You Win Again by Bee Gees

Album: E.S.P. (1987)

Charted: 1 75

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Songfacts®:

This post-disco track was the biggest hit across Europe in 1987, going to #1 in the UK and several other territories, but it stalled at #75 in America, which wasn't ready to welcome them back after they saturated the airwaves in the '70s.

The song has a love is a battlefield theme, with the Gibb brothers conceding defeat to woman while also asking for her surrender.
Hank Williams released a very different song called "You Win Again" in 1952. His song is a country lament where he can't bear to leave his cheating woman.
According to Robin Gibb, who wrote the song with his brother-bandmates Barry and Maurice, they were sure this song was going to be a huge hit and they spent a month recording it and trying to get the perfect mix.
When "You Win Again" hit #1 in the UK on October 17, 1987, it made the Bee Gees the first group to score a UK #1 hit in each of three decades: the '60s, '70s, and '80s. >>
Suggestion credit:
Bertrand - Paris, France
Much of the Bee Gees material is a collaboration by the three Gibb brothers. Maurice Gibb explained in a May 2001 interview with Mojo magazine how the writing of this song is an example of their partnership. "When we get together and write it's not like three individuals, it's like one person in the room," said Maurice. "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."

Comments: 13

Jan-jan from West Yorkshire-ukTo Barry from Sauquoit Ny Great singer is Charley* Pride.
Tom T from San Antonio, TxStill one of my favorite Bee Gees songs. Loved it when it came out and searched forever for the 45. Had to special order it, but it was worth the wait.
Mitchell from Liverpool, UkA great song. Incredible how this flopped stateside, but then 'One' was a Top 10 hit there. I just don't see what that song has that this one doesn't.
Michael Hyde from South Woodham Ferrers,englandIs it true that the opening drum beat was made with old fashioned dustbin lids? Chris Evans interviewed the Bee Gees once on TFI Friday & Robin Gibb said that. Don't know whether he was joking or being serious though.
Don from Sevierville, TnI'm American, but I first heard this song while living in Germany, and it was played very often there. Too bad it's so rare here in the USA, where the Bee Gees are typecast as strictly a disco group. They stopped doing disco in 1981 and moved on to other sounds, like this song.
George from Belleville, NjI like this song.It has a good melody and a steady tempo.More proof why the BeeGees are one of most enduring artists in music and for good reason.They are among the best songwriters.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyHank Williams' "You Win Again" has got to be one of most covered country songs of all time. It was the flip-side of Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire", even Johnny Cash & Ray Charles had versions. Charlie Pride took it to #1 on the Country charts!!!!
Rhonda from Cleveland, OhI just heard this song for the first time on June 2, 2008, twenty years after is was written.

I love this song. I can't jet it out of my head.
Kevin from Reading , PaThe stomp gives the song a big ooomph, to be sure, but what I would be interested in hearing a mix of the song with a more standard drum sound. How about a remix version?
Rose from Belvidere, IlThis is a great song and the singers are great too! Maurice is missed!
Sarah from Usa, IaI love 80's songs. One of my favourite Bee Gees songs!
Laurie from Methuen, MaI like the Bee Gees song You Win Again. i happen to follow their music.
Debbie from Keene, NhMaurice was behind giving this song its "stomp" sound. The brothers were encouraged to take out the "stomp" or tone it down, but they insisted on keeping it. It gives the song a great drive!

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