Stayin' Alive#N-Trance version
{{Short description|1977 single by the Bee Gees}}
{{About|the Bee Gees song|other uses|Staying Alive (disambiguation){{!}}Staying Alive}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Stayin' Alive
| cover = Bee Gees Stayin Alive.jpg
| alt =
| caption = UK 7-inch vinyl single
| border = yes
| type = single
| artist = Bee Gees
| album = Saturday Night Fever
| B-side = If I Can't Have You
| released = 15 December 1977
| recorded = 1977
| studio = {{hlist|Château d'Hérouville (France)|Criteria (Miami)}}
| genre = Disco{{cite web|first= Jason |last= Ankeny |title= Stayin' Alive – Song Review |website= AllMusic |url= http://www.allmusic.com/song/stayin-alive-mt0034983849 |url-status= dead |archive-date= 3 November 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121103145507/http://www.allmusic.com/song/stayin-alive-mt0034983849}}{{cite web|title= Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees |publisher= Shmoop |access-date= 14 February 2015 |url= http://www.shmoop.com/stayin-alive/music.html |archive-date= 14 February 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150214124134/http://www.shmoop.com/stayin-alive/music.html |url-status= live}}
| length =
- 4:45
- 3:25 (single version)
| label = RSO
| writer = {{hlist|Barry Gibb|Robin Gibb|Maurice Gibb}}
| producer =
- Bee Gees
- Albhy Galuten
- Karl Richardson
| prev_title = How Deep Is Your Love
| prev_year = 1977
| next_title = Night Fever
| next_year = 1978
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|fNFzfwLM72c|"Stayin' Alive"}}
}}
}}
"Stayin' Alive" is a song written and performed by the Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack. The song was released in December 1977 by RSO Records as the second single from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. The band wrote the song and co-produced it with Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson. It is one of the Bee Gees' signature songs. In 2004, "Stayin' Alive" was placed at No. 189 by Rolling Stone on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The 2021 updated Rolling Stone list of 500 Greatest Songs placed "Stayin' Alive" at No. 99. In 2004, it ranked No. 9 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema. In a UK television poll on ITV in December 2011 it was voted fifth in The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song."The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song". ITV. 9 December 2011.
On its release, "Stayin' Alive" climbed the charts to hit the number one spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 the week of 4 February 1978, remaining there for four consecutive weeks. Consequently, it became one of the band's most recognisable tunes, partly because it appeared in the opening credits of Saturday Night Fever. In the United States, it would become the second of six consecutive number-one singles, tying the record with the Beatles for most consecutive number ones in the United States at the time (a record broken by Whitney Houston who achieved seven consecutive number-ones).
In 1979, at the 21st Annual Grammy Awards, "Stayin' Alive" won the award for Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices, alongside 3 other wins at that ceremony, including Album of The Year.{{Cite news |title=Bee Gees {{!}} Artist |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/bee-gees/7576 |access-date=17 February 2024 |work=Grammy Awards}}
Writing and recording
The executive producer of the Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack and Bee Gees manager Robert Stigwood asked the band to write a few songs for the soundtrack. At this point, the film was in early stages and it did not have a title; in fact, all Stigwood had to go on was a New York cover story about discomania.
They wrote "Stayin' Alive" over the course of a few days while sprawled on the staircase at the Château d'Hérouville studio near Paris. As with many other artists during the 1970s, the Bee Gees recorded most of the soundtrack in France for tax reasons.
RSO Records wanted the song to share the then-title of the film, "Saturday Night", but the Bee Gees refused a title change, insisting that there had been too many songs with "Saturday" in the title, and the album already had a song with the word "night" in the title—"Night Fever". "We'd also written a song called 'Saturday Night'", Maurice explains, "But there were so many songs called 'Saturday Night' even one by the Bay City Rollers, so when we rewrote it for the movie, we called it 'Stayin' Alive'."{{cite book|first1= Melinda |last1= Bilyeu |first2= Hector |last2= Cook |first3= Andrew Môn |last3= Hughes |year= 2013 |title= The Ultimate Biography of the Bee Gees: Tales of the Brothers Gibb |publisher= Music Sales Group |isbn= 978-0-85712-004-5 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Uzv_AgAAQBAJ&pg=PT661}} Rather than change the name of the former song to match the film, Stigwood expanded the name of the film to encompass the title of the latter song.{{citation needed|date = April 2025}}
Several words from Robin Gibb's Concorde ticket inspired the Gibbs{{clarify|date=May 2016}} to write the lyrics for "Stayin' Alive". Robin recalls, "The subject matter of 'Stayin' Alive' is actually quite a serious one; It's about survival in the streets of New York, and the lyrics actually say that". Barry Gibb reflects, "Everybody struggles against the world, fighting all the bullshit and things that can drag you down. And it really is a victory just to survive. But when you climb back on top and win bigger than ever before, well that's something everybody reacts to everybody".{{cite book|first= Andrew Môn |last= Hughes |year= 2009 |title= The Bee Gees: Tales of the Brothers Gibb |publisher= Music Sales Group |isbn= 978-0-85712-004-5 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=KugbDQHX0R8C&pg=PT826}}
Over the years, the brothers have had mixed feelings about the song, admitting it brought them tremendous fame but conversely branded them as a disco act, despite a long and varied career before and after.
