When you look closely at the Bee Gees’ career, and by that we mean their entire career, well, admiration doesn’t quite cover it. Anyone who focuses only on the hits of the disco era doesn’t pay them much attention, because they were also masters of baroque pop music before that.
“Words” was one of the key songs of that era of their career, which was a worldwide hit when it was released in 1968. Ironically, this song, so beautiful, was born out of the band members’ frustration with some of the arguments they were enduring.
The Other Side of the Bee Gees
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s claim that there are no second acts in American life certainly doesn’t apply to the Bee Gees, perhaps because of their origins in Australia and Great Britain. Most people know about their phenomenal success through the disco-oriented hits of the music era Saturday Night Fever. But if you listen to enough old radio programs, you’ll know that these guys were producing a smash long before that.
In the late 1960s, the group was one of the most dependable hit-makers of the era, with a focus on dramatic ballads. By that time, the brothers Barry, Robin, and Morris had developed superb songwriting chops to go along with their incredible vocal harmonies.
To give you an example of their prolific nature, they produced seven U.S. Top 20 hits in 1967 and 1968. All of these songs were written by the band themselves, which is equally impressive considering their youth (twins Maurice and Robin were not yet 20 years old, while Barry was only three years older). “Words” was wonderfully released in the middle of this period as a single.
“Words” Love
in the book The Ultimate Biography of Bee Gees – Tales of the Jeb BrothersRobin Gibb explained the not-so-pink atmosphere that helped inspire this beautiful song of love and devotion:
“The words reflect the mood. It was written after an argument. Barry was arguing with someone, I was arguing with someone, and I happened to be in the same mood. [The arguments were] About nothing at all. It was just words. That’s what the song is about. Words can make you happy or words can make you sad.”
Unlike many successful Bee Gees songs of the time, “Words” doesn’t have any harmonies. Barry Gibb sang the song solo, and one of the most memorable parts of the song is when he took care of the last chord with all the instruments falling out. This highlighted the incredible control he had over the vibrato of his voice.
Beyond the meaning of “words”
Much like the early pop songs of the Bee Gees, the lyrics deal with high drama and extremes. It’s not just a simple smile that the narrator demands from his love. Permanent smile. These two innocents find themselves in a perilous environment: This world has lost its glory / Now let’s start a whole new story, baby.
Speak eternal wordsBarry sings. And I dedicate them all to me. This is by no means a halfway proposal. “The Words” pulls itself out of its flowery language when the narrator directly addresses why he needs to make such statements: YesYou think I don’t even mean a word of what I say / It’s just words, and words are all I have to take your heart away.
Put those lyrics together with the Bee Gees’ catchy melody and those smooth vocals from Barry Gibb, and it’s no wonder that “Words” remains not only one of the band’s high points, but also a benchmark from that era when harmonized pop music was all the rage. Some of the arguments may have started with “Words,” but the Bee Gees delivered an undeniable message of love and unity in the wake of it all.
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