You Win Again (Bee Gees song)

"You Win Again"

UK 12" vinyl
Single by the Bee Gees
from the album E.S.P.
B-side "Backtafunk"
Released
  • August 1987 (US)
  • 12 October 1987 (UK)
Format
Length 4:01 (album version)
Label Warner Bros.
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
the Bee Gees singles chronology
"Someone Belonging to Someone"
(1983)		 "You Win Again"
(1987)		 "E.S.P."
(1987)
Alternative Japanese cover
E.S.P. track listing
"E.S.P."
(1)		 "You Win Again"
(2)		 "Live Or Die (Hold Me Like a Child)"
(3)

"You Win Again" is a 1987 song written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb and performed by the Bee Gees. Released as a single in late 1987, it marked the start of the group's comeback, becoming a number one hit in many European countries, including the UK—their first to do so in over eight years, and made them the first group to score a UK number-one hit in each of three decades: the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.[1]

As songwriters, the Gibb brothers received the 1987 British Academy's Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.[2] In 1988, the band received a Brit Award nomination for Best British Group.[3] In a UK television special on ITV in December 2011, it was voted second (behind "How Deep Is Your Love") in "The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song".[4]

Recording

Barry Gibb wrote the melody while brother Maurice conceived the drum sounds (in his garage[5]) that open the track. On "1000 UK #1 Hits" by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, Robin Gibb said "We absolutely thought that 'You Win Again' was going to be a big hit. It took us a month to cut it and get the right mix.[1]

Maurice Gibb explained "You Win Again" in a May 2001 interview with Mojo magazine:

"When we get together and write, it's not like three individuals ― it's like one person in the room. Usually, we have a book of titles and we just pick one. I loved 'You Win Again' as a title, but we had no idea how it might turn out as a song. It ended up as a big demo in my garage, and I recorded stomps and things. There was just one drum on there. The rest was just sounds. Then, everybody tried to talk us out of the stomps at the start. They didn't want it. 'Take it off. Too loud! Can we have them not on the intro, just when the music starts?' All this stuff, but as soon as you hear that 'jabba-doomba, jabba-doomba' on the radio, you know it's us. It's a signal. So, that's one little secret ― give people an automatic identification of who it is."[1]

Release

"You Win Again" was a number-one single in Britain, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Denmark and Norway, as well as making the top 10 in Italy, the Netherlands, Australia and Sweden. It also topped the Eurochart for 4 weeks. When this reached number one on 17 October 1987 in the UK, it made the Bee Gees the first group to score a UK number-one hit in each of three decades: the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.[1] It was less successful in the US however, only reaching number 75 in the Billboard Hot 100, as many American DJs were still reluctant to play any Bee Gees music due to the disco backlash of the early 1980s. They finally overcame that problem in 1989 with the hit single "One".[6]

As CD singles were not common in the late 1980s, "You Win Again" was released commercially on vinyl and cassette, though a 1-track CD single was produced as a promotional-only copy in the US and a 2-track mini CD single was released in Japan.

The song also appeared as a bonus track on the American version of One, replacing the song "Wing and a Prayer".

Track listing

7" single
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You Win Again"  Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb3:54
2."Backtafunk"  Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb4:22
12" single
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You Win Again (Remix)"  Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb5:14
2."You Win Again (Fade)"  Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb3:54
3."Backtafunk (LP Version)"  Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb4:22
Promo-only CD single (USA)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You Win Again (7" fade version)"  Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb3:59
Mini CD single (Japan)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You Win Again (7" fade version)"  Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb3:59
2."E.S.P."  Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb4:22

Personnel

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1987) Peak
position
Australian Kent Music Report[7] 10
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 2
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[10] 3
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[11] 7
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[12] 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[13] 14
France (SNEP)[14] 14
Germany (Official German Charts)[15] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[16] 1
Italy (FIMI)[17] 4
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[18] 5
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[19] 6
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[20] 18
Norway (VG-lista)[21] 1
Poland (LP3)[22] 6
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[23] 2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 8
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 1
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[26] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[27] 75
US Cash Box[28] 76