The track was finished at Criteria Studios, with Maurice Gibb laying down a bass line similar to the guitar riff, Barry Gibb and Alan Kendall on guitar riffs, and Blue Weaver adding synthesizers. The Boneroo Horns parts were added. Barry sings falsetto on the whole song, except on the line "life's going nowhere, somebody help me".
The band's drummer Dennis Bryon left the recording sessions early as his mother died. The shortage of qualified replacement drummers in the area prompted the group to try a drum machine, but it did not offer satisfactory results. After listening to the drum track of the already-recorded "Night Fever", the group and producer Albhy Galuten took two bars from that track, rerecorded them as a recurrent loop on a separate tape (creating the song's constant rhythm), and proceeded with sessions for "Stayin' Alive". The group jokingly listed the drummer as "Bernard Lupe" (a takeoff on session drummer Bernard Purdie). Lupe became a highly sought-after drummer—until it was discovered that he did not exist.{{cite web|first= Joseph |last= Brennan |title= Gibb Songs: 1977 |access-date= 3 February 2013 |url= http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/77.html |archive-date= 3 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201003175212/http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/77.html |url-status= live}}
Albhy Galuten talks about the recording of "Stayin' Alive":
{{blockquote|Barry and I listened carefully to find a bar that felt really good. Everyone knows that it's more about feel than accuracy in drum tracks. We chose a bar that felt so good that we ended up using that same loop on 'Stayin' Alive,' and 'More Than a Woman,' and then again on Barbra Streisand's song 'Woman in Love.' To make the loop, we copied the drums onto one-quarter-inch tape. Karl spliced the tape and jerry rigged it so that it was going over a mic stand and around a plastic reel. At first, we were doing it just as a temporary measure. As we started to lay tracks down to it, we found that it felt really great—very insistent but not machinelike. It had a human feel. By the time we had overdubbed all the parts to the songs and Dennis came back, there was no way we could get rid of the loop.{{cite web|first= Mark |last= Small |title= Albhy Galuten tells his story |date= Summer 2002 |website= Brothersgibb.org |access-date= 27 January 2014 |url= http://www.brothersgibb.org/reports-albhy-galuten.html |archive-date= 17 May 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140517152150/http://www.brothersgibb.org/reports-albhy-galuten.html |url-status= live}}}}
In their work together, Gibb and Galuten had tried playing with a click track as Galuten explained:
{{blockquote|While today's musicians know how to get a good groove with the click, back then, if you used a click track you rarely got a good feel. The loop crossed the boundary giving us music that was in time with a good feel. If I had been working for a technology company then and knew what I was doing, I would have tried to patent the idea. Nonetheless, it changed a lot of things. That first loop was a watershed event in our life and times.}}
Release
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2017}}
The song was not initially scheduled for release, with "How Deep Is Your Love" selected as lead single, but fans called radio stations and RSO Records requesting the song immediately after seeing trailers for Saturday Night Fever, featuring the track over the aforementioned introductory scene. The single was eventually released in mid-December, a month after the album, and moved to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in February, where it stayed for four weeks. Soon after, it slid to number two, near the third hit from the album, "Night Fever". In the United Kingdom, "Stayin' Alive" was not as popular as it was in the United States, but was still a hit, reaching number four.
Further demonstrating the Bee Gees' US chart domination in 1978, "Stayin' Alive" was replaced at number one with the group's younger brother Andy Gibb's single, "Love Is Thicker Than Water", followed by the Bee Gees' "Night Fever" for their longest run, eight weeks. This was then replaced by Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You". Barry Gibb had a hand in writing all four of these songs, becoming the only person in history to write four successive US number-one singles. Besides the version that appeared on the soundtrack album (4:43 in length) and the edited 45RPM single for Top 40 radio release (3:29), there was yet another version, from the same recording session but of a slightly different mix, that was distributed on twelve-inch vinyl to club DJs and radio stations that specialised in airing longer versions of hit songs. This "Special Disco Version" featured all the same parts as the album version but had a horn rhythm section interjected twice. Although twelve-inch disco mixes were usually sped up, this version was slowed down slightly. It is the longest version of "Stayin' Alive" ever made, and faded at 6:59. It was finally released on CD in 2007 by Reprise on an expanded and remastered version of Bee Gees Greatest.
Initial plans were for Yvonne Elliman, then known for ballads, to record "How Deep Is Your Love" for Saturday Night Fever, while the Bee Gees produced their own version of the more disco-oriented "If I Can't Have You" for the film. Robert Stigwood thought he would prefer the songs from different genders and directed the group to cut the ballad, while Elliman cut "If I Can't Have You" with her usual producer Freddie Perren. Satisfied with this switch, Elliman's interpretation made the soundtrack, while the Bee Gees' version was relegated to the B-side of the "Stayin' Alive" single. The brothers' version has since appeared on CD in hits compilations.
