Comments: 14

• Klassymusicteacher from Kalispell, MtI was 3 to 4 years old around the time this was released. Not knowing it then, but I learned how to count beats of rest and sustained notes from hearing this song over and over. But stranger yet, 5 minutes ago I’ve been led to believe that the repeated sound at the end wasn’t a gun shot! I’m not even crazy about guns, nor was I as a boy in the US during the Cold War. My parents discouraged most anything gun related yet I looked forward to this song for the sound at the end!
• Randy from IdahoIf you'd like to watch Barry do 3 explosion takes, the footage is on YouTube 42Mk6OJ5ZwQ.
• Peter from HungaryIn my opinion Jesse is right, the explosion effect definitely does not sound like human voice. I think the band tried to create the sound in a vocal way and they might have been satisfied with it for a while, but then they changed it to a synthesizer sound on the master.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn February 4th 1979, "Tragedy" by the Bee Gees entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #29; and on March 18th, 1979 it peaked at #1 (for 2 weeks) and spent 20 weeks on the Top 100 (and for 8 of those 20 week it was on the Top 10)...
  It also reached #1 in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Italy...
  Was track one of side one on the trio's fifteenth studio album, 'Spirits Having Flown', and on April 27th, 1979 the album reached #1 (for 5 weeks), also peaked at #1 in the U.K., Canada, Australia, France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and Germany...
  Two other tracks from the album also made the Top 100 and both at #1; "Too Much Heaven" (for 2 weeks) and "Love You Inside Out" (for 1 week)...
  On the Top 100 "Tragedy" was the fifth of six straight #1 records by the trio; starting with "How Deep Is Your Love" (3 weeks), "Stayin' Alive" (4 weeks), "Night Fever (8 weeks), "Too Much Heaven" (2 weeks), this one , and finally "Love You Inside Out" (1 week)...
  It was "He's A Liar" that broke the string, it reached #30..
  R.I.P. Maurice Gibb (1949 - 2003) and Robin Gibb (1949 - 2012).
• Rocky from Limoges, OnBradly is 100 percent correct. During that NBC special Barry indicated that while recording the song he imitated the sound of explosion he would like to hear. The others thought the sound he made was very good and so they played around with that sound and added echo to it .... no synthesizer.
• Karen from Manchester, NhBradley IS correct. I saw the same special. Hello...I was 15 years old in 1979 and madly in "love" with Barry Gibb! Not only did they SAY it...they PROVED it! Jesse can claim all of the professional expertise he wants; they showed the clip. SEEING is believing.
• Don from Sevierville, TnI think Bradley's right about the explosion - I saw that same TV special during Thanksgiving 1979. But maybe the synth could have been added on afterwards.
• Lorraine from Arjay, KyI will always love the Brothers Gibb.They are awesome!
  They tell my "story" in most every song they sing!
  Such LASTING talent and greatness..WOW! I just hope they keep "buzzing" FOREVER! Love,Smitten completely,BBC (Babybadcakes)
• Rick from Belfast, MeThe Bee Gees, a band that I consider to be #3 of all time, with The Rolling Stones #2 and The Beatles #1. They could really showcase their voices in their music.....especially liked the "haunting" rendition of their song....Lonely Days, Lonely Nights.....
• Jesse from Madison, WiWhereas people just LOVE the type of personal interest story that the "explosion" sound effect entails, I still feel - having worked for two decades with synthesizers - that it was in fact a synthesizer. And in 1979, as now even, nobody wants to hear that the sound was a synthesizer effect. Whatever even the brothers Gibb have to say about it, I'm laying my money down on the argument that it was created by a synthesizer. Record labels ALWAYS twisted the truth around to generate sales, and making up some crap about cupping his hand over the mike to make the sound seems plausible, but I disagree. I don't care if I wasn't there, I know synthesizer sounds when I hear them. That's no human voice. It's a VCF set to self-oscillate with white noise mixed in on the synth's built-in mixer. It's very easy to make thunder on an analog synthesizer. And that's what it sounds like when it's done. Now argue away.
• Bradley from Winchester, NhThe explosion sound effects were done by Barry gibb cupping his hands around the microphone in the studio and making the sound with his mouth. The producers then mixed a few takes of the sound together to make it sound like one huge explosion. This was revealed on an NBC special in 1979.
• Kevin from Reading , PaThis is a perfect example of the Bee Gees just ruling the music world at this time. This isn't one of their more memorable songs of the era, but back in '79, everything was shooting straight to No. 1.
  
• Paul from Newark, DeThis song features the horn section of Chicago, who were returning the favor, after the Bee Gees performed on Chicago's 1978 album, Hot Streets.
• Chip from San Mateo, CaThis song has been re-done by an industrial band named CellDweller, both show the same power in the vocals about love that has died and being alone (this song hit close to home for me)

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