Stayin' Alive

by

The Bee Gees

Album: Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack      Released: 1977

US Chart: 1     UK Chart: 4

Get the Ringtone  Get Song @ Amazon
Get the Sheet Music

Send "Stayin' Alive" Ringtone to your Cell

View Lyrics

Songfacts:  You can leave comments about the song at the bottom of the page.

This plays over the opening credits of the 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever while John Travolta struts through the streets of New York City. The movie has come to represent the Disco era, and has made this the song most associated with Disco. The Bee Gees had been singing in a high-falsetto style since their 1975 hit "Jive Talkin'," which was also on the soundtrack, but they were very popular as a vocal harmony group in the late '60s and early '70s. Their contributions to Saturday Night Fever brought them huge success, but marked them as Disco singers.

Robert Stigwood, who produced Saturday Night Fever, is the one who asked The Bee Gees to write music for the film. Stigwood got the idea for the film from a New York Magazine article about the Brooklyn club scene. This may explain the rather random line in the song, "We can try to understand the New York Times' effect on man."

Since its release in 1977, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France, for above 2)

The original title was to be "Saturday Night." After The Bee Gees decided that there were too many songs called Saturday Night, they changed it to "Stayin' Alive." (thanks, Dylan - Chicago, IL)

The Bee Gees recorded this in a French studio called the Chateau D'Herouville. Later, the group learned that many porno films were shot in those studios.

In 1983, The Bee Gees recorded songs for a sequel to Saturday Night Fever that was called Staying Alive. It was directed by Sylvester Stallone and was a huge flop. The film came years after Disco had faded, and was seen as a desperate grasp for attention by both John Travolta and The Bee Gees. In 1987, The Bee Gees returned with a UK #1 hit called "You Win Again," while John Travolta stayed in a career funk until the 1989 movie Look Who's Talking. (We're kidding. His next good movie was actually Pulp Fiction in 1994.)

Dweezil Zappa recorded this for his album Confessions with Ozzy Osbourne on lead vocals. Ozzy's record company didn't want it released, so Donny Osmond's vocals were used instead. The Ozzy version can be found on some bootlegs.

Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty dance to this song in a bar in the 1980 film Airplane!. (thanks, Ricky - Los Angeles, CA)

This won a Grammy for Best Arrangement For Voices.

The Italian Dance group Eiffel 65 used the chorus from this in their song "Voglia Dance All Night." In 1995, the British electronic group N-Trance covered the song, taking it to #2 in the UK. Their version featured vocals by Viveen Wray and former KLF rapper Ricardo Da Force. (thanks, Mads - Sønderborg, Denmark)

A team from the University of Illinois medical school suggested that this would be an ideal song to listen to on an iPod while performing chest compressions on someone who has just suffered a heart attack. The American Heart Association has stated that the optimum tempo at which to perform CPR on someone who has just suffered a heart attack is 100 beats a minute. The research team highlighted this song as, at 103 beats per minute, it has almost the perfect rhythm to help jump-start a stopped heart. It happens that "Another One Bites The Dust" has a similar beat, but it was agreed that the Queen song doesn't seem quite as appropriate.

Send "Stayin' Alive" Ringtone to your Cell

Comments:

Long live Barry Gibb!
- Sam, Muscat, Oman

Just an FYI... it is mentioned that the University of Illinois has researched that this song is an almost perfect match for chest compressions for a heart attack victim. To clarify, a patient suffering a heart attack is alive, and can be alert and talking. If he/she does not seek medical treatment during the heart attack, however, then death may occur. A better example is to use a patient who is actually in cardiac arrest. If someone is alive and talking, as they may be during a heart attack, then CPR is not performed on that person.
- Kayla, Bloomington, IN

My favorite Bee Gees Song! I loved the Airplane! Scene in the bar where the 2 girl scouts are fighting while Julie and Robert are dancing to Stayin Alive.
- Jennifer Harris, Grand Blanc, MI

The Bee Gees deliberately set the tempo at 103 BPM because it's the average standard tempo of walking pace. Who would of thought that the song would also go on to help doctors perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation too!
- Alex, Manchester, United Kingdom

About the only group who made good music during the disco mess were the Bee Gees and they werent a thrown together disco band,they had recorded for years before disco.the Gibbs have been responsible for many great songs and this is one of the top 10 coolest songs ever.
- Mark, byrdstown, TN

In Airplane, there's a bit of irony here, as Elaine's dance partner gets stabbed in the back; he continues "dancing" in his death throes, before dropping to the ground.
- Matthew, Milford, MA

This is the only Bee Gees disco hit I know of... (well, besides "Jive Talkin'"). I'd like to hear other Bee Gees disco hits, if there are any others. Someone, let me know if any others were recorded.
- andrew, birmingham, United States

This is a song were alot people will never admit they like it....but somewhere behind closed doors it is appreciated and adored hahaha
- Mike, Hueytown , AL

I don't understand how anyone can stay seated listening to this amazing song. Every time I hear it now I see that video of John Travolta's legs striding down the street. Ultra groovy. Love that voice, Barry!
- Guy, Wellington, New Zealand

The first Songfact is incorrect. The 1977 movie was "Saturday Night Fever." The sequel "Stayin' Alive" was made in 1983. The song "Stayin' Alive" was played over the opening credits of "Saturday Night Fever."
- Buddy, Chicago, IL

I love this song! A party classic!
- Matthew, East Brunswick, NJ

Both times I missed the opening songs of "Melody" and "Saturday Night Fever". I was late getting into the cinema. "In the Morning" opens "Melody" and "Staying Alive" opens "SNF". Of course I watched both films many times later to make it up. Barry Gibb has lead vocals on both songs, with an incredible falsetto on SA.
- Ivan, Dallas, TX

I love this song, it reminds me of John Travolta in "Saturday Night fever"!
- Monica, San Francisco, CA

While this is a classic, it made me turn to higher ground for cultivating my music taste. I was 8 at the time and knew I couldn't dance...and so began my love of rock, hard rock, and heavy metal.
- Mike, Warwick, RI

There is no getting around it....this is just a great song, one of the best of the 70s...transcends disco.
- Steve, Fenton, MO

Since attaining massive popularity, this song has been played in several other movies and television shows, such as episodes of "The Simpsons" (Bart's Girlfriend), "That 70s Show" (The Velvet Rope), and the movie "Grumpier Old Men".
- Sean, Toronto, Canada

Ozzy Osbourne covered this song with a few parodies of earlier Ozzy/Sabbath songs
- Ed, London, Canada

Early ideas for this song's title were, "Buried Alive" and "Saturday Night" (according to VH1's Pop-up-Video)
- Eddie, Acton, ME

Appeared in the 1980 comedy "Airplane!".
- Otto, Miami, FL

Saturday Night Fever - Best Disco Album! I just love the music. The Bee Gee's high voices, other disco kings and queens, and even the classical instrumentals all put this together to create the best disco album.
- Jake, Philadelphia, PA

Send "Stayin' Alive" Ringtone to your Cell