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Draft:Staying Alive (soundtrack album)

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Staying Alive: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by
the Bee Gees and other artists
ReleasedJune 1983[1]: 230 
Recorded1982–1983[1]: 230 [2]
1977 for "Stayin' Alive"
Studio
Genre
Length45:29
LanguageEnglish
Label
Producer
Bee Gees chronology
Living Eyes
(1981) 		Staying Alive: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(1983) 		E.S.P.
(1987)
Singles from Staying Alive: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
  1. "The Woman in You"
    Released: May 1983[4]: 536 
  2. "Someone Belonging to Someone"
    Released: July 1983[4]: 536 
  3. "Far from Over"
    Released: July 1983"[2][5]
  4. "I'm Never Gonna Give You Up"
    Released: January 1984[6]

Staying Alive: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 1983 film Staying Alive, the sequel to 1977's Saturday Night Fever. It was released in June 1983,[1]: 230  a month before the movie's premiere, by RSO Records and was manufactured and marketed by PolyGram. It was the last album released by RSO.[7]

The record's first side features five new songs by the Bee Gees, while the second one includes four tracks co-written by Frank Stallone, the younger brother of the film's director, Sylvester Stallone. These latter tracks are performed by Frank Stallone, Cynthia Rhodes, and Tommy Faragher, with Stallone and Rhodes also acting in the film.

The soundtrack features two singles that reached the top 30 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, "Far From Over" and "The Woman in You", which peaked at numbers 10 and 24, respectively.[8][9] It also spent 20 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number 6,[9] and was nominated for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special at the 1984 Grammy Awards.[10]

Background

[edit]

After the release of Living Eyes, the Bee Gees decided to take a break and focus on other projects.[11][4]: 524  During the second half of 1982, they contributed to Dionne Warwick's Heartbreaker album,[4]: 524–525  and began work on what would become Kenny Rogers' Eyes That See in the Dark.[4]: 538–539  At the same time, Robin started work on his second solo album, How Old Are You?, with assistance from Maurice.[4]: 537 

It was during this period that Robert Stigwood approached the Bee Gees and asked them to record new songs for the upcoming Staying Alive film, the sequel to Saturday Night Fever.[1]: 230  Stigwood, who had been planning the sequel since the original's highly successful release in 1977,[1]: 230  contacted the group about halfway through the film's production.[2] Their contributions to the soundtrack fulfilled their final contractual obligation with RSO Records,[11][4]: 535  and the album became the label's last release.[7]

The film's director, Sylvester Stallone, had been reviewing tapes submitted by a variety of artists from across the country, including some from his younger brother Frank Stallone.[2] Frank had previously composed songs for films his brother had worked on, such as the first three Rocky movies and Paradise Alley, and had even appeared as a street-corner singer in Rocky.[12]

Recording and composition

[edit]

In 1982, while the film's script was still being "polished", Frank Stallone and some musician friends "holed up in a 'garage in the (San Fernando) valley' with 'a $40 that was always breaking" to record 12 or 13 songs in hopes that one might be selected for the film by his older brother, director Sylvester Stallone.[2] During filming, Frank frequently brought Sylvester new mixes of his tracks, which Frank described as "straight-ahead music", though some had "a harder edge than just pop."[2] Despite accusations of nepotism, the song selection process was actually conducted anonymously, as Frank later recalled:

"[Sylvester] played my tapes for Stigwood and his associates, without telling them who composed the music, because none of them really wanted me working on the picture. When they said it was great, [Sylvester] told them, 'It's my brother,' and they were kind of caught."[2]

Out of the songs that Frank co-wrote, nine were featured in the film, while four made it onto the album.[2] "Far from Over", which he co-wrote with Vince DiCola and performed solo, was released as a single in July, a few days before the film's premiere, and was featured prominently throughout.[13] At around the time that Frank Stallone was working on his material, the Bee Gees were also in the process of creating music for the movie, in anticipation of being asked to.[2] The next year, between February and March of 1983, the group gathered at Middle Ear Studio in Miami Beach and cut five new songs.[1]: 230  Talking about their contributions to the soundtrack, Maurice said:

"It is five years later and, to us, the script projected the '80s. So we went for a totally different kind of energy in the score. Because of [Tony Manero's] outlook in this film, the music is more brutal."[2]

While the Bee Gees were working on their new tracks, Sylvester Stallone visited them at the studio and stayed somewhat involved in the process. Robin revealed that Sylvester was "in touch by and large with the process of the writing".[14] He also mentioned that Sylvester called them several times to say "what he wanted here and there ... in different parts of the music."[15] Despite this, the brothers still expressed some dissatisfaction with how directors handled music, with Barry saying that it would be "nice" if the composers and filmmakers could "actually sit down at the same table long before the film gets made, and discuss how the music will be treated or how the film will be made compared to the music."[4]: 535 

None of the songs from Saturday Night Fever were included on the sequel's soundtrack, except for an edited version of "Stayin' Alive",[2] which was Side one's sixth and final track. The Bee Gees also recorded a sixth song during the Staying Alive sessions, titled "River of Souls", that still remains unreleased.[16] Intended for film's final dance sequence, it has been described as "a terrific number, the music changing several times, building in intensity, with two main melodies and an instrumental section."[16]

Along with the Bee Gees' contributions, it was reported at the start of 1983, that Sylvester Stallone had invited the Australian band Sherbet to write songs for the movie,[17] and that Dionne Warwick had contributed a love song that she sang with Frank Stallone.[18] However, if these recordings were actually made or finished, they went unused in the final soundtrack.

