Jive Talkin'

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For the language, see African American Vernacular English.
"Jive Talkin'"
Single by Bee Gees
from the album Main Course
B-side "Wind of Change"
Released May 1975
Format Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM)
Recorded
Genre
Length
  • 3:44 (album version)
  • 3:33 (single version)
Label RSO
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Arif Mardin
Certification Gold (RIAA), Silver (BPI)
Bee Gees singles chronology
"Charade"
(1974)		 "Jive Talkin'"
(1975)		 "Nights on Broadway"
(1975)
Saturday Night Fever track listing

"Jive Talkin'" is a song by the Bee Gees, released as a single in May 1975 by RSO Records. This was the lead single from the album Main Course and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100; it also reached the top-five on the UK Singles Chart in the summer of 1975. Largely recognised as the group's "comeback" song, it was their first US top-10 hit since "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" (1971).

Origins and recording

The song was originally called "Drive Talking". The song's rhythm was modelled after the sound their car made crossing the Julia Tuttle Causeway each day from Biscayne Bay to Criteria Studios in Miami.[4]

Recording for "Jive Talkin'" took place on 30 January and 2 February 1975. The scratchy guitar intro was done by Barry and the funky bass line by Maurice. The pulsing synthesiser bass line, which featured in the final recording, was (along with the pioneering work of Stevie Wonder) one of the earliest uses of "synth bass" on a pop recording. It was overdubbed by keyboardist Blue Weaver using a then state-of-the-art ARP 2600, which producer Arif Mardin had brought in for the recording of the Main Course album.[5] Weaver stated, "Usually Maurice would play bass guitar, but he was away from the studio that night. And when Maurice came back, we let him hear it and suggested he re-record the bass line on his bass guitar". "I really liked the synth bass lines", Maurice said. "I overdubbed certain sections to add bass extra emphasis".

"Jive Talkin'" was also influenced by "You're the One" (written by Sly Stone) by Little Sister.[6]

According to Maurice, while hearing this rhythmic sound, "Barry didn't notice that he's going 'Ji-Ji Jive Talkin' ', thinking of the dance, 'You dance with your eyes'...that's all he had...exactly 35 mph...that's what we got." He goes on to say, "We played it to [producer] Arif [Mardin], and he went 'Do you know what "Jive Talkin'" means?' And we said 'Well yeah, it's, ya know, you're dancing.' He says 'NO...it's a black expression for bullshitting.' And we went 'OH, REALLY?!? Jive talkin', you're telling me lies...' and changed it". Maurice goes on to describe how Arif gave them "the groove, the tempo, everything." Robin Gibb then goes on to mention that, because they were English, they were less self-conscious about going into the "no-go areas", referring to musical styles that were more black in styles, etc. He then said, "We didn't think that there was any 'no go' areas, it's music!" Barry's guitar strumming has a smoother version of Kool and the Gang's signature chicka-chicka and funky Nassau version of KC and the Sunshine Band's Caribbean strumming. The song's rhythm riff perhaps from "Shirley & Company's "Shame, Shame, Shame", with a prominent use of the Bo Diddley beat.[7]

"Jive Talkin'" is a stutter song along with The Who's "My Generation", David Bowie's "Changes", Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" and Bob Seger's "Katmandu"[6]

After hearing "Jive Talkin'", Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac, and co-producer Dashut built up the song "Second Hand News" (released on the band's Rumours in 1977) with four audio tracks of electric guitar and the use of chair percussion to evoke Celtic rock.[8]

Release

Upon its release to radio stations, the single was delivered in a plain white cover, with no immediate indication of what the song's name was or who sang it. The DJs would only find out what the song was and who played it when it was placed on the turntable; RSO did provide the song with a label on the record itself. It was the second time in the band's career that this strategy had been employed to get airplay for their music, after a similar tactic had popularized their debut US single "New York Mining Disaster 1941" in 1967. The song approximates the synthesized propulsion of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition".[6]

The original studio version was included on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, as it was used in a scene that was cut from the final film. Later pressings of the album used the live version of "Jive Talkin' " from the Bee Gees 1977 album, Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live, due to contractual distribution changes. The CD version restores the use of the studio version.

Chart performance

Cover versions

  • In 1975, the funk band Rufus covered "Jive Talkin'" on their album Rufus featuring Chaka Khan.
  • In 1987, this song was covered by the Boogie Box High. Boogie Box High was a musical project by Andros Georgiou in the late 1980s, that featured a range of vocal collaborations such as his relative George Michael (of Wham!) and Nick Heyward (of Haircut One Hundred). The cover was their biggest hit in 1987.
  • On Iron Maiden's song "More Tea Vicar", towards the end, Bruce Dickinson sings a bit of the song in a voice imitating The Bee Gees as a joke, then follows it up with, "No, no, no! You got the wrong track, you have to go in the studio next door." Then sings, "Okay" in a Bee Gees voice.
  • Dread Zeppelin covered "Jive Talkin'" on their 1992 album It's Not Unusual.
  • The Judybats covered "Jive Talkin'" on their 1994 album Full-Empty.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Bee Gees – Jive Talkin'" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ CHART NUMBER 966 – Saturday, July 26, 1975 at the Wayback Machine (archived 7 November 2006). CHUM. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  13. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 4013." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  14. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4019a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  15. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Bee Gees – Jive Talkin'". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  16. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Jive Talking". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bee Gees - Jive search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  19. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bee Gees – Jive Talkin'" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  20. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Bee Gees – Jive Talkin'". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  21. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1975-08-02" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending AUGUST 9, 1975 at the Wayback Machine (archived 14 August 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  24. ↑ RECORD WORLD 1975 at the Wayback Machine (archived 1 August 2004). Record World. Geocities.com. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1975 at the Wayback Machine (archived 19 August 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Jive Talking in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH

External links

Preceded by US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
9 August 1975 – 16 August 1975 (two weeks)		 Succeeded by
"Fallin' in Love" by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
Preceded by US Cash Box number-one single
16 August 1975 (one week)		 Succeeded by
"Someone Saved My Life Tonight" by Elton John
Canadian RPM number-one single
9 August 1975 – 16 August 1975 (two weeks)		 Succeeded by
"I'm Not in Love" by 10cc
Preceded by Canadian CHUM number-one single
26 July 1975 – 23 August 1975 (five weeks)		 Succeeded by
"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)"
by James Taylor
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