“Tragedy” is probably one of the most misconceived songs in the history of English music. Why? Because of the genre majority of the people put it in. Many of you will agree that “Tragedy” is a full fledged Pop genre song. But wait, that’s not it. Did you know that “Tragedy” is actually from a genre called “Funk Rock“? Yup, you heard it right – “Funk Rock”. Anyways, this song is undoubtedly one of the most played one in Oldies disco’s, or even modern age ones, to be precise. The Bee Gees were whirled in a wormhole to fame with this song. And wow, does it blow your mind. The song’s got so much energy, you feel like getting up from your chair and start dancing wildly. It’s just one of those songs which hypnotize you, and you involuntarily dance. It’s definitely one of my top 10 Disco Hits. Three of mt personal favorite Bee Gees songs are: “How Deep Is Your Love“, “Saturday Night Fever“, and “Tragedy“; which I’ll be reviewing today. So, let’s get to it!
The Bee Gees (L-R): Maurice Gibb, Barry Gibb & Robin Gibb
History: “Tragedy” is a song from Bee Gees 1979 album “Spirits Having Flown“. Now here’s a fact that will amaze all of you. This song peaked at Number 1 in BOTH, the U.S. and the U.K. charts! How awesome is that? There are only a handful of songs which have been able to achieve such a feat. The song knocked Gloria Gaynor‘s “I Will Survive” off the top. The ‘exploding’ sound was actually created by Barry Gibb, as he cupped his mouth near the mic and blew hard, thus creating a sound imitating an explosion. Pretty neat, huh? There is only one version of the song (The Cover Version) having a duration of 5 Minutes and 3 Seconds. [Source: Wikipedia]
Review: The song starts with a tune that will make even the most worst dancer on the face of this planet get up and dance; or at least put a smirk on his face. The music is… Just wow. The beats are fast and help raise the tempo of the song. The tune of the song is very, very captivating. It starts up with a serious tune, but merges with the quirky synthesizer rifts to produce a song with an exceptional tune. At 00:28, Maurice Gibb starts his mind blowing vocals. Sure, they seem a little ‘to-the-feminine side’, but the impact it has on the song is just unimaginable. In fact, one of the main reasons the Bee Gees skyrocketed to fame was because of Maurice’s voice. There are certain high and low pitches ONLY Maurice Gbb could go to, and execute the song to sheer brilliance. After a LONG “You” (It’s just four seconds, but it sounds like an eternity the way he keeps saying it! It’s one of my favorite parts). Then the chorus commences at 01:05. I have to say, it’s definitely the best part of the song. Personally, my favorite part of the chorus is the time Maurice says “With no one to love you, you’re going nowhere”. The chorus loops for another time, except the “With no one to love you, you’re going nowhere” is replaced by “With no one besides you, you’re going nowhere”. After an exhilarating first chorus, an instrumental bridge is introduced into the song. The bridge is, without doubt, awesome (It’s duration is from 01:36 to 02:04). The second stanza starts right after the instrumental bridge. All this time, you can’t help but marvel at Maurice Gibbs’ astonishing voice, effortlessly cruising from highs to lows. Again, at 02:38, Maurice initiates the second “You” (The really LONG 4 second one, remember? The duration is 02:38 to 02:41), and the chorus begins again, keeping the tempo of the song intact. Maurice then shows off his class by giving a high pitched “Aah” at 03:12. It’s so effortlessly done! The instrumental bridge doesn’t fall far behind, and it commences immediately after the chorus. This time however, you’ll feel the bridge is a little different than the first one, because it has some synthesizer grooves added to it. The song goes *almost* silent at 03:30, and then we hear the famous ‘explosion’ (Courtesy Barry Gibb) at 03:35, followed by the chorus. Another of Maurice’s awesome high pitches is introduced at 04:09 (Till 04:11). The chorus loops on for two more times, and the song gradually fades out with another of Maurice’s signature “Aah’s”, and ends at 05:05.
Rating: It’s a no-doubter! 10/10! As clear as it seems! With a voice like Maurice Gibb’s, I don’t think any of his songs will get anything less than 10. For all disco lovers, DO NOT miss this one! The same applies to other listeners too! Don’t miss it!
Lyrics for “Tragedy” : http://artists.letssingit.com/bee-gees-lyrics-tragedy-cth1hdl
Download link for “Tragedy” : http://videovortex.evan-roth.com/music/2-07%20Tragedy.mp3 (Right click on link, click “Save As”)
AudiophileParadise 