"Tragedy" is a song released by the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb, and included on their fifteenth album, Spirits Having Flown (1979). The single was released in February 1979 by RSO Records, reaching number one on the UK in February 1979 and repeated the feat the following month on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 1998, it was covered by British pop group Steps, whose version also reached number one in the UK. In 2024, it was used in the film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, as well as its trailer.
The explosion sound effect at the song's climax has been the subject of much interest, and footage filmed at Criteria Studios that aired in a Bee Gees special on NBC later in 1979 documented a recording session with Barry Gibb in front of a studio microphone blowing through his cupped hands to try to achieve it.
Co-producer Karl Richardson told writer Grant Walters of Albumism how they processed that raw sound to give it more authenticity. "It was a thing called a product generator. It was a new toy that someone...you know, we were in tune with all the [Audio Engineering Society] shows—you know, 'what's the new stuff coming out?' And I guess we just got a sample of it. It was a box and you put two inputs in it, and it generates all these harmonics and products.
"So, the two things that went into it were Albhy [Galuten], or maybe [keyboardist] Blue [Weaver], holding the notes on the bottom end of a piano across multiple keys—maybe as many keys as you could mash down on a grand piano—and then Barry’s voice going ‘pbbhhhh!’ into a dynamic microphone, blowing air through the diaphragm to distort it. And then you mix these two signals through the generator, and whatever came out sounded like dynamite [laughs]. It was very technological—nobody had that sound, I know that for a fact."[3]
Though not originally in Saturday Night Fever, "Tragedy" 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 US for two weeks before that song again returned to number one for an additional week. "Tragedy" was the second single out of the three released from the album to interrupt a song's stay at #1.
In the US, it would become the fifth of six consecutive number-ones, tying the record with Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles for most consecutive number-ones in the US—a record later broken by Whitney Houston, who had seven.[citation needed]
On 1 November 2024, the new music video for this song was released on the Bee Gees' official YouTube channel.[4]
Reception
American magazine Billboard felt that the song had similar intensity to "Stayin' Alive" and that it had multiple vocal and instrumental hooks and "graceful" harmonies.[5]Cash Box said it has "vibrant arrangement of synthesizer, guitars, horns, solid beat and dramatic vocals."[6]Record World called it "sizzling" and "up-tempo" and "with some classic progressions, high harmonies and an undercurrent of synthesizers."[7]
"Tragedy" was covered by British pop group Steps. Issued as a double A-side with "Heartbeat", it was released on 9 November 1998 by Jive Records and Ebul. The song was recorded for the Bee Gees Tribute Album: Gotta Get a Message to You, produced by Andrew Frampton and Pete Waterman, and later included on the group's second album, Steptacular (1999). "Heartbeat" / "Tragedy" reached number one in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. In the former country, it spent 30 weeks on the UK Singles Chart and sold more copies than all three previous Steps singles combined, with 1.21 million copies sold in the UK.[48] The video for "Tragedy", directed by David Amphlett, contained the dance step of putting both hands parallel to the sides of the head in time with the word "tragedy", which became a signature move for the group. In 2023, Official Charts Company ranked it the 87th best-selling single of all time on the Official UK Chart.[49]
Critical reception
Scottish newspaper Aberdeen Evening Express stated that Steps "did such a sparkling remake" of the song, noting that it "gets [Steptacular] off to a discotastic start".[50]AllMusic editor Jon O'Brien described it as a "triumphant cover".[51] Lucas Villa from AXS wrote that Claire, Faye and Lisa's "powerful performances (coupled with that iconic hands dance step) made "Tragedy" an undeniable dance floor anthem."[52] A reviewer from Daily Record commented, "Once again, Steps have come up with a catchy tune and the reworking of Tragedy has clubbers mimicking the band's dance techniques."[53]
Music video
The accompanying music video for "Tragedy" was directed by David Amphlett. It starts with a Doraemon-shaped alarm clock ringing and sees Faye, Claire, and Lisa getting married. The lads, Lee and H, sabotage all three weddings before they all go to a disco. The church and disco scenes were filmed in All Saints' Church, Harrow Weald, London and the adjoining Blackwell Hall, respectively. The external location shots of the boys leaving their house and driving were filmed in Blackheath, South London. The group's actual families all took part in the video, with the girls' real-life fathers walking them down the aisle, and record producer Pete Waterman appears as the wedding DJ.[citation needed]
^Heartbeat / Tragedy (Australian CD single liner notes). Steps. Mushroom Records, Jive Records. 1998. MUSH01842.2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Heartbeat / Tragedy (UK cassette single sleeve). Steps. Jive Records, Ebul Records. 1998. 0519144.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Heartbeat / Tragedy (European CD single liner notes). Steps. Jive Records, Ebul Records. 1998. 0580062.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Tragedy (US CD single liner notes). Steps. Jive Records, Ebul Records. 2000. 01241-42652-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Tragedy (US cassette single sleeve). Steps. Jive Records, Ebul Records. 2000. 01241-42652-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Steptacular (European CD album liner notes). Steps. Jive Records, Ebul Records. 1999. 0519442.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
