One of the Bee Gees’ most memorable songs began as a hit cover song by another group

According to Spotify rankings, “More Than a Woman” is the third most popular song by the Bee Gees, with nearly a billion plays, right after “Stayin’ Alive” and “How Deep Is Your Love.” The funny thing is, when they originally recorded it in 1977 for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, they didn’t even release it as a single. In 1977, Stevie Wonder’s music was meant to be featured in the film Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta as a Brooklynite “going nowhere” who works in a paint shop and spends his weekends competing for trophies and women on New York City dance floors. The Bee Gees take over the ‘Saturday Night Fever’ soundtrack Producer Robert Stigwood couldn’t secure the rights to Wonder’s music, so during post-production he called on the Bee Gees, a band he had managed since 1967. The Bee Gees had traditionally been a soft rock group with folk and country roots. Still, after their 1975 hit “Jive Talkin’,” the band began exploring more rhythmic sounds, and singer Barry Gibb started experimenting with a falsetto voice popular among Black singers of the era. This kicked off a marathon writing session where, over a weekend, Barry, Maurice, and Robin Gibb wrote “Night Fever,” “Stayin’ Alive,” “More Than a Woman,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” and “If I Can’t Have You.” Talk about being in touch with the muse. “These songs were gold dust. I can’t think of any other composers you could have asked that of and had them come back with that, having not read the script,” Bill Oakes, the producer who won a Grammy for the soundtrack to the film, said in 2020. Just as the band gave “If I Can’t Have You” to Yvonne Ellerman, they handed Tavares their demo of “More Than A Woman” to record for the film. Tavares’ core lineup was five brothers, best known for their hits “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” (1976) and “It Only Takes a Minute” (1975). Later, producers decided they wanted two versions of the song for the film, so the Bee Gees dusted off their demo and finished it in time for the film’s premiere. ‘More Than a Woman’ played a pivotal role in the film The Tavares version plays when Tony Manero (Travolta) practices dancing with Stephanie Mangano (Karen Lynn Gorney) for the upcoming 2001 Odyssey disco dance competition. “More Than a Woman” is a love song about a man who realizes he’s developed romantic feelings for a woman he once saw as a friend. The song features Barry’s iconic falsetto, lush harmonies, and a disco groove driven by Dennis Bryon’s drums. The Bee Gees version plays when Tony and Stephanie hit the dance floor on the big night of the disco dance competition. Saturday Night Fever was a critical and financial success, and its soundtrack became one of the highest-selling albums ever, with over 40 million copies sold. “More Than A Woman” would reach number 32 on the U.S. charts. The Tavares family is still performing, with two surviving brothers touring with the next generation to keep the group’s signature R&B sound alive. The Bee Gees’ historic career ended when Maurice passed away in 2003 at 53. Robin would follow in 2012 at 62. Barry is the band’s last surviving member. Last year, Barry sat down with Upworthy to talk about his brothers’ early years and their love for Bob Dylan.