals, Bass (Tracks A 1 to 4, C 3 & 4)
  • Ralph Grierson – Keyboards (Track C 1)
  • Mitch Holder – Guitar (Track B 3)
  • Alan Kendall – Guitar (Tracks A 1 to 4, C 3 & 4)
  • Abraham LaBoriel – Bass (Track B 3)
  • Joe Lala – Percussion (Track C 4)
  • Stephen Stills – Guitar
  • Joey Murcia – Guitar (All tracks)
  • Freddie Perren – Synthesizer, Keyboards, Percussion (Track A 5)
  • Emil Richards – Percussion (Track C 1, D 1)
  • Jerome Richardson – Trumpet solo (Track D 1)
  • Lee Ritenour – Guitar (Tracks B 3, C 1, D 1)
  • David Shire – Adaptation (Track C 1)
  • Mark Stevens – Drums (Track D 1)
  • Chino Valdez – Congas (Track D 1)
  • Blue Weaver – Keyboards (Tracks A 1 to 4, C 3 & 4)
  • Bob Zimmitti – Percussion (Tracks A 5, B 2, D 1)
  • John Tobler – Liner Notes
  • Bill Oakes – Compilation, Album Supervision

Awards [edit]

Grammy Awards [edit]

American Music Awards [edit]

  • 1979 Favorite Soul / R&B Album – "Saturday Night Fever"

Singles [edit]

Year Single Chart Position
1976 "A Fifth of Beethoven" Pop Singles 1
1977 "How Deep Is Your Love" Adult Contemporary 1
Pop Singles 1
1978 "Night Fever" R&B Singles 8
Pop Singles 1
"If I Can't Have You" Pop Singles 1
"Stayin' Alive/Night Fever/More Than A Woman" Club Play Singles 3
"Stayin' Alive" Pop Singles 1
R&B Singles 4
"Boogie Shoes" Pop Singles 35


Charts [edit]

Chart positions [edit]

Chart Peak
position
Australian Kent Music Report[11] 1
Austrian Albums Chart[12] 1
Canadian RPM Albums Chart[13] 1
Dutch Albums Chart[14] 1
French SNEP Albums Chart [15] 1
Italian Albums Chart[16] 1
Japanese Oricon Albums Chart[17] 1
New Zealand Albums Chart[18] 1
Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[19] 1
Swedish Albums Chart[20] 1
UK Albums Chart[21] 1
U.S. Billboard 200 [22] 1
West German Media Control Albums Chart[23] 1

Year-end charts [edit]

Chart (1978) Position
Australian Albums Chart[11] 1
Austrian Albums Chart[24] 1
Canadian Albums Chart[25] 1
French Albums Chart[26] 7
Italian Albums Chart[16] 1
Japanese Albums Chart[27] 3
UK Albums Chart[28] 1
U.S. Billboard 200[29] 1
West German Albums Chart[30] 1
Chart (1979) Position
U.S. Billboard 200[31] 27

Decade-end charts [edit]

Chart (1970–79) Position
Japanese Albums Chart[17] 9
UK Albums Chart[28] 8

Certification/Sales [edit]

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[32] Diamond 1,000,000^
France (SNEP)[33] Gold 2,157,600[34]
Germany (BVMI)[35] 6× Golddouble-dagger 1,500,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[36] Platinum 15,000*
Japan (Oricon Charts) 693,000[17]
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Platinum 2,000,000[38]
United States (RIAA)[39] 15× Platinum 15,000,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

double-dagger Usually the BVMI does not give a 6× Gold certification, but a 3× Platinum instead.[40] The reason for this singular certification is unclear.

