Bee Gees – “To Love Somebody”: A Soul Classic Born from Heartache
When music historians speak of the Bee Gees, the conversation often turns to the falsetto-driven disco anthems of the late 1970s, the shimmering harmonies of “Stayin’ Alive” and “Night Fever.” Yet one of their earliest masterpieces came a full decade earlier, with a ballad that has since become one of the most enduring love songs of its time. Released in 1967, “To Love Somebody” revealed the Gibb brothers not just as inventive songwriters but as craftsmen capable of writing with the timeless depth of classic soul.
The year 1967 was one of reinvention for Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. Having relocated from Australia back to England, they signed with manager Robert Stigwood and launched their international career with the album Bee Gees’ 1st. While that record contained psychedelic-tinged hits like “New York Mining Disaster 1941” and “Holiday,” it was “To Love Somebody” that stood apart as a work of pure emotional directness. Written originally with Otis Redding in mind, the song was intended as a gift to one of soul music’s greatest voices. Redding’s tragic death in December 1967 meant he never recorded it, but the Bee Gees’ own version carried its own kind of greatness.
Musically, “To Love Somebody” is simple yet powerful. The arrangement leans heavily on organ, strings, and a restrained rhythm section, allowing the focus to remain on Barry Gibb’s impassioned vocal. Unlike the falsetto style that would later define him, here Barry sings in his natural range, rich and soulful, channeling the ache of unrequited love. The chorus, with its soaring declaration — “You don’t know what it’s like to love somebody, to love somebody the way I love you” — has the sweep of gospel, the intimacy of confession, and the universality of heartbreak.
Lyrically, the song is as direct as it is devastating. It is not weighed down by metaphor or complexity. Instead, it speaks the plain, painful truth of longing for someone who cannot or will not return the same love. In its simplicity lies its universality — anyone who has ever loved in vain can hear themselves in those lines. That quality is what has made the song endure across decades and genres.
Commercially, “To Love Somebody” did not become a major hit in its initial release in the UK, but it found strong success in the United States, reaching the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. More importantly, it became one of the Bee Gees’ most-covered songs. Over the years, it has been recorded by artists as varied as Nina Simone, Janis Joplin, Rod Stewart, Michael Bolton, Joe Cocker, Billy Corgan, and Michael Bublé. Each interpretation carries something different, but all return to the same emotional center crafted by the Gibbs.
For the Bee Gees, the song became both a milestone and a calling card. It showed that they could write not just quirky pop hits but songs with the emotional depth of American soul, songs that could stand alongside the very best of their contemporaries. It was the first step in a career-long pattern of reinvention, proving that their gift was not bound to one sound or one style.
Today, “To Love Somebody” remains a cornerstone of the Bee Gees’ legacy. It is performed at weddings, funerals, and tribute concerts, its words carrying meaning across every stage of life. More than fifty years after it was written, it still feels raw, alive, and true — the mark of a song that has transcended its time.
In the story of the Bee Gees, “To Love Somebody” represents their early arrival as world-class songwriters, their bridge from pop to soul, and their ability to write songs that belong not to one era but to everyone who has ever known the pain and beauty of love. It is not just one of their greatest songs; it is one of the greatest love songs of the twentieth century.