How Deep Is Your Love
Encyclopedia
"How Deep Is Your Love" is a pop song recorded by the Bee Gees
in 1977 and released as a single in September. Originally intended for Yvonne Elliman
, it was ultimately used as part of the soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever
. It was a number three hit in the United Kingdom and Australia. In the United States, it topped the Billboard Hot 100
on 24 December 1977 (becoming the first of six consecutive US number-one hits) and stayed in the Top 10 for a then-record 17 weeks. The single spent six weeks atop the US adult contemporary chart
. It is listed at # 20 on Billboard's All Time Top 100. Alongside "Stayin' Alive
", it is one of the group's two tracks on the list. The song was covered by Take That
for their 1996 Greatest Hits
album, reaching number-one on the UK Singles Chart
for three weeks.
In 1983, The Bee Gees were sued by a Chicago songwriter, Ronald Selle, who claimed that the Gibb brothers stole melodic material from one of his songs, "Let It End", and used it in "How Deep Is Your Love". At first, The Bee Gees lost the case; one juror said that a factor in the jury's decision was the Gibbs' failure to introduce expert testimony rebutting the plaintiff's expert testimony that it was "impossible" for the two songs to have been written independently. However, the verdict was overturned a few months later.
The song was ranked #366 on Rolling Stone
's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
" video. A second video was later made in which the brothers sing while passing by a stream of rainbow lights. In this video Barry Gibb is bearded.
The song also received a nomination for Best Original Song
at the 35th Golden Globe awards held on 28 January 1978. The award went to You Light Up My Life
. At the time of both award ceremonies, the song was still in the Top 10 on the Billboard
Hot 100 chart.
compilation in 1996. The single went on to become what was to be the band's final UK number one until their 2006 comeback single Patience
a decade later. The song stayed at number one in the UK charts for three weeks. The single sold 671,000 copies and has received a Platinum sales status certification in the UK. The song also topped the charts in Denmark, Ireland, Italy and Spain.
saw the four members of the band tied to chairs and in a basement. A blonde woman with smeared mascara
(actress and model Paula Hamilton
) walks into the basement and circles the four members individually pulling their hair. She then puts them all into her van and drives down the motorway. She stops by a reservoir and has the four members placed on the edge, she points at each member before grabbing Gary
's rope and pushes him back still holding on. Her fingers slip through the rope and he falls backwards, the others look shocked as she does. She then smirks.
UK CD Single #1 (74321 35591 2)
UK CD Single #2 (74321 35631 2)
EU CD Single #1 (74321 35243 2)
EU CD Single #2 (74321 35244 2)
Japanese CD Single (BVCP-2406)
UK 7" Viynl - Jukebox Release Only (74321 35632 2)
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
in 1977 and released as a single in September. Originally intended for Yvonne Elliman
Yvonne Elliman
Yvonne Marianne Elliman is an American singer who performed for four years in the first cast of Jesus Christ Superstar...
, it was ultimately used as part of the soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 drama film directed by John Badham and starring: John Travolta as Tony Manero, an immature young man whose weekends are spent visiting a local Brooklyn discothèque; Karen Lynn Gorney as his dance partner and eventual friend; and Donna Pescow as Tony's former dance...
. It was a number three hit in the United Kingdom and Australia. In the United States, it topped the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
on 24 December 1977 (becoming the first of six consecutive US number-one hits) and stayed in the Top 10 for a then-record 17 weeks. The single spent six weeks atop the US adult contemporary chart
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
. It is listed at # 20 on Billboard's All Time Top 100. Alongside "Stayin' Alive
Stayin' Alive
"Stayin' Alive" is a song by the pop group Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack. The song was written by the Bee Gees and produced by the Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson. It was released on 13 December 1977, as the second single from the Saturday Night Fever...
", it is one of the group's two tracks on the list. The song was covered by Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
for their 1996 Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Take That album)
Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits compilation album released by British boyband Take That and has sold 5 million copies to date worldwide.-Background:...
album, reaching number-one on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
for three weeks.
In 1983, The Bee Gees were sued by a Chicago songwriter, Ronald Selle, who claimed that the Gibb brothers stole melodic material from one of his songs, "Let It End", and used it in "How Deep Is Your Love". At first, The Bee Gees lost the case; one juror said that a factor in the jury's decision was the Gibbs' failure to introduce expert testimony rebutting the plaintiff's expert testimony that it was "impossible" for the two songs to have been written independently. However, the verdict was overturned a few months later.
The song was ranked #366 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Music video
Two music videos were made for this song. In one, the brothers are singing while an image of a woman shows throughout the video. Barry Gibb had his beard shaven off in this video, as in the "Night FeverNight Fever
"Night Fever" is a disco song, written and performed by The Bee Gees. It first appeared on the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever. Producer Robert Stigwood wanted to call the film Saturday Night, but singer Robin Gibb expressed hesitation at the title. Stigwood liked the title Night Fever but was...