Year-end charts

Chart (1987) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[29] 74
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[30] 27
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[31] 14
Italy (FIMI)[17] 14
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[32] 29
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[33] 43
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[34] 27
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[35] 4

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
France (SNEP)[36] Silver 143,000[37]
Germany (BVMI)[38] Platinum 500,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Order of precedence
Preceded by
"Balla... Balla!" by Francesco Napoli		 Austrian number-one single
15 November 1987 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Küss' die Hand, schöne Frau" by Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung
Preceded by
"Bad" by Michael Jackson		 Eurochart Hot 100 number-one single
14 November 1987 – 28 November 1987 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Faith" by George Michael
Preceded by
"Full Metal Jacket (I Want to Be Your Drill Instructor)" by Abigail Mead and Nigel Goulding		 Irish Singles Chart number-one single
11 October 1987 – 7 November 1987 (4 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Got My Mind Set on You" by George Harrison
Preceded by
"Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley		 German number-one single
26 October 1987 – 30 November 1987 (6 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Whenever You Need Somebody" by Rick Astley
Preceded by
"Boys" by Sabrina		 Swiss number-one single
18 October 1987 – 6 December 1987 (8 weeks)
Preceded by
"Voyage, voyage" by Desireless		 Norwegian number-one single
45/1987 – 49/1987 (5 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"China in Your Hand" by T'Pau
Preceded by
"Pump Up the Volume" by M|A|R|R|S		 UK Singles Chart number-one single
11 October 1987 – 7 November 1987 (4 weeks)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "You Win Again by Bee Gees". Songfacts. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Lister, David (28 May 1994). "Pop ballads bite back in lyrical fashion: David Lister charts a sea change away from rap towards memorable melodies". The Independent. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "1988 Brit Awards". Awards & Winners. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  4. ↑ "The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song". ITV. 9 December 2011.
  5. ↑ "Maurice Gibb: down-to-earth talent behind Bee Gees' hits". Music Week. 27 January 2003. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  6. ↑ Brennan, Joseph. "Gibb Songs : 1987". Columbia University. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Bee Gees – You Win Again" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Bee Gees – You Win Again" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  10. ↑ "Radio 2 Top 30 :" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  11. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 8480." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  12. ↑ MusicSeek.info – UK, Eurochart, Billboard & Cashbox No.1 Hits at the Wayback Machine (archived 14 June 2006). MusicSeek.info.
  13. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  14. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Bee Gees – You Win Again" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  15. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Bee Gees – You Win Again". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  16. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – You Win Again". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  17. 1 2 "I singoli più venduti del 1987" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  18. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bee Gees - You Win Again search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  19. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bee Gees – You Win Again" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  20. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Bee Gees – You Win Again". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  21. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Bee Gees – You Win Again". VG-lista. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  22. ↑ "YOU WIN AGAIN – Bee Gees" (in Polish). LP3. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  23. ↑ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (B)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  24. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Bee Gees – You Win Again". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  25. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Bee Gees – You Win Again". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  26. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1987-10-17" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  27. ↑ "E.S.P. – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  28. ↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending OCTOBER 10, 1987 at the Wayback Machine (archived 6 October 2012). Cash Box magazine.
  29. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  30. ↑ "Jahreshitparade 1987" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  31. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1987" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  32. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  33. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1987" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  34. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1987" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  35. ↑ "Chart Archive – 1980s Singles". everyHit.com. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  36. ↑ "French single certifications – Bee Gess – You Win Again" (in French). InfoDisc. Select BEE GESS and click OK
  37. ↑ "Les Singles en Argent" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  38. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bee Gess; 'You Win Again')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  39. ↑ "British single certifications – Bee Gess – You Win Again". British Phonographic Industry. Enter You Win Again in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
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