Tragedy (Bee Gees song)

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

"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 #1 in the UK in February 1979 and repeated the feat the following month on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Origin

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]

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 US for two weeks before that song again returned to #1 for an additional week. In the US, it would become the fifth of six consecutive #1s, tying the record with the Beatles for most consecutive #1s in the US.

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 with his mouth. 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.

Charts and certifications

Chart performance

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[3]	2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[4]	3
Brazil	1
Canadian RPM Disco Singles^[5]	7
Canadian RPM Top Singles^[6]	1
Chile	2
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles^[7]	1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)	7
France (SNEP)^[8]	1
Germany (Official German Charts)^[9]	2
Irish Singles Chart^[10]	1
Italy (FIMI)^[11]	1
Japan (Oricon)	32
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[12]	4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[13]	5
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[14]	1
Norway (VG-lista)^[15]	4
South African Chart^[16]	2
Spain (PROMUSICAE)^[17]	1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[18]	6
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[19]	2
UK (Official Charts Company)^[20]	1
US Billboard Hot 100^[21]	1
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play^[21]	22
US Billboard Hot R&B Singles^[21]	44
US Cash Box^[22]	1
US Record World Singles^[7]	1

Sales and certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)^[23]	Platinum	150,000
France (SNEP)^[24]	Gold	821,000^[25]
United Kingdom (BPI)^[26]	Gold	500,000
United States (RIAA)^[27]	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 version

In 1998, Steps covered "Tragedy", releasing it as a double A-side with "Heartbeat". It debuted at #2 on the UK Singles Chart, before climbing to the top spot in its eighth week, and achieving platinum status.

Charts

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

References

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External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

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Preceded by "Y.M.C.A."	French number-one single 2–23 February 1979	Succeeded by "Born to Be Alive" by Patrick Hernandez
Preceded by "Heart of Glass" by Blondie	UK number-one single 3–10 March 1979	Succeeded by "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor
Preceded by "Chiquitita" by ABBA	Irish number-one single 3–10 March 1979	Succeeded by "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor
Preceded by "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor	Cash Box Top 100 number-one single 17–31 March 1979	Succeeded by "What a Fool Believes" by Doobie Brothers
Preceded by "Fire" by The Pointer Sisters	New Zealand Recorded Music NZ number-one single 18 March – 22 April 1979	Succeeded by "Le Freak" by Chic
Preceded by "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor	Billboard Hot 100 number-one single 24–31 March 1979	Succeeded by "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor
Preceded by "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" by Rod Stewart	*Canadian RPM* number-one single** 24 March – 14 April 1979	Succeeded by "I Just Fall in Love Again" by Anne Murray
Preceded by "Born to Be Alive" by Patrick Hernandez	Italian number-one single 24 March – 5 May 1979	Succeeded by "Il Carrozzone" by Renato Zero
Preceded by "Chiquitita" by ABBA	European Hot 100 number-one single 29 March – 26 April 1979	Succeeded by "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" by Boney M
Preceded by "Sólo Pienso en Tí" by Victor Manuel	Spanish number-one single 4–10 June 1979	Succeeded by "Born to Be Alive" by Patrick Hernandez

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↑ RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - Bee Gees Platinum Singles. RIAA.com. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
↑ Tragedy Songfacts
↑ "Austriancharts.at – Bee Gees – Tragedy" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
↑ "Ultratop.be – Bee Gees – Tragedy" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
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4. Tragedy - The Bee Gees [#1]
↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bee Gees search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bee Gees – Tragedy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
↑ "Charts.org.nz – Bee Gees – Tragedy". Top 40 Singles.
↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Bee Gees – Tragedy". VG-lista.
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↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Bee Gees – Tragedy". Singles Top 60.
↑ "Swisscharts.com – Bee Gees – Tragedy". Swiss Singles Chart.
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[1] RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - Bee Gees Platinum Singles. RIAA.com. Retrieved 2009-09-29.

[2] Tragedy Songfacts

[sc_Austria_Bee_Gees-3] "Austriancharts.at – Bee Gees – Tragedy" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.

[sc_Flanders_Bee_Gees-4] "Ultratop.be – Bee Gees – Tragedy" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.

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[ac_Germany2_Bee_Gees-9] "Officialcharts.de – Bee Gees – Tragedy". GfK Entertainment.

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4. Tragedy - The Bee Gees [#1]

[sc_Dutch40_Bee_Gees-12] "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bee Gees search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.

[sc_Dutch100_Bee_Gees-13] "Dutchcharts.nl – Bee Gees – Tragedy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.

[sc_New_Zealand_Bee_Gees-14] "Charts.org.nz – Bee Gees – Tragedy". Top 40 Singles.

[sc_Norway_Bee_Gees-15] "Norwegiancharts.com – Bee Gees – Tragedy". VG-lista.

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[sc_Sweden_Bee_Gees-18] "Swedishcharts.com – Bee Gees – Tragedy". Singles Top 60.

[sc_Swiss_Bee_Gees-19] "Swisscharts.com – Bee Gees – Tragedy". Swiss Singles Chart.

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Tragedy (Bee Gees song)

Contents

Origin

Charts and certifications

Chart performance

Sales and certifications

Steps version

Charts

See also

References

External links

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