George Martin commented about this song saying: "The great thing about 'Stayin' Alive' is that it had a great guitar hook to start with which set up the theme, that pulsating beat. It's no coincidence, by the way, that the disco beat of 120{{sic}} beats per minute coincides the heartbeat of your heart when you're excited. This was a key thing which underlined the whole tune, and when the vocals came in, the vocals were so designed that they pushed that beat further".
Critical reception
Billboard magazine reviewed the single calling it one of the Bee Gees best songs and an "almost irresistible dance tune."{{cite magazine|title= Billboard's Top Single Picks |magazine= Billboard |page= 84 |date= 10 December 1977 |access-date= 7 July 2020 |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1977/Billboard%201977-12-10.pdf |archive-date= 13 July 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200713232211/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1977/Billboard%201977-12-10.pdf |url-status= live}} A reviewer from Cash Box said that it "combines catchy melodies, falsetto harmonies and a dancing beat in a package that will lead to big pop and R&B chart numbers."{{cite magazine |title= Singles Reviews > Feature Picks |magazine= Cash Box |date= 10 December 1977 |volume= XXXIX |issue= 30 |page= 23 |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1977/CB-1977-12-10.pdf |access-date= 31 December 2021 |archive-date= 11 February 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220211001312/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1977/CB-1977-12-10.pdf |url-status= live }} Record World called it "a pulsing, rather ominous dance tune."{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=10 December 1977|accessdate=15 February 2023|title=Hits of the Week|page=1|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/77/Record-World-1977-12-10.pdf}}
Music video
The accompanying music video for the song is of an entirely different concept from Saturday Night Fever. Filmed on MGM Studios' backlot #2 in Culver City, California, while the group was simultaneously filming the movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the lot, the video featured Quality Street (a set that was used for such films as The Three Musketeers and Young Frankenstein) as well as the Grand Central Station set used in the films The Band Wagon and the opening of That's Entertainment! with Fred Astaire.{{cite book |first= Steven |last= Bingen |year= 2011 |title= MGM: Hollywood's Greatest Backlot |publisher= Santa Monica Press |isbn= 9781595808936 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=pKePBQAAQBAJ |access-date= 27 October 2019 |archive-date= 19 April 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220419140952/https://books.google.com/books?id=pKePBQAAQBAJ |url-status= live }} As the group walks past one of the railway cars in the video, the words "New York Central" can be seen printed on the side of the train above a passenger window. The MGM art directors added this bit of authenticity because the actual New York Central Railroad operated several lines from Grand Central Terminal in New York City during the 20th century until 1969.{{cite magazine |title= Streamline Steam Engine Attains High Speed |date= February 1935 |page= 211 |magazine= Popular Mechanics |publisher= Hearst Magazines |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=yN8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA211 |access-date= 26 October 2019 |archive-date= 19 April 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220419140952/https://books.google.com/books?id=yN8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA211 |url-status= live }}
Personnel
Credits.{{cite magazine|first= Richard |last= Buskin |title= Classic Tracks: The Bee Gees 'Stayin' Alive' |magazine= Sound on Sound |date= August 2005 |access-date= 4 January 2021 |url= https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-bee-gees-stayin-alive |archive-date= 18 December 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201218080955/https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-bee-gees-stayin-alive |url-status= live}}
- Barry Gibb – lead and harmony vocals, rhythm guitar
- Robin Gibb – lead and harmony vocals
- Maurice Gibb – harmony and backing vocals, bass
- Alan Kendall – lead guitar
- Blue Weaver – keyboards
- Bernard Lupe (Dennis Bryon) – drum loop
- Joe Lala – timbales
Track listing
- "Stayin' Alive" – 3:29
- "If I Can't Have You" – 3:25
=1989 reissue=
- "Stayin' Alive" – 4:45
- "Subway" – 4:20
- "Love So Right" – 3:33
Use in medical training
