Saved by the Bell (song)
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (June 2013) |
| "Saved by the Bell" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Mother and Jack" |
"Saved by the Bell" is a 1969 single written and recorded by Robin Gibb. It was released in June 1969 and has been certified a gold disc. It was the lead single on Gibb's debut album Robin's Reign, released in early 1970. According to Vinyl Records, the song was co-produced by Kenny Clayton.[2] Gibb also made a promotional video for this song.[3] The song gained commercial success in Europe but the song was a commercial failure in the US, reaching #87. The song was covered by Elton John along with "August October".[4]
Music critic Nicholas James says: "'Saved by the Bell' falls into this category, being heavily influenced by the Bee Gees track 'I Started a Joke'. It has a powerful Robin Gibb lead vocal and an infectious melody, although the lyrics are somewhat simplistic (possibly even banal)."[5] David Furgess described "Saved by the Bell" as a "killer song".[6]
Background
Gibb announced his solo plans on 19 March 1969; on that day, the Bee Gees recorded "Tomorrow Tomorrow", "Sun in My Morning" and "Ping Pong".[7] "Saved by the Bell" was recorded around March 1969 at De Lane Lea Studios, along with three other songs: "Mother and Jack", "Alexandria Good Time" and "Janice". Gibb said that Maurice Gibb played piano on this track, but Barry was unhappy to hear about it later. Maurice recorded the organ and guitar, accompanied by a drum machine, and he also added more vocals. The demo was sent to Kenny Clayton, who arranged the song, which has a big singalong chorus like other Bee Gees' hits including "Railroad" (a song released by Maurice), "Don't Forget to Remember" and "Sweetheart" (both Bee Gees songs released on Cucumber Castle)[7] On April and May 1969, Gibb co-produced "Love for Living" by Clare Torry. The orchestra was arranged by John Fiddy.[7] Gibb resumed recording songs on September 1969. "Saved by the Bell" features lyrics about loneliness, I cried for you, I cried for you/I cried for two, I lied for you.
Release
On its release, the song competed directly with the Bee Gees' single "Don't Forget to Remember", which also rose to number two in the UK, number one in Top Pops, Netherlands, New Zealand and Ireland. The song reached #2 in the United Kingdom (behind The Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Women"), #1 in a few countries and #87 in the US.[clarification needed] The song was recorded for Gibb's debut album, Robin's Reign.[8] "Saved by the Bell" topped the short-lived British Top Pops newspaper charts, which differs from the official UK Singles Chart. The song was released with "Mother and Jack" as the B-side.[9] The song's mono mix was released on the compilation Rare Collection on Polydor Japan, the stereo version of this song was released in 1990 on the Tales from the Brothers Gibb.[10] It also reached #1 in South Africa on 19 September 1969 on three weeks, after that, the next number one single was Jackie DeShannon's "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" on 10 October 1969 (same day on which Gibb recorded the album's second single "August October".), and the next number one was Bee Gees' "Don't Forget to Remember" on 24 October 1969 in four weeks.[11][clarification needed]
It reached #1 in Netherlands in 16 weeks and in New Zealand for 1 week. In Norway it reached number 4 in 14 weeks, In Germany, it reached #3 in 10 weeks.[12] While "Saved by the Bell" was on #2 in Britain, "In The Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" by Zager & Evans was at #1 and "My Cherie Amour" by Stevie Wonder was at #3.[13] On 23 August 1969, it finally reached #2 in Holland behind Plastic Ono Band's "Give Peace a Chance".[14]
Gibb told The Guardian, shortly after the release of this song:
"Everything I write I write to the best of my ability, That is every song I have written could be a single, I never write A-sides that would be an insult to my ego. 'Mother and Jack' on the flip of 'Saved by the Bell' could just as well have been an A-side. All the tracks for my first LP could be singles."[15]
He performed "Saved by the Bell" in Beat-Club on 2 August 1969, that episode features a film on which Eddie Vickers interviews Robin.[16] Which was included on the DVD Beat Club Rebroadcasts Vol. 9 and The Story of Beat-Club Volume 2 1968–1970.[17][18] [clarification needed] Gibb also performed it in Auckland, New Zealand as he recalls: "It was quite chaotic because there was a whole lot of people and not a lot of security. I almost had to climb a tree, it was frightening. It got quite dangerous. The concept of security hadn't crept into the popular arena. It started out as enjoyable and then the audience got out of hand."[19]
