Tragedy (song)
Encyclopedia
"Tragedy" is a song recorded by the Bee Gees
, included on their 1979 album Spirits Having Flown
. The single reached number one in the UK
in February 1979 and repeated the feat the following month on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
. Though not originally in Saturday Night Fever
, it has subsequently been added to the musical score of the West End
version of the movie-musical
.
The song knocked "I Will Survive
" by Gloria Gaynor
off the top spot in the U.S. for two weeks before that song again returned to number one for an additional week.
In 1979, NBC
aired The Bee Gees Special
which showed how the sound effect for the explosion was created. Barry cupped his hands over a microphone and made an exploding sound. Several of these sounds were then mixed together creating one large boom heard on the record.
This song is also playable on Rock Band 3.
". It debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart
before climbing to the top spot in its eighth week on, achieving platinum status. A dance step of putting both hands parallel to the sides of the head became the trademark move of the British group. "Tragedy" has sold more copies than all three previous Steps singles combined. It spent eighteen weeks in the Top 20 and thirty weeks on the chart in total.
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...
, included on their 1979 album Spirits Having Flown
Spirits Having Flown
Spirits Having Flown is the Bee Gees' fifteenth original album, released in 1979. It was the group's first album after their collaboration on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. The album's first three tracks were released as singles which all went to no.1 in the US...
. The single reached number one in the UK
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 ...
in February 1979 and repeated the feat the following month on the U.S. 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...
. Though not originally in 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 has subsequently been added to the musical score of the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
version of the movie-musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
.
The song knocked "I Will Survive
I Will Survive
"I Will Survive" is a song first performed by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978. It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris...
" by Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits; "I Will Survive" , "Never Can Say Goodbye" , "Let Me Know " and "I Am What I Am" .-Early career:Gaynor was a singer with the Soul...
off the top spot in the U.S. for two weeks before that song again returned to number one for an additional week.
In 1979, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
aired The Bee Gees Special
The Bee Gees Special
The Bee Gees Special was a 90-minute television special broadcasted by NBC on November 15, 1979. The program featured footage from the Bee Gees' July 10, 1979 concert in Oakland, California captured by a film crew that accompanied them during their 1979 Spirits Having Flown Tour...
which showed how the sound effect for the explosion was created. Barry cupped his hands over a microphone and made an exploding sound. Several of these sounds were then mixed together creating one large boom heard on the record.
This song is also playable on Rock Band 3.
Chart performance (1979)
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| United States | 1 |
| Canada | 1 |
| United Kingdom | 1 |
| Spain | 1 |
| France | 1 |
| Ireland | 1 |
| Italy | 1 |
| New Zealand | 1 |
| Brazil | 1 |
| Austria | 2 |
| Australia | 2 |
| Belgium | 2 |
| China | 2 |
| Germany | 2 |
| Chile | 2 |
| South Africa | 2 |
| Netherlands | 4 |
| Norway | 4 |
| Sweden | 6 |
| Finland | 7 |
| Japan | 32 |
Steps cover
In 1998, Steps covered "Tragedy", releasing it as a double A-side with "HeartbeatHeartbeat (Steps song)
"Heartbeat / Tragedy" was the fourth single released by British pop group Steps. "Heartbeat", written by Jackie James was the first ballad released as a single by the group...
". It debuted at number two 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 ...
before climbing to the top spot in its eighth week on, achieving platinum status. A dance step of putting both hands parallel to the sides of the head became the trademark move of the British group. "Tragedy" has sold more copies than all three previous Steps singles combined. It spent eighteen weeks in the Top 20 and thirty weeks on the chart in total.
Charts
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Other versions
- Pop group Brotherhood of ManBrotherhood of ManBrotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s, most notably by winning the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me"....
recorded a version for their 20 Love Songs20 Disco Greats / 20 Love Songs20 Disco Greats / 20 Love Songs is a double album released by British pop group Brotherhood of Man which was released as two separate albums, but sold together as a 'buy one get one free' package, as was the popular trend at the time.- Background :...
album in 1981. - Robert Unwin of Leicester England sang the song on Series 1 of The X FactorThe X Factor (TV series)The X Factor is a television talent show franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol. It is a singing competition, now held in various countries, which pits contestants against each other. These contestants are aspiring pop singers drawn from...
, in 2004. - Same DifferenceSame DifferenceSame Difference can refer to:* Same Difference, a British singing duo* Same Difference , an album by Swedish death metal band Entombed* Same Difference , a show which aired on Channel 4...
sang the song on Series 4 of The X FactorThe X Factor (TV series)The X Factor is a television talent show franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol. It is a singing competition, now held in various countries, which pits contestants against each other. These contestants are aspiring pop singers drawn from...
, in 2007. - Electronic/industrial-rock band CelldwellerCelldwellerCelldweller is a Detroit, Michigan-based Electronic Rock project that was created by multi-instrumentalist Klayton, former frontman and songwriter of the bands Circle of Dust, Argyle Park, Angeldust . Celldweller's music is multi-faceted, often labeled electronic rock and more commonly being...
released a version as a digital downloadMusic downloadA music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
in April 2006, appearing in the Winter X Games.
See also
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1979 (U.S.)
- List of number-one singles from the 1970s (UK)
- List of best-selling singles (UK)