"Stayin' Alive" is a song written and performed by the
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees
were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...
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
''Saturday Night Fever'' is a 1977 American Dance in film, dance Drama (film and television), drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian Americans, Italian-America ...
'' soundtrack. The band wrote the song and co-produced it with
Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson. It is one of the Bee Gees'
signature song
A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...
s. In 2004, "Stayin' Alive" was placed at No. 189 by ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' 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''.
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
''Saturday Night Fever'' is a 1977 American Dance in film, dance Drama (film and television), drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian Americans, Italian-America ...
''. In the United States, it would become the second of six consecutive number-one singles, tying the record with
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
for most consecutive number ones in the United States at the time (a record broken by
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...
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
The Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices was awarded from 1977 to 1986. From 1977 to 1981 it was called the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement for Voices. The award is presented to the arranger of the music.
Years refle ...
, alongside 3 other wins at that ceremony, including
Album of The Year.
Writing and recording
The
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
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
disco
Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
mania.
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
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
by the
Bay City Rollers
The Bay City Rollers are a Scottish pop rock band known for their worldwide teen idol popularity, as a band in the 1970s. One of many 70s acts heralded as the "biggest group since the Beatles", they were called the "tartan teen sensations fro ...
, so when we rewrote it for the movie, we called it 'Stayin' Alive'." 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.
Several words from
Robin Gibb's
Concorde
Concorde () is a retired Anglo-French supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).
Studies started in 1954, and France and the United Kingdom signed a treaty establishin ...
ticket inspired the Gibbs 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".
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
Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician and songwriter. He achieved global fame as a member of the Bee Gees pop group. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb wer ...
laying down a bass line similar to the guitar riff, Barry Gibb and
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 (Yo ...
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
Dennis Ronald Bryon (14 April 1949 – 14 November 2024) was a Welsh rock drummer from Cardiff, best known for his work with the Bee Gees from 1974 to 1980. Bryon and Ringo Starr are the only drummers to have five songs in the top ten Billboard ...
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
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...
, 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
Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul, funk and jazz musician. He is known for his precise time-keeping and his signature use of Tuplet, triplets against a half-time backbeat: the P ...
). Lupe became a highly sought-after drummer—until it was discovered that he did not exist.
Albhy Galuten talks about the recording of "Stayin' Alive":
In their work together, Gibb and Galuten had tried playing with a
click track
A click track is a series of audio cues used to synchronize sound recordings, sometimes for synchronization to a Film, moving image. The click track originated in early sound movies, where optical marks were made on the film to indicate precise ...
as Galuten explained:
Release
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
''Saturday Night Fever'' is a 1977 American Dance in film, dance Drama (film and television), drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian Americans, Italian-America ...
'', 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
Andrew Roy Gibb (5 March 1958 – 10 March 1988) was an English singer and songwriter. He was the younger brother of Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, musicians who had formed the Bee Gees during the late 1950s. Andy G ...
'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
Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Along with his younger fraternal twin brothers, Robin Gibb, Robin and Maurice Gibb, Maurice, he rose to global fame as a member ...
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
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
of the "Stayin' Alive" single. The brothers' version has since appeared on CD in hits compilations.
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...
commented about this song saying: "The great thing about 'Stayin' Alive' is that it had a great
guitar
The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
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 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
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' magazine reviewed the single calling it one of the Bee Gees best songs and an "almost irresistible dance tune." A reviewer from ''
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' 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." ''
Record World
''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...
'' called it "a pulsing, rather ominous dance tune."
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
Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights, Californi ...
, 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
''The Three Musketeers'' () is a French historical adventure novel written and published in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is the first of the author's three d'Artagnan Romances. As with some of his other works, he wrote it in col ...
'' 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!
''That's Entertainment!'' is a 1974 American compilation film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to celebrate the studio's 50th anniversary. The success of the retrospective prompted a 1976 sequel, the related 1985 film ''That's Dancing!'', and ...