"Stayin' Alive" is used to train people to provide the correct rate of chest compressions per minute while performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).{{cite journal|url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22445896/|title="Stayin' alive": a novel mental metronome to maintain compression rates in simulated cardiac arrests|date=2012 |publisher=PubMed|pmid=22445896 |access-date=7 March 2025 |last1=Hafner |first1=J. W. |last2=Sturgell |first2=J. L. |last3=Matlock |first3=D. L. |last4=Bockewitz |first4=E. G. |last5=Barker |first5=L. T. |journal=The Journal of Emergency Medicine |volume=43 |issue=5 |pages=e373-7 |doi=10.1016/j.jemermed.2012.01.026 }}{{cite web |last=Simon |first=Scott |date=25 October 2008 |title=Another Use for 'Stayin' Alive': Staying Alive |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96134166 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104070218/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96134166 |archive-date=4 November 2011 |access-date=22 May 2010 |publisher=NPR}} The song has around 103 beats per minute, and 100–120 chest compressions per minute are recommended for CPR.{{cite web|title= Hands-Only CPR FAQs |publisher= British Heart Foundation |access-date= 8 January 2012 |url= http://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/life-saving-skills/hands-only-cpr-faqs.aspx |url-status= dead |archive-date= 10 January 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120110213223/http://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/life-saving-skills/hands-only-cpr-faqs.aspx}}{{cite web|title= Resuscitation Council (UK) |publisher= Resuscitation Council (UK) |access-date= 8 January 2012 |url= http://www.resus.org.uk/siteindx.htm |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120114012255/http://www.resus.org.uk/SiteIndx.htm |archive-date= 14 January 2012}} According to the BMJ, the song "doubles as a metronome for correct cardiac compression rate".{{cite journal|url=https://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g7436.full|journal=The BMJ|access-date=31 March 2025|title=Making music in the operating theatre|date=2014 |pmid=25497309 |last1=Bosanquet |first1=D. C. |last2=Glasbey |first2=J. C. |last3=Chavez |first3=R. |volume=349 |pages=g7436 |doi=10.1136/bmj.g7436 |url-access=subscription }} Using the song has been found to improve memory retention for CPR skills during the months after training.{{Cite journal |last1=Riggs |first1=Matthew |last2=Franklin |first2=Richard |last3=Saylany |first3=Lua |date=May 2019 |title=Associations between cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) knowledge, self-efficacy, training history and willingness to perform CPR and CPR psychomotor skills: A systematic review |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30928504 |journal=Resuscitation |volume=138 |pages=259–272 |doi=10.1016/j.resuscitation.2019.03.019 |issn=1873-1570 |pmid=30928504}}
A study on canine CPR training for veterinarians found that using the Bee Gees' “Stayin' Alive" as an auditory aid helped participants maintain an accurate chest compression rate better than no auditory aid, but that Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" or a traditional metronome was more effective.{{Cite journal |last1=Genetti |first1=Ashley |last2=Llewellyn |first2=Efa A. |date=November 2023 |title=Usefulness of an auditory aid to improve chest compression rate accuracy during cardiopulmonary resuscitation |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vec.13351 |journal=Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care |language=en |volume=33 |issue=6 |pages=639–647 |doi=10.1111/vec.13351 |pmid=37943019 |issn=1479-3261}}
The original idea has been attributed to Alson Inaba, a Hawaiian emergency medicine physician.“Turn the (Heart) Beat Around.” 2009. Current Science. 94 (11):14. The song was featured in an educational campaign by the American Heart Association, which included a video and a multi-city tour to promote CPR.Shelley, Sandra. 2013. “Stayin’ Alive!” Virginia Living 11 (2): 19. The video featured actor and medical doctor Ken Jeong in the classic John Travolta outfit from Saturday Night Fever.{{Cite web |date=22 February 2017 |title=Stayin' Alive With CPR |url=https://www.prevention.com/health/a20508382/stayin-alive-with-cpr/ |access-date=1 April 2025 |website=Prevention |language=en-US}} Vinnie Jones starred in the British version of this CPR video in association with the British Heart Foundation shown on TV in January 2012.{{Cite web |last=Mohammed |first=Aamir |date=3 November 2019 |title=Vinnie Jones revived a dying man with CPR seven years after making NHS ad on it |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/vinnie-jones-revives-man-cpr-17192236 |access-date=1 April 2025 |website=Wales Online |language=en}} As any song with the correct tempo can be helpful, one hospital put together a Spotify playlist, including "Stayin' Alive" and dozens of other songs that have about 100 bpm."Hospital's Spotify playlist has the beats for CPR." 29 October 2018. Modern Healthcare. Vol. 48, issue 44.
The concept of using "Stayin' Alive" for CPR was parodied in the Season 5 episode of comedy series The Office "Stress Relief"{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} and the song itself was used in a season 11 episode of the medical drama Grey's Anatomy in 2015.{{cite news|first= Ariana |last= Bacle |title= 'Grey's Anatomy' recap: 'I Feel the Earth Move' |magazine= Entertainment Weekly |date= 14 March 2015 |access-date= 30 October 2017 |url= http://ew.com/recap/greys-anatomy-season-11-episode-15/2/ |archive-date= 7 November 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171107013611/http://ew.com/recap/greys-anatomy-season-11-episode-15/2/ |url-status= live}} Misty Quigley from Yellowjackets also performs CPR to the beat of 'Stayin' Alive' on Crystal/Kristen in Season 2, episode 5, "Two Truths and a Lie," airing in 2023.
Accolades
(*) indicates the list is unordered.
