What Was the Bee Gees’ First U.S. Top-40 Hit?

Although they suffered now and again from dips in popularity, the Bee Gees managed success on the pop charts throughout their career that was both sustained and impactful. They adjusted their style based on the public’s shifting musical tastes as well as any artist you might imagine.

Videos by American Songwriter

The core of their winning formula, even more than their magical voices, was their incredible songwriting knack. That writing talent was evident right from their first worldwide hit single, released all the way back in 1967.

From Australia to the World

Incredibly, the first time the Gibb brothers (Barry, Maurice, and Robin) formed a band, the latter two weren’t yet even 10 years old. That was all the way back in 1958, just before the family moved from Great Britain to Australia.

In Australia, the brothers received important experience as songwriters, performers, and eventually, recording artists. They actually released two albums on labels Down Under before they got the chance to make their first splash worldwide. That splash came when their father sent their music to Brian Epstein.

Epstein was a little busy dealing with one of his other managerial duties, a little band known as The Beatles. He passed them off to his associate Robert Stigwood, who loved what he heard. That led to the Bee Gees prepping their first international album for release in 1967.

“Mining” a Big Hit

One day during the recording of the album Bee Gees’ 1st, Robin and Barry Gibb found themselves in a dark studio stairwell because of a power outage. The pair began reflecting on how the atmosphere seemed a little like a cave, and they started imagining a song in that vein.

They would title it “New York Mining Disaster 1941.” History majors will quickly tell you no such event took place. The brothers were using a little imagination, although they were influenced by the Aberfan incident that had occurred in Wales in 1966, whereby a huge wave of slurry had engulfed a school and several houses in a horrific tragedy.

The Bee Gees built the song out of the unique opening guitar chords played by Barry and seconded by Maurice. Barry and Robin essentially sang co-lead vocals on the track. As for the lyrics, they come from the perspective of a miner trapped underground who’s hoping he can get a message out to his loved ones.

The Aftermath

There were all kinds of rumors that came along with the release of “New York Mining Disaster 1941.” Because the Gibbs brothers’ vocals distantly resembled those of The Beatles’, some people thought it was the Fab Four in disguise. Others refused to believe these youngsters could have written such an accomplished track, surmising instead that Lennon/McCartney had ghostwritten it.

None of that stopped “New York Mining Disaster” from doing serious damage. It reached the Top 20 in the UK, and it became their first U.S. hit as well, landing at No. 12. The song established the early format for the group, as they focused on ornate pop songs, usually replete with lush orchestrations and dramatic stories.

The Bee Gees enjoyed a great deal of success in that vein, although it would pale in comparison to what they would do in their disco era. “New York Mining Disaster 1941” gave the world its first taste of both their songwriting excellence and performing ingenuity. As it turned out, there was so much more where that came from.

Photo by Ivan Keeman/Redferns