"Only One Woman" is a song and the first single by English musical duo the Marbles, written by Barry, Robin and

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 ...

of the Bee Gees. It later also appeared on their self-titled album ''The Marbles''.

Recording and reception

It was recorded around July 1968 in

IBC Studios The IBC Recording Studios were independent recording studios located at 35 Portland Place in London, England. In the 1960s and 1970s, the studios become internationally famous after being used by recording artists like the Kinks, the Who, Bee Gee ...

, London. The backing track was created by

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 ...

and

Colin Petersen Frederick Colin Petersen (born 24 March 1946) is an Australian drummer, record producer and former child actor. He played as a member of the bands Steve and the Board, the Bee Gees and Humpy Bong. In August 1969, he left the Bee Gees and he wa ...

, with an orchestral arrangement by Bill Shepherd. Colin plays the same percussion effect as on "

I've Gotta Get a Message to You "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" is a song by the Bee Gees. Released as a single on 1968, it was their second number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, and their first US Top 10 hit. Barry Gibb re-recorded the song with Keith Urban for his 202 ...

". The song exists only in a mono mix. The song was the biggest hit they had in their short-lived career. It entered the UK chart at number 24 and eventually peaked at number five on 2 November 1968. In the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, it reached number three. Their performance in a French TV of the song was televised on 192TV.

Personnel

Graham Bonnet Graham Bonnet (born 23 December 1947) is an English rock singer. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri. ...

–

lead vocal The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

Trevor Gordon Trevor Gordon Grunnill (19 May 1948 – 10 January 2013) was a British-Australian singer, songwriter and musician. He was a member of the late-1960s group the Marbles, whose biggest hit was the UK No. 5 "Only One Woman". Early life Gordo ...

–

backing vocal A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

– bass,

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 ...

– drums *Bill Shepherd – orchestral arrangement

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

*The Bee Gees recorded their own version for inclusion on their album '' Main Course''. It featured lead vocals by Barry but was finally not released. *

Nigel Olsson Nigel Olsson (born 10 February 1949) is an English rock drummer and singer best known for his long-time affiliation with Elton John. A dynamic drummer and backing vocalist, Olsson helped establish the Elton John sound as a member of the Elton J ...

, recently released from Elton John's band as their drummer, released his second self-titled studio album. This album included a cover of "Only One Woman", which was also released as a single. *

Alcatrazz Alcatrazz is a heavy metal band formed in 1983 by Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo, and Gary Shea. Following an internal disagreement and split in 2020, there are currently two separate and distinct Alcatrazz line-ups, one featuring Bonnet, and an ...

with Graham Bonnet himself, re-recorded the song on their third album, '' Dangerous Games'', released in 1986. * Alien, a Swedish rock band with Jim Jidhed as lead vocalist, reached number one in Sweden with their cover version. It was also covered by

Declan Galbraith Declan John Galbraith (born 19 December 1991) is a British musician. He is best known for his 2002 hit single, " Tell Me Why", which peaked at #29 in the UK Singles Chart. Early life Galbraith was born on 19 December 1991, in Hoo St Werburg ...

on his "Thank You" album and by German actor and singer

Uwe Ochsenknecht Uwe Adam Ochsenknecht (; born 7 January 1956) is a German actor and singer. Career Films Ochsenknecht has starred in include '' Das Boot'' (1981), ''Schtonk!'' (1992), and the TV miniseries '' Frank Herbert's Dune'' (2000). In the early 1990 ...

(simply billed as "Ochsenknecht") in 1992. *Czech singer

Lucie Bílá Lucie Bílá (born April 7, 1966 as ''Hana Zaňáková'') is a Czech pop singer. According to her label, EMI Czech Republic, the singer has sold over one million albums. She won the Czech musical award, Český slavík 13 times, the highest ...

covered the song as "Zpíváš mi Requiem", which became a moderately successful hit in the Czech Republic in that year.

References

{{Authority control 1968 songs 1968 debut singles The Marbles (duo) songs Nigel Olsson songs Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in South Africa Polydor Records singles Song recordings produced by Barry Gibb Song recordings produced by Maurice Gibb Song recordings produced by Robert Stigwood Songs written by Barry Gibb Songs written by Maurice Gibb Songs written by Robin Gibb