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Allmusic review". 
  2. ^ Album: Saturday Night Fever. Robert Christgau.
  3. ^ Various Artists: Saturday Night Fever | Album Reviews. Pitchfork (July 13, 2007).
  4. ^ "Gold & Platinum – November 30, 2009". RIAA. Retrieved November 30, 2009. 
  5. ^ James Sullivan, Chronicle Pop Culture Critic (January 14, 2003). "APPRECIATION / Contributor to a sound that went beyond disco". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 30, 2009. 
  6. ^ http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_22840673/library-congress-adds-saturday-night-fever-simon-and
  7. ^ "Gibb Songs  : 1977". Columbia.edu (December 20, 1976).
  8. ^ Morgan, Laura (December 10, 1999), "The Winning Score", Entertainment Weekly, retrieved August 5, 2010 
  9. ^ "GRAMMY.com". GRAMMY.com. February 8, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2009. 
  10. ^ "Simon & Garfunkel song among those to be preserved". CFN13. Retrieved 21 March 2013. 
  11. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. 
  12. ^ "austriancharts.at Soundtrack - Saturday Night Fever" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved March 1, 2013. 
  13. ^ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 1, 2013
  14. ^ "dutchcharts.nl Soundtrack - Saturday Night Fever" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved March 1, 2013. 
  15. ^ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste : Bee Gees". infodisc.fr. Retrieved March 1, 2013. 
  16. ^ a b "Hit Parade Italia - Gli album più venduti del 1978" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved March 1, 2013. 
  17. ^ a b c Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9. 
  18. ^ "charts.org.nz Soundtrack - Saturday Night Fever" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved March 1, 2013. 
  19. ^ "norwegiancharts.com Soundtrack - Saturday Night Fever" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved March 1, 2013. 
  20. ^ "swedishcharts.com Soundtrack - Saturday Night Fever" (ASP). Retrieved March 1, 2013. 
  21. ^ "Number 1 Albums – 1970s". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on February 9, 2008. Retrieved June 24, 2011. 
  22. ^ "allmusic ((( Saturday Night Fever > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 1, 2013. 
  23. ^ "Album Search: Soundtrack - Saturday Night Fever" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved March 1, 2013. 
  24. ^ "Austriancharts.st - Jahreshitparade 1978" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 1, 2013. 
  25. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1978". RPM. Retrieved March 1, 2013. 
  26. ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1978 par InfoDisc" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved March 1, 2013. 
  27. ^ "Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1978" [1978年アルバム年間ヒットチャート] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved March 1, 2013. 
  28. ^ a b "1970s Albums Chart Archive". everyhit.com. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 8, 2013. 
  29. ^ "Top Pop Albums of 1978". billboard.biz. Retrieved March 1, 2011. 
  30. ^ "Album – Jahrescharts: 1978". charts.de. Media Control Charts. Retrieved March 1, 2013. 
  31. ^ Billboard.com – Year End Charts – Year-end Albums – The Billboard 200. Retrieved March 1, 2013. 
  32. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Various Artists – Saturday Night Fever". Music Canada. 
  33. ^ "French album certifications – Bee Gees – Saturday Night Fever" (in French). InfoDisc.  Select BEE GEES and click OK
  34. ^ "Les Meilleures Ventes de CD/Albums depuis 1968 :". infodisc.fr (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 2012-01-12. 
  35. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bee Gees; 'Saturday Night Fever')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. 
  36. ^ "Gold Disc Award 1979". IFPI. Retrieved August 17, 2012. 
  37. ^ "British album certifications – Original Soundtrack – Saturday Night Fever – OST". British Phonographic Industry.  Enter Saturday Night Fever – OST in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go
  38. ^ Murells, Joseph (1984-12-31). Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s: an illustrated directory. Batsford. Retrieved 2013-04-30. 
  39. ^ "American album certifications – Bee Gees – Saturday Night Fever". Recording Industry Association of America.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  40. ^ "Bundesverband Musikindustrie: Gold/Platin". musikindustrie.de. Retrieved October 30, 2011. 

External links [edit]


Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track
Side one
Side two
Side three
Side four
Saturday Night Fever
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