The Story and Meaning Behind “Emotion,” the Samantha Sang Hit Gift-Wrapped by the Brothers Gibb

In 1978, it seemed like just about every song on the charts had some connection to the Bee Gees. Australian chanteuse Samantha Sang was fortunate enough to be in the orbit of the Brothers Gibb, and ended up with the smash single “Emotion” as a result.

What is the song about? How did Sang come to record it? And what cover version of the song later made it high in the charts over 30 years later? Let’s find out all the details about “Emotion.”

Fever Pitch

In December 1977, a little film called Saturday Night Fever hit theaters. The film accurately captured the disco scene that was unstoppable at the time, and also featured a star-making turn from John Travolta with his silky dance moves. As much as anything else, however, the music—most of which came courtesy of the Bee Gees (either performed or written by them)—helped the film to its runaway hit status.

As such, that made the Bee Gees the biggest act of 1978. One after another, the Saturday Night Fever songs were released that year and dominated the charts. But because the three brothers seemed to have songs just oozing from them at that time, even some tracks not related to the movie made an impact.

As an up-and-coming artist who hailed from the same country as the Gibb’s, Samantha Sang naturally jumped at the chance to work with the group. Only when she did settle in to sing one of their songs, she had to deal with a last-minute change.

A Date with Destiny’s Child

Sang had originally planned on singing a song written by the brothers called “(Our Love) Don’t Throw It All Away.” When she arrived for the session in the Bee Gees’ home base of Miami, however, Barry Gibb told her he and brother Robin had something even better for her, a freshly written song called “Emotion.” (Andy Gibb would record the other song and make it a Top-10 hit.)

You could call it a blessing and a curse that Sang was able to secure Barry Gibb to sing backing vocals on her version of “Emotion.” On the one hand, it guaranteed her the song would receive a great deal of interest. But Gibb’s vocals end up almost taking over the track (especially in the chorus), which made Sang sound almost like a supporting act on her own song.

In 2001, Destiny’s Child brought some new life to “Emotion” by doing their own version of the track. The group’s tender harmonies were in the spotlight on a, dare we say it, emotional take of the song. It hit No. 10, making it the second Top-10 appearance for it after Sang had taken it to No. 2.

What is the Meaning of “Emotion”?

“Emotion” doesn’t waste any time in describing the situation. It’s over and done is the very first line, which establishes, from this point forward, the narrator will be explaining how she’s dealing with the situation. She wonders if her ex is with someone new, but she knows that she, in many ways, remains with him: I’m there at your side / I’m part of all the things you are.

But she admits how much she needs him, even as she feigns strength: You’ll never see me fall apart. And yet: It’s just emotion that’s taken me over / Tied up in sorrow, lost in my soul. And what happens if they don’t reunite? You know that there’ll be / Nobody left in this world to hold me tight / Nobody left in this world to kiss good night.

It’s a perilous state, indeed, but the intertwined voices of Samantha Sang and Barry Gibb make it sound so lusciously soulful. Sang couldn’t repeat the success of “Emotion,” but she’ll always have a place as one of the artists who successfully capitalized on the wave of Bee Gees mania.

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