Charts
=Weekly charts=
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
{{col-2}}
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1989) !Peak |
| {{single chart|France|44|artist=Bee Gees|song=Stayin' Alive|rowheader=true|access-date=27 January 2014}} |
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (2012) !Peak |
| {{single chart|France|62|artist=Bee Gees|song=Stayin' Alive|rowheader=true|access-date=27 January 2014}} |
| scope="row"|Japan Hot 100 Singles
| 81 |
|---|
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (2014) !Peak |
| {{single chart|France|165|artist=Bee Gees|song=Stayin' Alive|rowheader=true|access-date=27 January 2014}} |
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (2020) !Peak |
| {{single chart|Billboarddanceelectronic|6|artist=Bee Gees|rowheader=true|access-date=22 December 2020}} |
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (2024) !Peak |
| {{single chart|Billboardglobal200|139|artist=Bee Gees|rowheader=true|access-date=9 January 2024}} |
| scope="row"| Greece International (IFPI){{cite web |title=IFPI Charts |url=https://www.ifpi.gr/digital_ien.html |access-date=10 January 2024|website=ifpi.gr |archive-date=10 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110203625/https://www.ifpi.gr/digital_iel.html}}
| 100 |
|---|
{{col-end}}
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (2021) !Position |
| scope="row"|US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard){{cite magazine |title= Year-End Charts: Hot Dance/Electronic Songs – 2021 |magazine= Billboard |date= 13 December 2013 |access-date= 3 December 2021 |url= https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2021/hot-dance-electronic-songs |archive-date= 2 December 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211202180657/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2021/hot-dance-electronic-songs/ |url-status= live }}
| 84 |
|---|
=All-time charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1958–2018) !Position |
| scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100{{cite magazine|title= Hot 100 60th Anniversary |magazine= Billboard |access-date= 22 February 2020 |url= https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100-60th-anniversary |archive-date= 3 August 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180803021324/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100-60th-anniversary |url-status= live}}
| 59 |
|---|
Certifications and sales
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Belgium|type=single|artist=Bee Gees|title=Stayin' Alive|nocert=true|certyear=1978|salesamount=90,000|salesref={{cite magazine |first= Nick |last= Robertshaw |title= 'Grease' in Europe Could Equal 'Fever' |magazine= Billboard |page= 56 |date= 16 September 1978 |access-date= 13 July 2019 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ICQEAAAAMBAJ&q=90,000&pg=PT71 |archive-date= 19 April 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220419140920/https://books.google.com/books?id=ICQEAAAAMBAJ&q=90,000&pg=PT71 |url-status= live }}}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|artist=Bee Gees|title=Stayin' Alive|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=1977|certyear=2024|access-date=10 June 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=single|artist=Bee Gees|title=Stayin' Alive|award=Platinum|certyear=1978}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|type=single|artist=Bee Gees|title=Stayin' Alive|award=Platinum|relyear=1977|certyear=2023|id=12215|access-date=16 March 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|type=single|artist=Bee Gees|title=Stayin' Alive|award=Gold|relyear=1978|certyear=1978|source=infodisc}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|type=single|artist=Bee Gees|title=Stayin' Alive|award=Gold|relyear=1977|certyear=2023|access-date=31 March 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=single|artist=Bee Gees|title=Stayin' Alive|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1977|certyear=2024|id=7007|access-date=12 August 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry |region=Spain|type=single|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1977|certyear=2024|artist=Bee Gees|title=Stayin' Alive|accessdate=22 April 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Bee Gees|title=Stayin' Alive|award=Silver|relyear=2008|certyear=2019|id=14956-1694-1|salesamount=800,000|note=1978 sales|salesref={{cite magazine |title= Economic Upsurge |magazine= Billboard |via= World Radio History |volume= 90 |issue= 12 |page= UK-30 |date= 25 March 1978 |access-date= 1 December 2021 |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1978/Billboard%201978-03-25.pdf |archive-date= 24 September 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210924164929/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1978/Billboard%201978-03-25.pdf |url-status= live }}|refname=BPI}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Bee Gees|title=Stayin' Alive|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2008|certyear=2023|access-date=1 April 2023|id=14956-1694-1|note=2008 release|refname=BPI1}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|artist=Bee Gee|title=Stayin_ Alive|award=Platinum|certyear=1978|salesamount=3,900,000|salesref=*{{cite magazine |first= Paul |last= Grein |title= Platinum 45s: New High |magazine= Billboard |date= 26 August 1978 |page= 114 |volume= 90 |issue= 34 |issn= 0006-2510 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=QSQEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22fitzgerald+says+stayin%27+alive%22&pg=PT142 |access-date= 27 October 2020 |archive-date= 19 April 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220419140920/https://books.google.com/books?id=QSQEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22fitzgerald+says+stayin%27+alive%22&pg=PT142 |url-status= live }}
- {{cite web |first= Paul |last= Grein |title= Week Ending May 27, 2012. Songs: Bieber's Transitional Hit |publisher= Chart Watch. Yahoo! Music |date= 4 May 2013 |access-date= 16 May 2014 |url= https://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/week-ending-may-27-2012-songs-bieber-transitional-054029489.html |archive-date= 4 May 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140504142941/https://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/week-ending-may-27-2012-songs-bieber-transitional-054029489.html |url-status= live }}}}
{{Certification Table Separator|title=Streaming}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Greece|artist=Bee Gees|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=1978|certyear=2024|certweek=1|id=20240110203625|access-date=10 January 2024}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|streamsonly=true}}