" video. A second video was later made in which the brothers sing while passing by a stream of rainbow lights. In this video Barry Gibb is bearded.
Awards
The song won Best Pop Performance by a Group at the 20th Grammy Awards which were held on 23 February 1978.The song also received a nomination for Best Original Song
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.-1960s:...
at the 35th Golden Globe awards held on 28 January 1978. The award went to You Light Up My Life
You Light Up My Life (song)
Many artists have covered "You Light Up My Life" since 1977. The following year, Johnny Mathis recorded and named his album after the song. LeAnn Rimes released her version as a single in 1997, 20 years after Boone's version was released and on the same record label . Her version fared modestly...
. At the time of both award ceremonies, the song was still in the Top 10 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100 chart.
Chart performance (1977/1978)
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia | 3 |
| Austria | 13 |
| Belgium | 6 |
| Brazil | 1 |
| Canada | 1 |
| Chile | 1 |
| Finland | 1 |
| France | 1 |
| Germany | 21 |
| Ireland | 2 |
| New Zealand | 6 |
| Norway | 5 |
| South Africa | 2 |
| Spain | 7 |
| Sweden | 4 |
| United Kingdom | 3 |
| United States | 1 |
| Netherlands | 15 |
Take That version
Take That's version was released as a single from their Greatest HitsGreatest Hits (Take That album)
Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits compilation album released by British boyband Take That and has sold 5 million copies to date worldwide.-Background:...
compilation in 1996. The single went on to become what was to be the band's final UK number one until their 2006 comeback single Patience
Patience (Take That song)
"Patience" is a song by British boy band Take That. It was released on 13 November 2006 as the first single from their comeback album Beautiful World...
a decade later. The song stayed at number one in the UK charts for three weeks. The single sold 671,000 copies and has received a Platinum sales status certification in the UK. The song also topped the charts in Denmark, Ireland, Italy and Spain.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
saw the four members of the band tied to chairs and in a basement. A blonde woman with smeared mascara
Mascara
Mascara is a cosmetic commonly used to enhance the eyes. It may darken, thicken, lengthen, and/or define the eyelashes. Normally in one of three forms—liquid, cake, or cream—the modern mascara product has various formulas; however, all contain the same basic components of pigments, oils, waxes, and...
(actress and model Paula Hamilton
Paula Hamilton
Paula Hamilton is an English model, best known for her appearance in the classic 1987 Mk II Volkswagen Golf TV advert "Changes"...
) walks into the basement and circles the four members individually pulling their hair. She then puts them all into her van and drives down the motorway. She stops by a reservoir and has the four members placed on the edge, she points at each member before grabbing Gary
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...
's rope and pushes him back still holding on. Her fingers slip through the rope and he falls backwards, the others look shocked as she does. She then smirks.
Track listing
UK Cassette Single (74321 35591 5)- "How Deep Is Your Love" - 3:41
- "Never Forget" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 7:38
UK CD Single #1 (74321 35591 2)
- "How Deep Is Your Love" - 3:41
- "Every Guy" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 5:36
- "Lady Tonight" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 4:13
- "Sunday To Saturday" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 3:48
UK CD Single #2 (74321 35631 2)
- "How Deep Is Your Love" - 3:41
- "Back For Good" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 7:06
- "Babe" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 6:10
- "Never Forget" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 7:38
EU CD Single #1 (74321 35243 2)
- "How Deep Is Your Love" - 3:41
- "Back For Good" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 7:06
EU CD Single #2 (74321 35244 2)
- "How Deep Is Your Love" - 3:41
- "Back For Good" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 7:06
- "Every Guy" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 5:36
Japanese CD Single (BVCP-2406)
- "How Deep Is Your Love" - 3:41
- "Every Guy" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 5:36
- "Babe" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 6:10
- "Back For Good" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 7:06
UK 7" Viynl - Jukebox Release Only (74321 35632 2)
- "How Deep Is Your Love" - 3:41
- "Never Forget" (Live From Earls Court & Manchester Nynex) - 7:38
Chart performance
| Chart (1996) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 12 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 7 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders) | 5 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Walonia) | 4 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
80 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 7 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 2 |
| German Singles Chart | 7 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
1 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Latvian Singles Chart Latvia Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden... |
1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 6 |
| Spanish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 7 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 5 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
1 |
| End of year chart (1996) | Position |
|---|---|
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart | 44 |
| Belgian (Walonia) Singles Chart | 35 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 23 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 30 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... (1996 Year-End) |
12 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | Platinum | 1 March 1996 | 600,000 |