Alive

"Alive"
Single by Bee Gees
from the album To Whom It May Concern
B-side	"Paper Mache, Cabbages And Kings"
Released	November 1972
Format	7"
Recorded	21 October 1971 IBC Studios, London, England
Genre	Ballad, soft rock
Length	4:03
Label	UK: Polydor, USA/CA: Atco
Writer(s)	Barry & Maurice Gibb
Producer	Robert Stigwood, Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb
Bee Gees singles chronology
"Run To Me" (1972) "Alive" (1972) "Saw a New Morning" (1973)
Music sample "Alive"

"Alive" is a ballad written by Barry and Maurice Gibb and recorded by the Bee Gees for their album To Whom It May Concern. It was the second and last single from the album.

Composition

It was another piano ballad (customary for Bee Gees singles during this period), which Barry has noted that he doesn't even remember writing. As mastered for the album, the inherent dynamic range in the vocal and piano has unfortunately been compressed almost out of existence, but it still comes across as an expressive ballad. The remastered version found on Tales from the Brothers Gibb, has increases the range somewhat lost on the album version.

Release

"Alive" reached number 34 on the US charts in 1973. It was the group's last top 40 hit in either the US or UK until "Jive Talkin'" in 1975. "Alive" was the group's last release on the ATCO label. In 1973, the Bee Gees' manager, Robert Stigwood formed his own label, RSO Records, where the Gibb brothers enjoyed their most success.

Music video

On the promo video for the single, Maurice first appears playing the piano, with Barry and Robin appearing only holding a microphone.

Chart performance

v t e The Bee Gees Barry Gibb Robin Gibb Maurice Gibb Colin Petersen Vince Melouney Geoff Bridgford Alan Kendall Dennis Bryon Blue Weaver Studio albums The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs (1965) Spicks and Specks (1966) Bee Gees' 1st (1967) Horizontal (1968) Idea (1968) Odessa (1969) Cucumber Castle (1970) 2 Years On (1970) Trafalgar (1971) To Whom It May Concern (1972) Life in a Tin Can (1973) A Kick In The Head Is Worth Eight In The Pants (1973) (unreleased) Mr. Natural (1974) Main Course (1975) Children of the World (1976) Spirits Having Flown (1979) Living Eyes (1981) E.S.P. (1987) One (1989) High Civilization (1991) Size Isn't Everything (1993) Still Waters (1997) This Is Where I Came In (2001) Singles 1960s "The Battle of the Blue and the Grey" (1963) "Timber!" (1963) "Peace Of Mind" (1964) "Claustrophobia" (1964) "Turn Around, Look at Me" (1964) "Every Day I Have To Cry" (1965) "Wine and Women" (1965) "I Was A Lover, A Leader Of Men" (1965) "I Want Home" (1966) "Monday's Rain" (1966) "Spicks and Specks" (1966) "Born A Man" (1967) "New York Mining Disaster 1941" (1967) "To Love Somebody" (1967) "Holiday" (1967) "Massachusetts" (1967) "World" (1967) "Words" (1968) "And The Sun Will Shine" (1968) "Jumbo/The Singer Sang his Song" (1968) "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" (1968) "I Started a Joke" (1968) "First of May" (1969) "Tomorrow, Tomorrow" (1969) "Don't Forget to Remember" (1969) 1970s "Let There Be Love" (1970) "If I Only Had My Mind on Something Else" (1970) "I.O.I.O." (1970) "Lonely Days" (1970) "Melody Fair" (1971) "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" (1971) "When The Swallows Fly" (1971) "In The Morning" (1971) "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" (1971) "My World/On Time" (1972) "Israel" (1972) "Run to Me" (1972) "Sea Of Smiling Faces" (1972) "Alive" (1972) "Saw a New Morning" (1973) "Wouldn't I Be Someone" (1973) "Mr. Natural" (1974) "Throw a Penny" (1974) "Charade" (1974) "Jive Talkin'" (1975) "Nights on Broadway" (1975) "Fanny (Be Tender with My Love)" (1976) "You Should Be Dancing" (1976) "Love So Right/You Stepped Into My Life" (1976) "Boogie Child" (1977) "Children Of The World" (1977) "Edge of the Universe" (1977) "How Deep Is Your Love" (1977) "Stayin' Alive" (1977) "Night Fever" (1978) "More Than A Woman" (1978) "Too Much Heaven/Rest Your Love on Me" (1978) "Tragedy" (1979) "Love You Inside Out" (1979) "Spirits (Having Flown)" (1979) 1980s "He's a Liar" (1981) "Living Eyes" (1981) "Paradise" (1981) "The Woman in You" (1983) "Someone Belonging to Someone" (1983) "Life Goes On" (1983) "You Win Again" (1987) "E.S.P." (1987) "Crazy For Your Love" (1988) "Angela" (1988) "Ordinary Lives" (1989) "One" (1989) 1990s "Bodyguard" (1990) "Secret Love" (1991) "When He's Gone" (1991) "The Only Love" (1991) "Happy Ever After" (1991) "Paying the Price of Love" (1993) "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (1993) "How to Fall in Love, Part 1" (1994) "Kiss Of Life" (1994) "Alone" (1997) "I Could Not Love You More" (1997) "Still Waters (Run Deep)" (1997) 2000s "This Is Where I Came In" (2001) Soundtracks Melody (1971) Saturday Night Fever (1977) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) Staying Alive (1983) Live albums Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live (1977) One Night Only (1998) Compilation albums Best of Bee Gees (1969) Best of Bee Gees, Volume 2 (1973) Bee Gees Gold (1976) Bee Gees Greatest (1979) Tales from the Brothers Gibb (1990) The Very Best of the Bee Gees (1990) Their Greatest Hits: The Record (2001) Number Ones (2004) Love Songs (2005) The Ultimate Bee Gees (2009) Mythology (2010) Gibb Productions Andy Gibb's "Flowing Rivers" (1977), "Shadow Dancing" (1978) & "After Dark" (1980) Jimmy Ruffin's "Sunrise" (1980) Barbra Streisand's "Guilty" (1980) Dionne Warwick's "Heartbreaker" (1982) Kenny Rogers' "Eyes That See in the Dark" (1983) Diana Ross' "Eaten Alive" (1985) Carola's "Runaway" (1986) Barbra Streisand's "Guilty Pleasures" (2005) Videography Cucumber Castle (1969) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) The Bee Gees Special (1979) One For All Tour (1990) Keppel Road (1997) One Night Only (1998) This Is Where I Came In (2001) Live By Request (2002) In Our Own Time (2010) Related articles Discography 1979 Spirits Having Flown Tour Andy Gibb The Barry Gibb Talk Show Book

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