N-Trance version
{{Infobox song
| name = Stayin' Alive
| cover = Stayin' Alive (N-Trance cover).jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = N-Trance
| album = Electronic Pleasure
| released = {{start date|1995|9|4|df=y}}{{cite magazine|title= New Releases: Singles |magazine= Music Week |page= 31 |date= 2 September 1995}}
| recorded =
| studio = Marcus
| genre =
| length = 4:05
| label = All Around the World
| writer =
- Barry Gibb
- Robin Gibb
- Maurice Gibb
- Dale Longworth
- Kevin O'Toole
- Ricardo Lythe
| producer =
- Dale Longworth
- Kevin O'Toole
| prev_title = Set You Free
| prev_year = 1995
| next_title = Electronic Pleasure
| next_year = 1996
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|qiKOif0UKRM|"Stayin' Alive"}}}}
}}
In 1995, British electronic music group N-Trance recorded a dance version of "Stayin' Alive", with new lyrics and rapping by Ricardo da Force. This cover was released in September 1995 by All Around the World Productions as the third single from the group's debut album, Electronic Pleasure (1995). It reached number one on Australia's ARIA Singles Chart and Canada's RPM Dance/Urban chart. The song was also a major hit in Europe, reaching number two in Finland, Iceland, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, and peaking within the top five in several other countries. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Stayin' Alive" peaked at number three. Its music video was directed by Alex De Rakoff, featuring the group performing at a disco.
=Chart performance=
N-Trance's cover of "Stayin' Alive" peaked at number one in Australia and on the RPM Dance/Urban chart in Canada. In Europe, it peaked at number one in Scotland and reached number two in Finland, Iceland, Italy, Switzerland, and the UK. In the latter nation, the single peaked during its first week on the UK Singles Chart, on 10 September 1995. It also reached number-one on the RM UK on a Pop Tip Club Chart.{{cite magazine|title= The RM on a Pop Tip Club Chart |magazine= Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert) |page= 10 |date= 23 September 1995 |accessdate= 15 May 2021 |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1995/Music-Week-1995-09-23.pdf |archive-date= 12 May 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210512041736/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1995/Music-Week-1995-09-23.pdf |url-status= live}} It additionally entered the top 10 in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Spain, and Sweden, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it rose to number three.
Outside Europe, "Stayin' Alive" went to number three in New Zealand, number nine on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart in the United States, number 56 on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart in Canada, and number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single earned a gold record in France and Germany, a silver record in the UK, a platinum record in New Zealand, and a double-platinum record in Australia.
=Critical reception=
Larry Flick from Billboard commented, "U.K. import enthusiasts are already aware of this jumpy rap interpretation of the Bee Gees disco classic. Early radio reaction holds promise for a quick and successful ride up the Hot 100. There is not a whole lot of substance in TLK's rap [sic], but he certainly has a rousing, infectious style that makes the track spark. Singer Kelly Llorenna injects some bright diva flash during the bridge and chorus."{{cite magazine|first= Larry |last= Flick |author-link= Larry Flick |title= Reviews & Previews > New & Noteworthy |magazine= Billboard |date= 20 January 1996 |page= 70 |url= http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1996/BB-1996-01-20.pdf}} James Masterton for Dotmusic stated that N-Trance "take the song into a whole new dimension". He added, "This is no ordinary cover, this is a fantastic reinterpretation that only the bold would bet against being Number One next week."{{cite web |first= James |last= Masterton |author-link= James Masterton |title= Week Ending September 16th 1995 |website= Chart Watch UK |date= 10 September 1995 |access-date= 25 September 2021 |url= https://chart-watch.uk/archives/1995/week-ending-september-16th-1995 |archive-date= 25 September 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210925031055/https://chart-watch.uk/archives/1995/week-ending-september-16th-1995 |url-status= live }}
Ross Jones from The Guardian complimented the group's "knack for ingenious disco updates".{{cite news|first= Ross |last= Jones |title= Reviews: Album of the Week |newspaper= The Guardian |date= 11 November 1995 |page= 33}} A reviewer from Music Week rated the song three out of five, saying that rapper da Force "takes the mic for this radical reworking of the Bee Gees classic which isn't Euro enough to grab the same audience as their recent international hit 'Set You Free'".{{cite magazine|title= Reviews > Singles |magazine= Music Week |page= 16 |date= 26 August 1995 |access-date= 11 May 2021 |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1995/Music-Week-1995-08-26.pdf |archive-date= 11 May 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210511061114/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1995/Music-Week-1995-08-26.pdf |url-status= live}} James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update described it as a "jiggly rolling 0–106.4bpm chugger".{{cite magazine|first= James |last= Hamilton |author-link= James Hamilton (DJ and journalist) |title= DJ directory |magazine= Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert) |page= 11 |date= 2 September 1995 |accessdate= 15 May 2021 |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1995/Music-Week-1995-09-02.pdf |archive-date= 12 May 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210512030958/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1995/Music-Week-1995-09-02.pdf |url-status= live}}
=Music video=
A music video was made for "Stayin Alive", directed by British director Alex De Rakoff{{cite web|title= N-Trance: Stayin' alive |publisher= Mvdbase.com |access-date= 15 October 2018 |url= http://mvdbase.com/video.php?id=20677 |archive-date= 16 October 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181016032704/http://mvdbase.com/video.php?id=20677 |url-status= live}} and produced by Spidercom Films.{{cite web|title=N_Trance - Stayin' Alive music video|publisher=Eurokdj.com|access-date=15 October 2018|url=https://www.eurokdj.com/search/video.php?id=157}} It features N-Trance performing the song at a 1970s disco.
