15. The Bee Gees Stayin Alive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_izvAbhExY The Bee Gees were masters of reinvention and not that far behind David Bowie in the extent that they were chameleons. From their origins as folk troubadours of the 60s, with a bona fide hit on their hands in "Massachusetts, by the mid 70s they were in the doldrums, but then saw the opportunity to tap into the funk that was finding itself in the mainstream and on the dance floor under the new name of disco. When the opportunity to soundtrack Saturday Night Fever arrived it was too good to turn down, so they ramped up their funk and falsetto, none since as brilliantly as Stayin Alive. It could be argued that the cock sureness of the lyrics, You can tell by the way I use my walk, Im a womans man, no time to talk." was the precursor to the language of hip-hop, as was the use of different strands of music, this was sampling played on live instruments. But regardless, Stayin Alive tapped into the clipped funk riffs of Chic and was a mid-tempo, high energy song. What makes the song so wonderful is that it transcended scenes and genres and today is equally suitable for an office party, rave or retro-funk night. Once again, despite all of its apparent euphoria its a tale of the deepest blues and doubt - listen to the words; Im going nowhere, somebody help me, somebody help me now. Or just dance to it like the rest of us.F
Ed Nash
Contributor
What makes music fantastic? Star quality, amazing music, breathtaking lyrics and the ability to bring something new to the table, even if that means a new take on the classics. That's what I love to listen to and write about.
As well as writing for What Culture, I occasionally write a blog http://tedney.blogspot.co.uk and sometimes use Twitter, but sparingly @TedneyNash
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Ed