'' with
Fred Astaire. 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
The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...
operated several lines from
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal station, terminal located at 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
during the 20th century until 1969.
Personnel
Credits.
*
Barry Gibb
Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Along with his younger fraternal twin brothers, Robin Gibb, Robin and Maurice Gibb, Maurice, he rose to global fame as a member ...
–
lead
Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...
and
harmony
In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...
vocals,
rhythm guitar
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a guitar technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse (music), pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., d ...
*
Robin Gibb – lead and harmony vocals
*
Maurice Gibb
Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician and songwriter. He achieved global fame as a member of the Bee Gees pop group. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb wer ...
– harmony and backing vocals,
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Wood
* Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
*
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 (Yo ...
–
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 featur ...
*
Blue Weaver –
keyboards
*Bernard Lupe (
Dennis Bryon
Dennis Ronald Bryon (14 April 1949 – 14 November 2024) was a Welsh rock drummer from Cardiff, best known for his work with the Bee Gees from 1974 to 1980. Bryon and Ringo Starr are the only drummers to have five songs in the top ten Billboard ...
) –
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
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure used during Cardiac arrest, cardiac or Respiratory arrest, respiratory arrest that involves chest compressions, often combined with artificial ventilation, to preserve brain function ...
(CPR). The song has around 103
beats per minute
Beat, beats, or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact
* Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact
* Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...
, and 100–120 chest compressions per minute are recommended for CPR. According to
the BMJ
''The BMJ'' is a fortnightly peer-reviewed medical journal, published by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, which in turn is wholly-owned by the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world ...
, the song "doubles as a metronome for correct cardiac compression rate". Using the song has been found to improve memory retention for CPR skills during the months after training.
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
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
's "
Another One Bites the Dust
"Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the British Rock music, rock band Queen (band), Queen. Written by bassist John Deacon, the song was featured on the group's eighth studio album ''The Game (Queen album), The Game'' (1980). It was a worl ...
" or a traditional
metronome
A metronome () is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a uniform interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats per minute (BPM). Metronomes may also include synchronized visual motion, such as a swinging pendulum ...
was more effective.
The original idea has been attributed to Alson Inaba, a Hawaiian emergency medicine physician. The song was featured in an educational campaign by the
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate Heart, cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability ...
, which included a video and a multi-city tour to promote CPR. The video featured actor and medical doctor
Ken Jeong in the classic
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. List of awards and nominations received by John Travolta, His accolades include a Primetime Em ...
outfit from ''
Saturday Night Fever
''Saturday Night Fever'' is a 1977 American Dance in film, dance Drama (film and television), drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian Americans, Italian-America ...
''.
Vinnie Jones
Vincent Peter Jones (born 5 January 1965) is an English actor, presenter, and former professional footballer.
Jones played professionally as a defensive midfielder from 1984 to 1999, notably for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, C ...
starred in the British version of this CPR video in association with the
British Heart Foundation shown on TV in January 2012. As any song with the correct tempo can be helpful, one hospital put together a
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
playlist, including "Stayin' Alive" and dozens of other songs that have about 100
bpm.
The concept of using "Stayin' Alive" for CPR was parodied in the Season 5 episode of comedy series ''
The Office
''The Office'' is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as '' The Office'' in 2001. The original series also starred Gervais as manager and primary charac ...
'' "
Stress Relief" and the song itself was used in a
season 11 episode of the medical drama ''
Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...
'' in 2015. 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
Year-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications and sales
N-Trance version
In 1995, British electronic music group
N-Trance
N-Trance () are a British electronic music group who were formed by Kevin O'Toole and Dale Longworth in 1990. The group is known for their European hit songs " Set You Free" and " Electronic Pleasure", and their covers of the 1970s disco songs " ...
recorded a dance version of "Stayin' Alive", with new lyrics and rapping by
Ricardo da Force
Jervis Ricardo Alfonso Lyte (30 April 1967 – 8 March 2013), known professionally as Ricardo da Force, was an English vocalist, rapper, and DJ, most notable for contributing vocals to house and dance music tracks of The KLF and N-Trance. He got ...
