Join Us For A Bee Gees Trip With “To Love Somebody” In 1967 Live

Before Bee Gees became the kings of disco, they started with humble beginnings in the 60s. Among those they perform pre-disco is “To Love Somebody,” which came out from their 1967 debut album Bee Gees 1^st.

Legend has it that Barry and Robin Gibb had anticipated that Otis Redding would record their song “To Love Somebody,” but he passed away before they could play it for him. However, Barry Gibb cleared the rumors in a 2001 interview with Mojo. “It was for Robert. I say that unabashedly. He asked me to write a song for him, personally. It was written in New York and played to Otis but, personally, it was for Robert. He meant a great deal to me. I don’t think it was a homosexual affection but a tremendous admiration for this man’s abilities and gifts.” The Robert in question referred to Robert Stigwood, an influential icon in London’s gay showbiz entertainment, who was also Bee Gee’s manager.

This also happens to be Barry’s favorite composition out of all the songs he’s created. In a 2017 interview, Barry picked “To Love Somebody” as the song he’d chosen because it has a “clear, emotional message.” The song also had several renditions with different artists and groups over the years.

Watch the band in a 1967 performance of the song inside the German TV show, Beat-Club.