One from the Bee Gees that did well in other countries but not in America, due to confusion over which side of the single should be promoted. At first “Jumbo” was pushed, and only got to #57 on Billboard because of an ill-timed corporate decision to start promoting this side of the 45 in the US. Because of the resulting mixup neither track did well as “Singer” only bubbled under at #116. This one sounds a lot like “Words.”
3 comments:
I don't remember ever hearing this one on the radio at the time---only JUMBO.
I did, later on, buy a copy of the 45 in the "discount bin" of a department store and got acquainted with this song on my own by playing the record itself.
This should’ve been the A-side all along.
Frankly I'm more partial to JUMBO, as not only was the song an unusual style for the Bee Gees at the time, but the metaphorical lyrics with their darker undertones make it that much more intriguing.
SINGER is more "typical Bee Gees".
A B-side of similar style to SINGER that I consider to be much better, more mesmerizing, better arranged with more fascinating and poetic lyrics is LAMPLIGHT, the B-side of FIRST OF MAY. Great song, one of their best.
Don't get me wrong. SINGER is a terrific song in its own right. I like just about anything the Bee Gees wrote and recorded in the early part of their recording career.
...but when comparing the two songs side-by-side I think JUMBO wins out in this case.
Post a Comment