He knocked it out of the park.
Who would’ve thought that a country artist would be the perfect person to sing a disco love song? But that’s exactly what happened when Keith Urban covered “To Love Somebody” by The Bee Gees.
Taking the stage at 2017’s Stayin’ Alive: A GRAMMY Salute To The Music Of The Bee Gees, Urban accompanied himself on guitar singing the 1967 love song and won over even the most skeptical of listeners. On YouTube, the performance has received dozens of comments from Bee Gees fans who never thought Urban would do the tune justice — until they heard him.
“As a 66 yr old rock & roll gal who grew up with The Bee Gees [I] was absolutely certain no one, and I mean NO ONE, could sing a Bee Gees song better then they could. Especially a country singer! And DAMN…this guy just proved me wrong. I have never watched another performer put so much true, heartfelt emotion into a song in my life,” wrote one commenter.
Added another, “I’m almost 65 and I have been listening to this song by the Bee Gees since the 1960s and I still love it to this day. Keith Urban more than did it justice and is also an amazing talent.”
We couldn’t help but be reminded of Urban’s stellar performance during NBC’s three-hour 100th anniversary event, Opry 100: A Live Celebration, which you can stream now on Peacock.
What to know about “To Love Somebody” by The Bee Gees
Like Urban, the Gibb brothers, who formed the core of The Bee Gees, are from Australia. According to The Financial Times, Barry Gibb wrote “To Love Somebody” with American singer Otis Redding in mind, and though Redding liked the song, he died before recording his own version. The Bee Gees released the tune in 1967, and while it wasn’t successful in the UK, it did moderately well stateside and has since been covered by artists across genres.
The lyrics speak plainly of a possibly unrequited love that, the singer reveals, is deep and profound
In 2001, Gibb revealed the real story behind the song. “It was for [the band’s manager] Robert [Stigwood.] I say that unabashedly. He asked me to write a song for him, personally. It was 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,” he said.