Release

[edit]

Staying Alive: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released in June 1983, and promoted with four singles. "The Woman in You", was issued in May 1983 as the album's lead single, and peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,[9] while also reaching numbers 23 and 26 in Germany and the Netherlands, respectively.[4]: 536  It was also released as a 12-inch single with a medley of Saturday Night Fever songs titled "Saturday Night Mix" as its B-side.[4]: 536 

The album's second single, "Someone Belonging to Someone", followed in July, peaking at number 49 in both the US[9] and the UK,[19] and featuring at number 30 in the Dutch charts.[4]: 536  The third single, "Far From Over" was also released in July, a few days before the film opened,[13] and spent two weeks at number 10 on the US Hot 100.[8] The final single, "I'm Never Gonna Give You Up", a duet between Frank Stallone and Cynthia Rhodes, was released in January 1984[20] and reached number 16 in the Adult Contemporary chart.[21]

A special edition of the soundtrack was later made available that consisted of two discs: one of the original album with six bonus tracks from the film, and a second disc that contained dance remixes of eight of the album's songs.[22]

Commercial performance and nominations

[edit]

The Staying Alive soundtrack sold 4.5 million copies worldwide,[1]: 230  and was certified platinum by the RIAA on August 30, 1983.[23] It spent 20 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number 6.[9]

The album was nominated for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special at the 1984 Grammy Awards,[10] and its highest charting song in the US, "Far From Over", was nominated for Best Original Song - Motion Picture at the 41st Golden Globe Awards.[24]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]

On May 28, 1983, Billboard observed that with "The Woman in You", "the rock-dance synthesis" the Bee Gees had "perfected" in Saturday Night Fever still retained its "powerful appeal."[25] The following week, on June 4, Cashbox wrote that the track provided "an excellent barometer of the changes and similarities in dance music" since Saturday Night Fever, adding that while "the keyboards, horns and funk beat" made for a "tougher sound", the end result was "equally tuneful."[26]

That same month, Michael Lawson of The Canadian Press remarked that, despite being the director's brother, Frank Stallone stood on his own with "mellow tunes" that "provided some of the nicest moments of the soundtrack", especially with the "bluesy" "Moody Girl".[27] Lawson wrote that the Bee Gees' tracks were "likeable enough", commenting that "The Woman in You" was the strongest one, while "Breakout" showcased the "familiar elements of the group at its finest."[27] However, he felt that the rest of their contributions lacked the "dynamics" of their Saturday Night Fever work.[27]

On July 2, Cashbox reviewed the album and suggested that the "movie and its modern dance motifs could possibly bring on the same kind of enthusiasm generated by Flashdance", though they "may be somewhat hindered by the disco backlash."[28] On July 15, the day of the film's premiere, Janet Maslin of The New York Times described the Bee Gees songs as "pleasant, but little more".[29] A week later, Bruce Bailey of The Gazette found that Staying Alive was a soundtrack "in search of a movie", and noted that it was not "even particularly good".[30] By the end of the month, Associated Press writer Bob Thomas wrote that the album was a "bore" and a "monumental disappointment" in comparison to Saturday Night Fever, from which came the sequel's "best" song: its title track.[31] Thomas considered that "The Woman in You" was the best of the new Bee Gees tracks, since the rest had a "sense of deja vu" about them, and said that Stallone's compositions were "even worse", describing them as "anonymous and uninteresting."[31] In August, David Denby wrote on New York magazine that even though the Bee Gees songs were "mediocre", they fared better when compared to the "Vegas-showroom junk" composed by Stallone.[32]

In a retrospective review, AllMusic's William Ruhlmann found that despite the commercial failure of both the film and its soundtrack, the album contained some of the "better Bee Gees work of the '80s", especially its fourth track, "Someone Belonging to Someone".[3]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks on Side one are written and performed (as the Bee Gees) by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, and are produced by the Bee Gees along with Karl Richardson and Albhy Galuten.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."The Woman in You"4:01
2."I Love You Too Much"4:27
3."Breakout"4:41
4."Someone Belonging to Someone"4:24
5."Life Goes On"4:23
6."Stayin' Alive" (edited version)1:30
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Far from Over" (Frank Stallone)
Johnny Mandel3:53
2."Look Out for Number One" (Tommy Faragher)
  • Bruce Stephen Foster
  • Tom Marolda
3:19
3."Finding Out the Hard Way" (Cynthia Rhodes)
  • Stallone
  • Roy Freeland
  • Levine
  • Stallone
3:30
4."Moody Girl" (Frank Stallone)
Mandel4:06
5."(We Dance) So Close to the Fire" (Tommy Faragher)
  • Randy Bishop
  • Faragher
  • Levine
  • Randy Bishop
3:43
6."I'm Never Gonna Give You Up" (Frank Stallone and Cynthia Rhodes)
  • Stallone
  • DiCola
  • Esposito
Mandel3:32
Total length:45:29

Personnel

[edit]

Adapted from the album's liner notes.

