from the album
Let's Stay Together
from the album
Sex and the City: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" is a song released by the
Bee Gees in 1971. The song had been written by Barry and Robin
Gibb in August 1970, when the Gibb brothers had reconvened
following a period of break-up and alienation. They said that
they originally offered it to Andy Williams, but ultimately the
Bee Gees recorded it themselves and included it on their 1971
album,
Trafalgar.
The song was recorded on 28 January 1971 in London. The
instrumental track is: Barry Gibb (guitar), Maurice Gibb
(guitar, piano, bass guitar), possibly Alan Kendall (guitar),
and Geoff Bridgeford (drums), with strings and woodwinds
arranged and conducted by Bill Shepherd. The vocals are by
Robin (solo in the opening verse), Barry (solo in choruses and
second verse), and Maurice (joins Barry and Robin in harmony on
choruses). It was released as a single in May 1971 ahead of the
album. The B side was a non-album song "Country Woman", written
by Maurice Gibb, recorded on 6 April by Maurice (guitar, piano,
bass guitar), Kendall (guitar), Bridgeford (drums), and
Shepherd (string and horn arrangement).
Although failing to chart on the UK Singles Chart, the song
became the Bee Gees' first U.S. number one on the Hot 100 and
also reached number four on the
BillboardAdult Contemporary chart.
Recently this song was featured on Denzel Washington's
character's I-Pod in "The Book of Eli"
An alternate version appeared on the first UK pressing of
the 2001 compilation
Their Greatest Hits: The Record. It has different vocal,
piano, and bass guitar tracks. It is very noticeable that
Barry, not Robin, sings the first verse, and that Barry's sigh
does not appear before each chorus. This was a tape library
mistake, both this and the correct reel being marked as best.
The differences illustrate how the Bee Gees built up a
recording track by track. These unsatisfactory vocal, piano,
and bass tracks would be re-done to make the officially
released version.
