| "Tragedy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Bee Gees | ||||
| from the album Spirits Having Flown | ||||
| B-side | "Until" | |||
| Released | February 1979 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | March to May and July to November 1978, Criteria Studios, Miami | |||
| Genre | Disco | |||
| Length | 5:03 | |||
| Label | RSO | |||
| Writer(s) | Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb | |||
| Producer | The Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten, Karl Richardson | |||
| Certification | Platinum (RIAA)[1] | |||
| Bee Gees singles chronology | ||||
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"Tragedy" is a song recorded by the Bee Gees, included on their 1979 album Spirits Having Flown. The single reached number one in the UK in February 1979 and repeated the feat the following month on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Though not originally in Saturday Night Fever, it has subsequently been added to the musical score of the West End version of the movie-musical.
The song knocked "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor off the top spot in the U.S. for two weeks before that song again returned to number one for an additional week.
In 1979, NBC aired The Bee Gees Special which showed how the sound effect for the explosion was created. Barry cupped his hands over a microphone and made an exploding sound. Several of these sounds were then mixed together creating one large boom heard on the record. This song is also playable on Rock Band 3.
Contents |
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| United States | 1 |
| Canada | 1 |
| United Kingdom | 1 |
| Spain | 1 |
| France | 1 |
| Ireland | 1 |
| Italy | 1 |
| New Zealand | 1 |
| Brazil | 1 |
| Austria | 2 |
| Australia | 2 |
| Belgium | 2 |
| China | 2 |
| Germany | 2 |
| Chile | 2 |
| South Africa | 2 |
| Netherlands | 4 |
| Norway | 4 |
| Sweden | 6 |
| Finland | 7 |
| Japan | 32 |
In 1998, Steps covered "Tragedy", releasing it as a double A-side with "Heartbeat". It debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart before climbing to the top spot in its eighth week on, achieving platinum status. A dance step of putting both hands parallel to the sides of the head became the trademark move of the British group. "Tragedy" has sold more copies than all three previous Steps singles combined. It spent eighteen weeks in the Top 20 and thirty weeks on the chart in total.
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| Preceded by "Heart of Glass" by Blondie |
UK number-one single 3 March 1979 - 10 March 1979 |
Succeeded by "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor |
| Preceded by "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single March 24, 1979 - March 31, 1979 |
Succeeded by "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor |
| Preceded by "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" by Rod Stewart |
Canadian "RPM" Singles Chart number-one single March 24, 1979 - April 14, 1979 |
Succeeded by "I Just Fall in Love Again" by Anne Murray |
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