Musicians

Production

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1983) Peak

position

Australia (Kent Music Report)[33] 28
US (Billboard 200)[9] 6

Chart singles

[edit]
Year Title Artist US US

AC

US

R&B

US

Dance

UK
1983 "The Woman in You" Bee Gees 24 - 77 - 81
"Someone Belonging to Someone" 49 - - - 49
"Far from Over" Frank Stallone 10 - - 43 68
"I'm Never Gonna Give You Up" Frank Stallone, Cynthia Rhodes - 16 - - -

Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[34] Platinum 100,000^
France (SNEP)[35] Gold 100,000*
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[36] Gold 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[38] Platinum 1,000,000^
Venezuela — 113,000[39]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Apter, Jeff (2016). Tragedy: The Ballad of The Bee Gees. London: Jawbone Press. ISBN 978-1-911036-00-5 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Reich, Howard (July 16, 1983). "The musical battle behind 'Staying Alive'". The Gazette. p. E-7. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Ruhlmann, William. "Staying Alive [The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] Review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Bilyeu, Melinda; Cook, Hector; Môn Hughes, Andrew (2001). The Bee Gees: Tales of The Brothers Gibb. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-8748-3 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ "Frank Stallone". Archived from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  6. ^ "Adult Contemporary – Week of January 21, 1984". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 12, 2024. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Stanley, Bob (2023). "The Bunker". Bee Gees: Children of the World. London: Nine Eight Books. ISBN 978-1-7887-0543-1.
  8. ^ a b "Billboard Hot 100™ – Week of October 8, 1983". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Chart History – Bee Gees". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "26th Annual GRAMMY Awards | GRAMMY.com". Grammy Awards. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Brennan, Joseph. "Gibb Songs – 1982". Columbia University. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  12. ^ Clark, Dick (October 15, 1983). "Frank Stallone has a hard act to follow". The Leader-Post. p. C7. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Reich, Howard (July 31, 1983). "Going For Gold In 'Staying Alive's' Music". The Pittsburgh Press. p. H-4. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  14. ^ tv interview july 1983 talking about staying alive(Bee Gees) (Interview). July 26, 2010. Event occurs between 2:28-2:45. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ Bee Gees Interv 1983 Australia Satellite to Miami (Interview). February 3, 2016. Event occurs at 5:40-5:46. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Brennan, Joseph. "Gibb Songs – 1983". Columbia University. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  17. ^ Jones, Peter (February 12, 1983). "Cannes Clippings". Billboard. p. 54. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  18. ^ "Celebrity Beat". Jet. Vol. 64, no. 6. April 25, 1983. p. 54. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  19. ^ "SOMEONE BELONGING TO SOMEONE". Official Charts. September 17, 1983. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  20. ^ "Adult Contemporary – Week of January 21, 1984". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 12, 2024. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  21. ^ "I'm Never Gonna Give You Up (song by Frank Stallone & Cynthia Rhodes)". MusicVF.com. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  22. ^ "Staying Alive (1983) 2 CD Special Edition Film Soundtrack". CDs You Want. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  23. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  24. ^ "Staying Alive". Golden Globes. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  25. ^ "Top Single Picks - Pop". Billboard. May 28, 1983. p. 63.
  26. ^ "Singles - Feature Picks" (PDF). Cashbox. Vol. XLV, no. 1. June 4, 1983. p. 10. Retrieved December 15, 2024 – via World Radio History.
  27. ^ a b c Lawson, Michael (June 29, 1983). "Frank Stallone featured in Staying Alive". The Leader-Post. p. D12. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  28. ^ "Albums - Out of the Box" (PDF). Cashbox. July 2, 1983. p. 6. Retrieved December 15, 2024 – via World Radio History.
  29. ^ Maslin, Janet (July 15, 1983). "Screen: 'Staying Alive'". The New York Times. p. C8. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  30. ^ Bailey, Bruce (July 23, 1983). "'Staying Alive' a deadbeat all the way". The Gazette. p. E-4. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  31. ^ a b Thomas, Bob (July 21, 1983). "Travolta sequel fails to deliver". The Courier. p. 2B. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  32. ^ Denby, David (August 1, 1983). "Invasion of the Movie Snatchers". New York. p. 55. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  33. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 283. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  34. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Various Artists – Staying Alive (Soundtrack)". Music Canada. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  35. ^ "French album certifications – B.O.F. – Staying Alive (Soundtrack)" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved May 18, 2021. Select B.O.F. and click OK. 
  36. ^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1984". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  37. ^ "British album certifications – Original Soundtrack – Staying Alive - Ost". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  38. ^ "American album certifications – Bee Gees – Staying Alive (Soundtrack)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  39. ^ "IN VENEZUELA WE OBTAIN THESE RESULTS!!" (PDF). Cashbox. October 13, 1984. p. 32. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
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