The song was re-released by Old Gold Records in 1988 with "Words" (Bee Gees) as the B-side.[20][21] It was re-released by Polydor as the B-side of "Tomorrow Tomorrow" (Bee Gees) in Spain.[22] It was included on various compilation The Story of Musikladen No. 2 1976–1980.[23] Gibb performs this song in 2005 with The Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt Orchestra.[24]
As the single rose in the charts, Bee Gees' "Tomorrow Tomorrow" was not a success. Robin recalls:
It is a bit of an irony but I don't think it has anything to do with the clammy hand of fate or anything. It is just a coincidence. I always excepted 'Saved by the Bell' to go in [to the Top 20] though I thought it would either do it very quickly or I thought it would either do it very quickly or I would be in for a long wait. But I always had the confidence on it.[25]
Robin's reaction when his brothers (Barry and Maurice) did not congratulates him as the single "Saved by the Bell" released: "I haven't had a single word of congratulations from my brothers for 'Saved by the Bell'. I don't feel alone and cut off though. I have good friends around me, and I can go over to Maurice and have a jam like in the old days".[25]
Chart performance
| Charts (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 87 |
| UK Singles Chart | 2 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Charts | 1 |
| South African Singles Chart | 1 |
| German Media Control Charts | 3 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Top Pop Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian VG-lista Charts[12] | 4 |
| Australian Go-Set Charts[12] | 9 |
| Yugoslavian Singles Chart[26] | 2 |
References
- ^ Discogs.com. "Robin Gibb - Saved by the Bell (Australian release)".
- ^ "Saved by the Bell / Mother and Jack - Robin Gibb". Vinyl Records. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- ^ "Robin Gibb - Saved by the Bell Promo Video 1969". You Tube. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ^ Claude Bernardin, Tom Stanton. Rocket Man: Elton John from A to Z (Page 93). Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ^ Robin's Reign - Robin Gibb at Bee Gees Album Reviews
- ^ Robin Gibb - Robin's Reign Reviews at Heritage
- ^ a b c Joseph Brennan. "Gibb Songs: 1969". Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ^ Discogs.com. "Robin Gibb - Robin's Reign".
- ^ "Robin Gibb - Saved by the Bell". Discogs. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ^ Joseph Brennan. "Gibb Songs: 1969". Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ^ 1969 South African Charts at Rate your Music
- ^ a b c Songs from the year 1969
- ^ Billboard: 6 September 1969 (Page 103)
- ^ Billboard: 23 August 1969 (Page 88)
- ^ Altham, Keith. "Robin Gibb: 'I don't sing with my voice, I sing with my heart' – a classic interview from 1969". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- ^ "Show 45: August 2, 1969 (Beach Boys, Dave Clark 5, Steppenwolf, others)". Tv.com. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- ^ "Various – Beat Club Rebroadcasts Volume 9". Discogs. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
- ^ "Various – The Story Of Beat-Club Volume 2 1968-1970". Discogs. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
- ^ Reid, Graham. "ROBIN GIBB INTERVIEWED (2010): To Bee Gee, or not to Bee Gee". Elsewhere. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ^ "Robin Gibb - Saved by the Bell / Bee Gees - Words". 45cat. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
- ^ "Robin Gibb / Bee Gees – Saved By The Bell / Words". Discogs. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
- ^ "Bee Gees / Robin Gibb – Tomorrow, Tomorrow / Saved By The Bell". Discogs. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
- ^ "Various – The Story Of Musikladen No. 2 1976-1980". Discogs. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
- ^ "Robin Gibb with The Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt Orchestra". Discogs. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
- ^ a b Hughes, Andrew. The Bee Gees - Tales of the Brothers Gibb. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
- ^ Billboard: 28 February 1970. Billboard. Retrieved 14 April 2013.