You Win Again (Bee Gees song)
"You Win Again" | ||||||||||||||||
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![]() UK 12" vinyl | ||||||||||||||||
Single by the Bee Gees | ||||||||||||||||
from the album E.S.P. | ||||||||||||||||
B-side | "Backtafunk" | |||||||||||||||
Released |
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Format | ||||||||||||||||
Length | 4:01 (album version) | |||||||||||||||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||||||||||||||
Writer(s) | ||||||||||||||||
Producer(s) |
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the Bee Gees singles chronology | ||||||||||||||||
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"You Win Again" is a 1987 song written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb and performed by the Bee Gees. Released as a single in late 1987, it marked the start of the group's comeback, becoming a number one hit in many European countries, including the UK—their first to do so in over eight years, and made them the first group to score a UK number-one hit in each of three decades: the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.[1]
As songwriters, the Gibb brothers received the 1987 British Academy's Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.[2] In 1988, the band received a Brit Award nomination for Best British Group.[3] In a UK television special on ITV in December 2011, it was voted second (behind "How Deep Is Your Love") in "The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song".[4]
Recording
Barry Gibb wrote the melody while brother Maurice conceived the drum sounds (in his garage[5]) that open the track. On "1000 UK #1 Hits" by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, Robin Gibb said "We absolutely thought that 'You Win Again' was going to be a big hit. It took us a month to cut it and get the right mix.[1]
Maurice Gibb explained "You Win Again" in a May 2001 interview with Mojo magazine:
"When we get together and write, it's not like three individuals ― it's like one person in the room. Usually, we have a book of titles and we just pick one. I loved 'You Win Again' as a title, but we had no idea how it might turn out as a song. It ended up as a big demo in my garage, and I recorded stomps and things. There was just one drum on there. The rest was just sounds. Then, everybody tried to talk us out of the stomps at the start. They didn't want it. 'Take it off. Too loud! Can we have them not on the intro, just when the music starts?' All this stuff, but as soon as you hear that 'jabba-doomba, jabba-doomba' on the radio, you know it's us. It's a signal. So, that's one little secret ― give people an automatic identification of who it is."[1]
Release
"You Win Again" was a number-one single in Britain, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Denmark and Norway, as well as making the top 10 in Italy, the Netherlands, Australia and Sweden. It also topped the Eurochart for 4 weeks. When this reached number one on 17 October 1987 in the UK, it made the Bee Gees the first group to score a UK number-one hit in each of three decades: the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.[1] It was less successful in the US however, only reaching number 75 in the Billboard Hot 100, as many American DJs were still reluctant to play any Bee Gees music due to the disco backlash of the early 1980s. They finally overcame that problem in 1989 with the hit single "One".[6]
As CD singles were not common in the late 1980s, "You Win Again" was released commercially on vinyl and cassette, though a 1-track CD single was produced as a promotional-only copy in the US and a 2-track mini CD single was released in Japan.
The song also appeared as a bonus track on the American version of One, replacing the song "Wing and a Prayer".
Track listing
7" single | |||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
1. | "You Win Again" | Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb | 3:54 |
2. | "Backtafunk" | Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb | 4:22 |
12" single | |||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
1. | "You Win Again (Remix)" | Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb | 5:14 |
2. | "You Win Again (Fade)" | Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb | 3:54 |
3. | "Backtafunk (LP Version)" | Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb | 4:22 |
Promo-only CD single (USA) | |||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
1. | "You Win Again (7" fade version)" | Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb | 3:59 |
Mini CD single (Japan) | |||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
1. | "You Win Again (7" fade version)" | Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb | 3:59 |
2. | "E.S.P." | Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb | 4:22 |
Personnel
- Barry Gibb – lead vocals, guitar
- Robin Gibb – backing vocals
- Maurice Gibb – backing vocals, keyboards
- Robbie Kondor – keyboards
- Rhett Lawrence – drum programming
Chart performance
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
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Order of precedence | ||
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Preceded by "Balla... Balla!" by Francesco Napoli |
Austrian number-one single 15 November 1987 (2 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Küss' die Hand, schöne Frau" by Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung |
Preceded by "Bad" by Michael Jackson |
Eurochart Hot 100 number-one single 14 November 1987 – 28 November 1987 (3 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Faith" by George Michael |
Preceded by "Full Metal Jacket (I Want to Be Your Drill Instructor)" by Abigail Mead and Nigel Goulding |
Irish Singles Chart number-one single 11 October 1987 – 7 November 1987 (4 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Got My Mind Set on You" by George Harrison |
Preceded by "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley |
German number-one single 26 October 1987 – 30 November 1987 (6 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Whenever You Need Somebody" by Rick Astley |
Preceded by "Boys" by Sabrina |
Swiss number-one single 18 October 1987 – 6 December 1987 (8 weeks) | |
Preceded by "Voyage, voyage" by Desireless |
Norwegian number-one single 45/1987 – 49/1987 (5 weeks) |
Succeeded by "China in Your Hand" by T'Pau |
Preceded by "Pump Up the Volume" by M|A|R|R|S |
UK Singles Chart number-one single 11 October 1987 – 7 November 1987 (4 weeks) |
References
- 1 2 3 4 "You Win Again by Bee Gees". Songfacts. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ Lister, David (28 May 1994). "Pop ballads bite back in lyrical fashion: David Lister charts a sea change away from rap towards memorable melodies". The Independent. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "1988 Brit Awards". Awards & Winners. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ↑ "The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song". ITV. 9 December 2011.
- ↑ "Maurice Gibb: down-to-earth talent behind Bee Gees' hits". Music Week. 27 January 2003. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ↑ Brennan, Joseph. "Gibb Songs : 1987". Columbia University. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Bee Gees – You Win Again" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Bee Gees – You Win Again" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ "Radio 2 Top 30 :" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 8480." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ MusicSeek.info – UK, Eurochart, Billboard & Cashbox No.1 Hits at the Wayback Machine (archived 14 June 2006). MusicSeek.info.
- ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – Bee Gees – You Win Again" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Bee Gees – You Win Again". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – You Win Again". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- 1 2 "I singoli più venduti del 1987" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bee Gees - You Win Again search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bee Gees – You Win Again" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Bee Gees – You Win Again". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Bee Gees – You Win Again". VG-lista. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ "YOU WIN AGAIN – Bee Gees" (in Polish). LP3. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (B)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Bee Gees – You Win Again". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Bee Gees – You Win Again". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ "Archive Chart: 1987-10-17" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ "E.S.P. – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending OCTOBER 10, 1987 at the Wayback Machine (archived 6 October 2012). Cash Box magazine.
- ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "Jahreshitparade 1987" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1987" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1987" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1987" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "Chart Archive – 1980s Singles". everyHit.com. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "French single certifications – Bee Gess – You Win Again" (in French). InfoDisc. Select BEE GESS and click OK
- ↑ "Les Singles en Argent" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bee Gess; 'You Win Again')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ↑ "British single certifications – Bee Gess – You Win Again". British Phonographic Industry. Enter You Win Again in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search