Wikipedia

Ordinary Lives

For the social history series of the same name, see Clive Murphy.

"Ordinary Lives" is a song by the Bee Gees from their 16th studio album One, released on 27 March 1989 by Warner Records as the album's first single. It was written by the group and they produced it with Brian Tench. Following the premature death of their younger brother Andy Gibb in 1988, the Bee Gees dedicated this song and their new album to him. Originally the song was titled "Cruel World" but was later changed to "Ordinary Lives". The song reached the top 10 in Switzerland (number 9) and Germany (number 8), and hit the top 40 in some European countries except France and the UK, where it peaked at number 49 and 54 respectively.[1]

"Ordinary Lives"
Single by Bee Gees
from the album One
B-side"Wing and a Prayer"
Released27 March 1989
RecordedApril 1988
GenrePop
Length4:01
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb
Producer(s)Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Brian Tench
Bee Gees singles chronology
"E.S.P."
(1987) 		"Ordinary Lives"
(1989) 		"One"
(1989)

Composition and inspiration

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Scott Glasel recalled that "Ordinary Lives" was started before Andy died, but as completed it seems to be a philosophical comment on life and death. For a time it was called "Cruel World", a phrase heard at the start of the second verse as complete. The rhythm has some similarity to "You Win Again" and may have been a deliberate attempt to follow it up, but it has many new features, including the brief spoken word parts and the existential musings of the lyrics, something often associated with Robin but clearly here coming from Barry. The finished recording probably has added dubs by the musicians who worked on the album One.[2]

Barry Gibb performed this song in the 2013 Mythology Tour, accompanied by his son Stephen Gibb and Maurice's daughter Samantha "Sammy" Gibb. He still used the backing vocal effect from the last part of the original record.[citation needed]

Music video

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The music video for the song was filmed in Los Angeles, California and received heavy airplay from 1989 to 1990. It shows the Bee Gees and their backing band consisting of Alan Kendall (guitar), with guests Nathan East (bass), and Alex Acuña (drums) in a dark studio performing the song, intersped with scenes of everyday life and an archival footage of the 1929 Wall Street Crash.

Personnel

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Bee Gees
Additional musicians

Charts

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Chart performance for "Ordinary Lives"
Chart (1989) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[3] 19
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[4] 22
France (SNEP)[5] 49
Germany (GfK)[6] 8
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[7] 23
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[8] 27
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[9] 9
UK Singles (OCC)[10] 54

References

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  1. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 51. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^ "Gibb Songs : 1988". Columbia.edu. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
  3. ^ "Bee Gees – Ordinary Lives" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Bee Gees – Ordinary Lives" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Bee Gees – Ordinary Lives" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Bee Gees – Ordinary Lives" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 19, 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Bee Gees – Ordinary Lives" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Bee Gees – Ordinary Lives". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
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