"Wouldn't I Be Someone" is a song by the Bee Gees. It was released on 22 June 1973 in the United Kingdom and in July 1973 in the United States. The photo on the cover of the single was also used on ''

Best of Bee Gees, Volume 2 ''Best of Bee Gees Vol. 2'' is a compilation album of hits by the Bee Gees released in 1973. The album, briefly revived on CD in the late 1980s, went out of print, but was reissued by Rhino in November 2008. Whereas the original '' Best of Bee ...

''.

Background

"Wouldn't I Be Someone" was recorded around October 1972 in

The Record Plant The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...

Studios in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. The long chorus, extended by an instrumental section of the song is their new idea and was reminiscent to their 1969 song "

Odessa (City on the Black Sea) "Odessa (City on the Black Sea)" is a song by the English rock band the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb in 1968 and released in early 1969. The song opened the album of the same name. The song was recorded twice. The first vers ...

", but the difference between the two is when

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

was added to this song. According to '' Billboard'', the lyrics regard the "dreams of a loser hoping to find himself through love."

Reception

'' Cash Box'' said that the song "continues in the same warm and sincere Bee-Gee style that has produced hit after hit for this super talented family of stars." '' Record World'' predicted that "This gorgeous item is destined for top ten and add to their gold stock." Although the single failed to chart in United States, it was a No. 1 hit in Hong Kong and in Costa Rica, and reached No. 17 in Italy. Originally released on ''

'' with an extended version timed at 5:31, it was noted for its lush symphony orchestra arrangement and bluesy guitar solo by

Alan Kendall Alan Kendall (born 9 September 1944) is an English musician and was the lead guitarist for the Bee Gees, in an unofficial capacity from 1971 until 1980, and again from 1987 until 2001. Career His first recording was "Don't Play That Song (You ...

. The single was shortened to a running time of 3:30 with the B-side of "Elisa". Both songs had been intended for an album called '' A Kick in the Head Is Worth Eight in the Pants''. Producer

Robert Stigwood Robert Colin Stigwood (16 April 1934 – 4 January 2016) was an Australian-born British-resident music entrepreneur, film producer and impresario, best known for managing Cream (band), Cream, Andy Gibb and the Bee Gees, theatrical productions ...

refused to release the album, citing it as not commercial enough for sales. It was followed by the more R&B flavored '' Mr. Natural'', produced by legendary

Arif Mardin Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for o ...

. Despite the lack of chart success in the US, ''Billboard'' praised the song as having many melodic and lyrical

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

s. "Elisa" was chosen as the B-side of this single elsewhere, "King and Country" was chosen only in Germany. The album on which the song originally appeared '' A Kick in the Head Is Worth Eight in the Pants'', was released as a bootleg in Malaysia on

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States ...

. Two days before the Bee Gees' concert in

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...

in the UK, the song released as a single on 22 June in that country, but their performance was postponed.

Personnel

Barry Gibb Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popula ...

–

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

, harmony and backing vocals, acoustic guitar * Robin Gibb – lead, harmony and backing vocals *

Maurice Gibb Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician. He achieved fame as a member of the pop group Bee Gees. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb were the group's main lea ...

– harmony and backing vocals,

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, acoustic guitar *

–

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Dow ...

– drums *

Jimmie Haskell Jimmie Haskell (born Sheridan Pearlman, November 7, 1926 – February 4, 2016) was an American composer and arranger for motion pictures and a wide variety of popular artists, including Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Steely ...

– orchestral arrangement

Chart positions

References

{{Bee Gees singles Bee Gees songs Songs written by Barry Gibb Songs written by Maurice Gibb Songs written by Robin Gibb 1973 singles 1973 songs RSO Records singles Song recordings produced by Barry Gibb Song recordings produced by Robin Gibb Song recordings produced by Maurice Gibb