Alone (Bee Gees song)

"Alone" is a song by the Bee Gees. It is the opening track on their 1997 multi-platinum Still Waters and the first single released from the album. It is a pop ballad written by Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, and it was recorded in 1996.

"Alone"
Single by Bee Gees
from the album Still Waters
B-side
Released17 February 1997
Recorded1996
Genre
Length
  • 4:49 (album version)
  • 4:20 (single edit)
LabelPolydor
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Bee Gees singles chronology
"How to Fall in Love, Part 1"
(1994)		 "Alone"
(1997)		 "I Could Not Love You More"
(1997)
Music video
"Alone" on YouTube

The track was a worldwide hit, peaking at number five in the United Kingdom for three weeks and at number two in New Zealand, where it was the tenth-highest-selling single of 1997. In Canada it reached number 20 and was the most successful adult contemporary song of 1997 according to RPM magazine. On the US Billboard Hot 100, the single peaked at number 28, making it the Bee Gees' 30th and final top-40 hit in the US, after being a Billboard "Hot Shot" debut at number 34.[1]

Song information

Maurice Gibb explained about the track:

That was one of the first ones we wrote for the album. I really remember having a good time writing it. We were sort of set up in the studio here with the three of us just together and I got some bagpipe sounds. We were just screwing around. And BG programmed this groove on the computer. We thought it was cool. We don't actually go in and plan to write a ballad or an R&B song. We just say, 'Let's go that route.' And we'll follow it. And 'Alone' came out of that. I love the line 'I'm on a wheel of fortune with a twist of fate.' Because of the harmony and that chorus, it was like a bit of '50s as well. And I like the idea of being that sort of Beatlesque type of song. I wanted that rambling. That sort of Byrds type, the 12-string thing going, but we just did it with the bagpipes instead and made it all connect. It was a very exciting demo. We weren't too sure about the bagpipes, but Robin actually persisted. He said, 'They're great; you gotta keep the bagpipes.'[2]

Barry and Robin Gibb alternate on lead vocals on the track, with both mostly using the group's trademark falsetto.

Music video

Two promotional videos directed by Nick Egan were made for the song. The first one, not shown in the United States, featured the brothers singing in a spinning room intercut with a female astronaut slowly removing her space suit in zero gravity, a homage to the opening of the 1968 sci-fi cult film Barbarella. The promo for the US featured the brothers recording the song in a studio, intercut with various clips of the brothers throughout the years, as well as segments of the original video.

Track listings

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[44] Platinum 70,000^
Germany (BVMI)[45] Gold 250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[46] Gold 5,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[47] Silver 200,000^

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

Cover versions

"Alone" was covered by American country music artist Monty Holmes on his 1998 debut album, All I Ever Wanted. It was released as the album's second single and peaked at number 53 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.[48]

References
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  2. "Still Waters". Bee Gees World. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  3. Alone (UK & European CD single liner notes). Bee Gees. Polydor Records. 1997. 573 527-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. Alone (UK cassette single sleeve). Bee Gees. Polydor Records. 1997. 573 526-4.CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. Alone (US CD single liner notes). Bee Gees. Polydor Records. 1997. 31457 1007 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. Alone (US cassette single). Bee Gees. Polydor Records. 1997. 31457 1006 4.CS1 maint: others (link)
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  17. "Major Market Airplay - Week 15/1997" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14 no. 17. 12 April 1997. p. 23. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  18. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (24.4. '97 – 30.4. '97)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 25 April 1997. p. 16. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  19. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Alone". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
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  26. "Swedishcharts.com – Bee Gees – Alone". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
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  31. "1997 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  32. "Jahreshitparade Singles 1997" (in German). Retrieved 5 February 2020.
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  34. "RPM '97 Year End Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  35. "Year in Focus – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1997" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14 no. 52. 27 December 1997. p. 7. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
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  44. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020.
  45. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bee Gees; 'Alone')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  46. "New Zealand single certifications – Bee Gees – Alone". Recorded Music NZ.
  47. "British single certifications – Bee Gees – Alone". British Phonographic Industry.
  48. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Hot Country Songs 1944–2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 155. ISBN 978-0-89820-203-8.
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