Tragedy (Bee Gees song)

"Tragedy"
"Tragedy"
Song
B-side	"Until"

"Tragedy" is a song released by the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb, included on their 1979 album Spirits Having Flown. The single reached #1 in the UK in February 1979 and repeated the feat the following month on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Origin

Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb wrote this song and "Too Much Heaven" in an afternoon off from making the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie in which they were starring. In the same evening they wrote "Shadow Dancing" which was performed by Andy Gibb (and reached #1 in the US).^[2]

Though not originally in Saturday Night Fever, it has subsequently been added to the musical score of the West End version of the movie-musical. The song knocked "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor off the top spot in the US for two weeks before that song again returned to #1 for an additional week. In the US, it would become the fifth of six consecutive #1s, tying the record with the Beatles for most consecutive #1s in the US. This record was eventually surpassed in 1988 by American singer Whitney Houston when her single "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" became her seventh consecutive number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1979, NBC aired The Bee Gees Special which showed how the sound effect for the explosion was created. Barry cupped his hands over a microphone and made an exploding sound with his mouth. Several of these sounds were then mixed together creating one large boom heard on the record. The song is also playable on Rock Band 3.

Charts and certifications

Chart performance

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[3]	2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[4]	3
Brazil	1
Canadian RPM Disco Singles^[5]	7
Canadian RPM Top Singles^[6]	1
Chile	2
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles^[7]	1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)	7
France (SNEP)^[8]	1
Invalid chart entered Germany2	2
Irish Singles Chart^[9]	1
Italy (FIMI)^[10]	1
Japan (Oricon)	32
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[11]	4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[12]	5
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[13]	1
Norway (VG-lista)^[14]	4
South African Chart^[15]	2
Spain (PROMUSICAE)^[16]	1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[17]	6
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[18]	2
UK (Official Charts Company)^[19]	1
US Billboard Hot 100^[20]	1
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play^[20]	22
US Billboard Hot R&B Singles^[20]	44
US Cash Box^[21]	1
US Record World Singles^[7]	1

Sales and certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[22]	Platinum	150,000^{^}
France (SNEP)^[24]	Gold	821,000^[23]
United Kingdom (BPI)^[25]	Gold	500,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[26]	Platinum	2,000,000^{^}
Total certified sales:		3,150,000
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Steps version

In 1998, Steps covered "Tragedy", releasing it as a double A-side with "Heartbeat". It debuted at #2 on the UK Singles Chart, before climbing to the top spot in its eighth week, and achieving platinum status.

Charts

Chart (1998)	Peak position
UK (Official Charts Company)	1

References

^ RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - Bee Gees Platinum Singles. RIAA.com. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
^ Tragedy Songfacts
^ "Bee Gees – Tragedy" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
^ "Bee Gees – Tragedy" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
^ "Tragedy in Canadian Disco Singles Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
^ "Tragedy in Canadian Top Singles Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
^ ^a ^b Steve Hawtin; et al. "Song title 301 - Tragedy". Tsort.info. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
^ "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). Infodisc.fr. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
^ "Tragedy in Irish Chart". IRMA. Retrieved 2 June 2013. 2nd result when searching "Tragedy"
^ "The best-selling singles of 1979 in Italy". HitParadeItalia (it). Retrieved 2 June 2013.
4. Tragedy - The Bee Gees [#1]
^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bee Gees" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
^ "Bee Gees – Tragedy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
^ "Bee Gees – Tragedy". Top 40 Singles.
^ "Bee Gees – Tragedy". VG-lista.
^ John Samson. "Tragedy in South African Chart". Retrieved 2 June 2013.
^ Danyel Smith, ed. (1979). Billboard 23 june 1979. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
^ "Bee Gees – Tragedy". Singles Top 100.
^ "Bee Gees – Tragedy". Swiss Singles Chart.
^ "1979 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive - 3rd March 1979". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Spirits Having Flown awards on Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
^ "Cashbox Top 100". Cashbox Archives. 17 March 1979. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
^ "Canadian single certifications – Bee Gees – Tragedy". Music Canada. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
^ "Les Singles en Or :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
^ "French single certifications – Bee Gees – Tragedy" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
^ "British single certifications – Bee Gees – Tragedy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 March 2012. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Tragedy in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
^ "American single certifications – Bee Gees – Tragedy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 29 March 2012.

External links

Template:MetroLyrics song

[1] RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - Bee Gees Platinum Singles. RIAA.com. Retrieved 2009-09-29.

[2] Tragedy Songfacts

[sc_Austria_Bee_Gees-3] "Bee Gees – Tragedy" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.

[sc_Flanders_Bee_Gees-4] "Bee Gees – Tragedy" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.

[5] "Tragedy in Canadian Disco Singles Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2 June 2013.

[6] "Tragedy in Canadian Top Singles Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2 June 2013.

[tsort-7] Steve Hawtin; et al. "Song title 301 - Tragedy". Tsort.info. Retrieved 7 July 2013.

[8] "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). Infodisc.fr. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013.

[9] "Tragedy in Irish Chart". IRMA. Retrieved 2 June 2013. 2nd result when searching "Tragedy"

[10] "The best-selling singles of 1979 in Italy". HitParadeItalia (it). Retrieved 2 June 2013.
4. Tragedy - The Bee Gees [#1]

[sc_Dutch40_Bee_Gees-11] "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bee Gees" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.

[sc_Dutch100_Bee_Gees-12] "Bee Gees – Tragedy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.

[sc_New_Zealand_Bee_Gees-13] "Bee Gees – Tragedy". Top 40 Singles.

[sc_Norway_Bee_Gees-14] "Bee Gees – Tragedy". VG-lista.

[15] John Samson. "Tragedy in South African Chart". Retrieved 2 June 2013.

[16] Danyel Smith, ed. (1979). Billboard 23 june 1979. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 7 July 2013.

[sc_Sweden_Bee_Gees-17] "Bee Gees – Tragedy". Singles Top 100.

[sc_Swiss_Bee_Gees-18] "Bee Gees – Tragedy". Swiss Singles Chart.

[19] "1979 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive - 3rd March 1979". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 June 2013.

[awards-20] "Spirits Having Flown awards on Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 June 2013.

[21] "Cashbox Top 100". Cashbox Archives. 17 March 1979. Retrieved 14 February 2015.

[CanadaBee_GeesTragedysingleCertRef-22] "Canadian single certifications – Bee Gees – Tragedy". Music Canada. Retrieved 29 March 2012.

[23] "Les Singles en Or :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 29 March 2012.

[FranceBee_GeesTragedysingleCertRef-24] "French single certifications – Bee Gees – Tragedy" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 29 March 2012.

[United_KingdomBee_GeesTragedysingleCertRef-25] "British single certifications – Bee Gees – Tragedy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 March 2012. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Tragedy in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.

[United_StatesBee_GeesTragedysingleCertRef-26] "American single certifications – Bee Gees – Tragedy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 29 March 2012.

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