Tragedy (song)

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For other uses, see Tragedy (disambiguation).
"Tragedy"
Single by Bee Gees
from the album Spirits Having Flown
B-side "Until"
Released February 1979
Format 7" single, 45rpm
Recorded 1978
Genre Disco, pop rock
Length 5:03
Label RSO
Writer(s) Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb
Producer(s) Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten, Karl Richardson
Certification Platinum (RIAA)[1]
Bee Gees singles chronology

"Too Much Heaven"
(1978)		 "Tragedy"
(1979)		 "Love You Inside Out"
(1979)

"Tragedy" is a song released by the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb, 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 1998 the song again reached the top of the UK singles chart, this time in the form of a cover version by Steps. 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. The song is also playable on Rock Band 3.

Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb wrote this song and "Too Much Heaven" in an afternoon off from making the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie in which they were starring. In the same evening they wrote "Shadow Dancing" which was performed by Andy Gibb (and reached #1 in the US).[2]

Charts and certifications

Chart performance

Chart (1979) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) 2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[ 1] 2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[ 1] 3
Brazil 1
Canadian RPM Disco Singles[3] 7
Canadian RPM Top Singles[4] 1
Chile 2
China 2
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles[5] 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) 7
France (SNEP)[6] 1
Germany (Media Control AG)[ 1] 2
Irish Singles Chart[7] 1
Italy (FIMI)[8] 1
Japan (Oricon) 32
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[ 1] 4
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[ 1] 5
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[ 1] 1
Norway (VG-lista)[ 1] 4
South African Chart[9] 2
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[10] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[ 1] 6
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[ 1] 2
UK (Official Charts Company)[11] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 1
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[12] 22
US Billboard Hot R&B Singles[12] 44
US Record World Singles[5] 1

Sales and certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[13] Platinum 150,000^
France (SNEP)[14] Gold 821,000[15]
United Kingdom (BPI)[16] Gold 500,000^
United States (RIAA)[17] Platinum 2,000,000^
Total certified sales: 3,150,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Steps cover

Main article: Heartbeat (Steps song)

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, and 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.[citation needed] "Tragedy" has sold more copies than all three previous Steps singles combined.[citation needed] It spent eighteen weeks in the Top 20 and thirty weeks on the chart in total.[citation needed]

Charts

Chart (1998) Peak
position
UK (Official Charts Company) 1

Other versions

See also

References

  1. ↑ RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - Bee Gees Platinum Singles. RIAA.com. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
  2. ↑ Tragedy Songfacts
  3. ↑ "Tragedy in Canadian Disco Singles Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2 June 2013. 
  4. ↑ "Tragedy in Canadian Top Singles Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2 June 2013. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Steve Hawtin et al. "Song title 301 - Tragedy". Tsort.info. Retrieved 7 July 2013. 
  6. ↑ "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). Infodisc.fr. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2013. 
  7. ↑ "Tragedy in Irish Chart". IRMA. Retrieved 2 June 2013.  2nd result when searching "Tragedy"
  8. ↑ "The best-selling singles of 1979 in Italy". HitParadeItalia (it). Retrieved 2 June 2013. 
    4. Tragedy - The Bee Gees [#1]
  9. ↑ John Samson. "Tragedy in South African Chart". Retrieved 2 June 2013. 
  10. ↑ Danyel Smith, ed. (1979). Billboard 23 june 1979. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 7 July 2013. 
  11. ↑ "1979 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive - 3rd March 1979". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 June 2013. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Spirits Having Flown awards on Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 June 2013. 
  13. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Bee Gees – Tragedy". Music Canada. Retrieved 29 March 2012. 
  14. ↑ "French single certifications – Bee Gees – Tragedy" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 29 March 2012.  Select BEE GEES and click OK
  15. ↑ "Les Singles en Or :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 29 March 2012. 
  16. ↑ "British single certifications – Bee Gees – Tragedy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 March 2012.  Enter Tragedy in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Click Go
  17. ↑ "American single certifications – Bee Gees – Tragedy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 29 March 2012.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  18. ↑ "Celldweller Bio 2007". Celldweller.com. 2008-03-03. Retrieved 2012-06-03. 

External links

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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