Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive

Released in December 1977, “Stayin’ Alive” is one of the most recognizable songs in popular music history. Written and performed by the Bee Gees for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, the track became a global phenomenon, topping the charts in the United States for four consecutive weeks and serving as the definitive anthem of the disco era.

The song’s creation was marked by significant studio innovation. During the recording sessions at Château d’Hérouville in France, the band’s drummer had to leave due to a family emergency. Rather than waiting or using a drum machine, the producers took two bars of drums from an already-recorded track, "Night Fever," and spliced the tape into a physical loop. This created the song’s signature, unwavering rhythmic pulse and is considered one of the earliest and most successful uses of a drum loop in pop music.

Lyrically, "Stayin' Alive" is more serious than its upbeat tempo suggests. It was written as a social commentary on the struggle for survival on the streets of New York City. The lyrics reflect a sense of resilience and the victory of simply making it through the day amidst the pressures of urban life. The song also prominently features Barry Gibb’s iconic falsetto, a vocal style that became a trademark of the Bee Gees during this period.

The cultural impact of "Stayin' Alive" extends far beyond the dance floor. It is famously associated with the opening sequence of Saturday Night Fever, where John Travolta struts through the streets of Brooklyn. Beyond entertainment, the song’s steady tempo of approximately 103 beats per minute has led to its use in medical training as a rhythmic guide for performing CPR. Today, it remains a timeless masterpiece that captures the energy and spirit of the late 1970s.

Bee Gees Stayin' Alive Lyrics

Two, three, four
One, two, three

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk
I'm a woman's man no time to talk
Music loud and women warm, I've been kicked around
Since I was born
And now it's all right, it's okay
And you may look the other way
But we can try to understand
The New York Times' effect on man

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive
Ah when you want

Well now, I get low and I get high
And if I can't get either, I really try
Got the wings of heaven on my shoes
I'm a dancin' man and I just can't lose
You know it's all right, it's okay
I'll live to see another day
We can try to understand
The New York Times' effect on man

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive

Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
I'm stayin' alive

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk
I'm a woman's man no time to talk
Music loud and the women warm
I've been kicked around since I was born
And now it's all right, it's okay
And you may look the other way
We can try to understand
The New York Times' effect on man

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah
I'm stayin' alive
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah
I'm stayin' alive
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah
I'm stayin' alive
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah
I'm stayin' alive