. 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
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines.
One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...
''
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
The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by ''Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately f ...
, "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 two Canadian charts: the ''
RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines.
One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...
''
Dance
Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
chart and ''
The Record''s singles chart. In Europe, it peaked at number one in Scotland and reached number two in Finland, Iceland, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In the UK, 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.
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
The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by ''Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately f ...
, where it rose to number three.
Outside Europe, "Stayin' Alive" went to number three in New Zealand, number nine on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
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 ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...
. The single earned a
gold record
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
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
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' commented, "U.K. import enthusiasts are already aware of this jumpy
rap interpretation of the
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees
were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...
disco
Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
classic. Early radio reaction holds promise for a quick and successful ride up the
Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...
. There is not a whole lot of substance in
TLK's rap
ic 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."
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."
Ross Jones from ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' complimented the group's "knack for ingenious disco updates". A reviewer from ''
Music Week
''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future.
History
Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...
'' 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'".
James Hamilton James Hamilton may refer to:
Dukes
*James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton (1606–1649), heir to the throne of Scotland
*James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton (1658–1712), Scottish nobleman
*James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton (1703–1743), Sco ...
from the ''
Record Mirror
''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...
'' Dance Update described it as a "jiggly rolling 0–106.4bpm chugger".
Music video
A music video was made for "Stayin Alive", directed by British director
Alex De Rakoff and produced by Spidercom Films. It features N-Trance performing the song at a 1970s disco.
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
"Stayin' Alive" (Serban mix)
On 10 February 2017,
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
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. The single was released to mark the 40th anniversary of the
''Saturday Night Fever'' (1977) soundtrack.
Track listing
* Digital download
#"Stayin' Alive" (Serban mix) – 4:57
Other media
Greek singer
Bessy Argyraki released a
Greek language
Greek (, ; , ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language, constituting an independent Hellenic languages, Hellenic branch within the Indo-European language family. It is native to Greece, Cyprus, Italy (in Calabria and Salento), south ...
version of the song called "Pio Dynata" in the 1970's.
The song is used in the 1980 comedy film ''
Airplane!
''Airplane!'' (alternatively titled ''Flying High!'') is a 1980 American disaster film, disaster comedy film written and directed by Jim Abrahams and brothers David Zucker, David and Jerry Zucker in their List of directorial debuts, directoria ...
''. During a bar-room fight, the song accidentally starts playing on a jukebox, turning the scene into a parody of ''Saturday Night Fever''.
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.
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.
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
is the principal language of the Japonic languages, Japonic language family spoken by the Japanese people. It has around 123 million speakers, primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language, and within the Japanese dia ...
cover version by
Avu-chan appeared on the soundtrack to the 2022 film, ''
Bullet Train''.
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
External links
Bee Gees Stayin' Alive FansiteStayin' Alive – The Story Behind the Song at ''Wow-Vinyl''CPR video featuring Stayin' Alivewith
Ken Jeong from the
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate Heart, cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability ...
{{Authority control
1977 songs
1977 singles
1995 singles
Bee Gees songs
British disco songs
All Around the World Productions singles
Capitol Records singles
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Cashbox number-one singles
Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles
Film theme songs
Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices
Jo Stafford songs
Music videos directed by Alex De Rakoff
Music videos directed by Bruce Gowers
N-Trance songs
Number-one singles in Australia
Number-one singles in Canada
Number-one singles in Italy
Number-one singles in Mexico
Number-one singles in Scotland
Number-one singles in South Africa
Number-one singles in New Zealand
RPM Top Singles number-one singles
RSO Records singles
Song recordings produced by Albhy Galuten
Songs from Saturday Night Fever
Songs written by Barry Gibb
Songs written by Maurice Gibb
Songs written by Robin Gibb