=Track listing=
{{Track listing
| headline = CD single, UK (1995)
| title1 = Stayin' Alive
| note1 = Radio Version
| length1 = 4:05
| title2 = I Will Take You There
| note2 =
| length2 = 3:59
| title3 = Turn Up The Power
| note3 = Dark Mix
| length3 = 5:06
| title4 = Stayin' Alive
| note4 = Extended Mix
| length4 = 6:05
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = CD maxi, US (1995)
| title1 = Stayin' Alive
| note1 = Radio Version
| length1 = 4:05
| title2 = Stayin' Alive
| note2 = Extended Mix
| length2 = 6:04
| title3 = Set U Free
| note3 = Pop Mix
| length3 = 4:06
| title4 = Set U Free
| note4 = Nymphomaniac
| length4 = 5:14
}}
=Charts=
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
==Weekly charts==
{{col-2}}
==Year-end charts==
==Decade-end charts==
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Decade-end chart performance for "Stayin' Alive" !Chart (1990–1999) !Position |
| scope="row"|Canada (Nielsen SoundScan){{cite web|first= Nanda |last= Lwin |title= Top 100 singles of the 1990s |publisher= Jam! |url= http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/100_1990.html |archive-date= 29 August 2000 |access-date= 26 March 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20000829070927/http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/100_1990.html}}
| 15 |
|---|
{{col-end}}
=Certifications=
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|artist=N-Trance|title=Stayin' Alive|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1995|certyear=1995|certref={{cite web|title= 1995 ARIA Singles Chart |publisher= ARIA |access-date= 24 October 2018 |url= https://www.ariacharts.com.au/annual-charts/1995/singles-chart |archive-date= 20 November 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181120031229/https://www.ariacharts.com.au/annual-charts/1995/singles-chart |url-status= live}}|access-date=24 October 2018}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|type=single|artist=N?Trance|title=Staying Alive|award=Gold|relyear=1995|certyear=1997|access-date=12 November 2018}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|type=single|artist=N-Trance|title=Stayin' Alive|award=Gold|relyear=1995|certyear=1995|access-date=2 November 2018}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=single|artist=N-Trance|title=Stayin' Alive|award=Platinum|relyear=1995|id=1995-12-01|source=newchart|access-date=20 November 2024|certyear=1995}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=N-Trance|title=Stayin' Alive|award=Silver|relyear=1995|certyear=1995|id=6267-1972-1|access-date=24 October 2018}}
{{Certification Table Bottom}}
"Stayin' Alive" (Serban mix)
{{Infobox song
| name = Stayin' Alive (Serban mix)
| type = single
| artist = Bee Gees
| album =
| released = {{Start date|2017|2|10|df=y}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length = {{Duration|m=4|s=57}}
| label = Capitol
| writer = *Barry Gibb
| producer = Bee Gees
| prev_title = If I Can't Have You (The Disco Boys remixes)
| prev_year = 2007
| next_title = More Than a Woman (SG's Paradise remix)
| next_year = 2021
| misc = {{External music video|header=Audio|{{YouTube|2FbFzIWGYWw|"Stayin' Alive" (Serban mix)}}}}
}}
On 10 February 2017, Capitol Records released a new version of the song entitled "Stayin' Alive (Serban mix)". The song was mixed by Șerban Ghenea from "hi-resolution audio files" from the original recording session of "Stayin' Alive", and it was mastered by Tom Coyne.{{cite web|title= Stayin' Alive Remix |website= Beegees.com |date= 3 February 2017 |access-date= 14 February 2017 |url= http://www.beegees.com/new-staying-alive-mix-released/ |archive-date= 13 February 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170213164026/http://www.beegees.com/new-staying-alive-mix-released/ |url-status= live}} The single was released to mark the 40th anniversary of the Saturday Night Fever (1977) soundtrack.{{cite web|title= Bee Gees : Serban remixe "Stayin' Alive" pour le 40e anniversaire de "Saturday Night Fever" |publisher= Universal Music Group |access-date= 14 February 2017 |url= http://www.universalmusic.fr/4057-bee-gees-serban-remixe-stayin-alive-pour-le-40e-anniversaire-de-saturday-night-fever.html |archive-date= 13 February 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170213090238/http://www.universalmusic.fr/4057-bee-gees-serban-remixe-stayin-alive-pour-le-40e-anniversaire-de-saturday-night-fever.html |url-status= live |language= fr}}
=Track listing=
- Digital download{{cite web|title= Stayin' Alive (Serban Mix) – Single |publisher= iTunes |access-date= 14 February 2017 |url= https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/stayin-alive-serban-mix-single/id1202261274 |archive-date= 13 February 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170213001905/https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/stayin-alive-serban-mix-single/id1202261274 |url-status= dead}}
- "Stayin' Alive" (Serban mix) – 4:57
Other media
Greek singer Bessy Argyraki released a Greek language version of the song called "Pio Dynata" in the 1970's.
