Peak
1
Weeks
20
Score
3,764
Chart Year
1979
The Bee Gees captured some serious urgency on "Tragedy," with a falsetto lead vocal by Barry Gibb that sounds like a siren racing to the scene of an emotional breakdown. The song captures that feeling when the love of your life has left you, and you feel you can't go on. The group didn't have to be experiencing heartbreak to write about it: They were expert composers who could capture an emotion and deliver it in convincing manner. The Gibb brothers wrote both "Tragedy" and "Too Much Heaven" (another American #1), in an afternoon off from making the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie in which they were starring. Then in the evening they wrote another American #1 single, "Shadow Dancing" for their brother Andy Gibb. Stuck for a convincing thunderclap sound, Barry Gibb cupped his hands over a microphone and made an exploding noise with his mouth. Several of these sounds were then mixed together, creating the large boom heard on this song. "Tragedy" hit #1 in America on March 24, 1979, giving the Bee Gees their eight chart-topper in that country. Disco was still going strong, but its days were numbered as the sound had oversaturated the airwaves. The Bee Gees took the brunt of the backlash. Their next single, "Love You Inside Out," also went to #1, but then disco fell out of favor and their singles stiffed. Anything with the Bee Gees name on it became toxic, so they focused on writing for other artists and were very successful in doing so. Among their hits in this phase: "Woman In Love" by Barbra Streisand and "Heartbreaker" by Dionne Warwick. In January 1999 a cover by the British group Steps returned this song to the top of the British charts. Released as a double A-side with "Heartbeat," it sold over a million copies in the UK, making it the top selling Bee Gees cover of all time in Britain.
Here I lie In a lost and lonely part of town Held in time In a world of tears I slowly drown Goin' home I just can't make it all alone I really should be holding you Holding you Loving you, loving you Tragedy When the feeling's gone and you can't go on It's tragedy When the morning cries and you don't know why It's hard to bear With no one to love you You're goin' nowhere Tragedy When you lose control and you got no soul It's tragedy When the morning cries and you don't know why It's hard to bear With no one beside you You're goin' nowhere Night and day There's a burning down inside of me Burning love With a yearning that won't let me be Down I go And I just can't take it all alone I really should be holding you Holding you Loving you, loving you Tragedy When the feeling's gone and you can't go on It's tragedy When the morning cries and you don't know why It's hard to bear With no one to love you You're goin' nowhere Tragedy When you lose control and you got no soul It's tragedy When the morning cries and you don't know why It's hard to bear With no one beside you You're goin' nowhere Tragedy When the feeling's gone and you can't go on It's tragedy When the morning cries and you don't know why It's hard to bear With no one to love you, you're goin' nowhere Tragedy When you lose control and you got no soul It's tragedy When the morning cries and you don't know why It's hard to bear With no one beside you, you're goin' nowhere Tragedy When the feeling's gone and you can't go on It's tragedy When the morning cries and you don't know why It's hard to bear With no one to love you, you're goin' nowhere Tragedy When you lose control and you got no soul It's tragedy When the morning cries and your heart just dies It's hard to bear With no one beside you, you're goin' nowhere Tragedy When the feeling's gone and you can't go on It's tragedy When the morning cries and you don't know why It's hard to bear With no one to love you, you're goin' nowhere Tragedy
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 10, 1979 | 29 | 97 |
| 2 | Feb 17, 1979 | 19 | 107 |
| 3 | Feb 24, 1979 | 6 | 120 |
| 4 | Mar 3, 1979 | 4 | 122 |
| 5 | Mar 10, 1979 | 3 | 123 |
| 6 | Mar 17, 1979 | 2 | 124 |
| 7 | Mar 24, 1979 | 1 | 125 |
| 8 | Mar 31, 1979 | 1 | 125 |
| 9 | Apr 7, 1979 | 3 | 123 |
| 10 | Apr 14, 1979 | 6 | 120 |
| 11 | Apr 21, 1979 | 8 | 118 |
| 12 | Apr 28, 1979 | 13 | 113 |
| 13 | May 5, 1979 | 27 | 99 |
| 14 | May 12, 1979 | 51 | 75 |
| 15 | May 19, 1979 | 86 | 40 |
| 16 | May 26, 1979 | 100 | 26 |
| 17 | Jun 2, 1979 | 100 | 26 |
| 18 | Jun 9, 1979 | 93 | 33 |
| 19 | Jun 16, 1979 | 93 | 33 |
| 20 | Jun 23, 1979 | 100 | 26 |