The song is used in the 1980 comedy film Airplane!. During a bar-room fight, the song accidentally starts playing on a jukebox, turning the scene into a parody of Saturday Night Fever.{{cite book |first= Alex |last= Clayton |year= 2020 |title= Funny How? Sketch Comedy and the Art of Humor |chapter= Takeoffs |page= 49 |publisher= State University of New York Press |isbn= 9781438478302 |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=tLbrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA49 |access-date= 1 May 2022 |archive-date= 1 May 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220501012134/https://books.google.com/books?id=tLbrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA49 |url-status= live }} Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker sped the track up by 10% in the film, and had to get permission from the Gibb brothers to do so.{{cite web |first= Rob |last= Hunter |title= 31 Things We Learned from the 'Airplane!' Commentary |website= Film School Rejects |date= 28 July 2020 |access-date= 1 May 2022 |url= https://filmschoolrejects.com/airplane-commentary/ |archive-date= 19 April 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220419140746/https://filmschoolrejects.com/airplane-commentary/ |url-status= live }}
In the BBC show Sherlock, it is a ringtone of Jim Moriarty, in its series two premiere on New Year's Day, 2012. It is also heard in the series two finale, when Moriarty tells Sherlock that their final problem is 'Stayin' Alive', whilst playing the song on his phone.{{cite news|first= Curt |last= Wagner |title= 'Sherlock' Season 2: Steven Moffat talks Holmes, Moriarty and 'Stayin' Alive' |newspaper= Chicago Tribune |date= 3 May 2012 |access-date= 25 April 2017 |url= http://www.chicagotribune.com/redeye/redeye-sherlock-season-2-steven-moffat-interview-tv-20120503-story.html |archive-date= 26 April 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170426060526/http://www.chicagotribune.com/redeye/redeye-sherlock-season-2-steven-moffat-interview-tv-20120503-story.html |url-status= live}}
In 2010, Kingsley and Perdomo released a country version of the song with a prominent banjo part playing the riff. It is featured on their album "Fake Smiles"
A Japanese language cover version by Avu-chan appeared on the soundtrack to the 2022 film, Bullet Train.{{cite web |title=Bullet Train (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/stayin-alive/1636975493?i=1636975514 |website=music.apple.com}}{{cite web |title=The Music of 'Bullet Train' Delivers Mayhem to Match Brad Pitt Thriller |url=https://variety.com/2022/artisans/news/bullet-train-music-brad-pitt-1235334094/ |website=variety.com|date=5 August 2022 }}
See also
- List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1970s
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1978
- List of Cash Box Top 100 number-one singles of 1978
- List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1978
- List of European number-one hits of 1978
- List of number-one hits of 1978 (Italy)
- List of number-one singles of 1978 (Canada)
- List of number-one singles of 1978 (France)
- List of number-one hits of 1978 (Mexico)
- List of number-one singles in 1978 (New Zealand)
- Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
- Statue of Bee Gees (Douglas, Isle of Man), inspired by the song's music video
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://beegeesstayingalive.com Bee Gees Stayin' Alive Fansite]
- [https://www.wow-vinyl.com/thesingle.asp?c=21&d=96 Stayin' Alive – The Story Behind the Song at Wow-Vinyl]
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5hP4DIBCEE CPR video featuring Stayin' Alive] with Ken Jeong from the American Heart Association
{{Saturday Night Fever soundtrack}}
{{Bee Gees}}
{{Bee Gees singles}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:All Around the World Productions singles
Category:Capitol Records singles
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Cashbox number-one singles
Category:Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles
Category:Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices
Category:Music videos directed by Alex De Rakoff
Category:Music videos directed by Bruce Gowers
Category:Number-one singles in Australia
Category:Number-one singles in Italy
Category:Number-one singles in Mexico
Category:Number-one singles in Scotland
Category:Number-one singles in South Africa
Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand
Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Category:Song recordings produced by Albhy Galuten
Category:Songs from Saturday Night Fever
Category:Songs written by Barry Gibb
Category:Songs written by Maurice Gibb