1980 No. 1, Penned By Two Bee Gees, Hit The Top 46 Years Ago Today
No one could argue that the Bee Gees weren't a musical phenomenon. They pumped out nine chart-toppers and built a lasting legacy, with songs like "Staying Alive" remaining cultural staples through the modern day. In truth, the Bee Gees had far more hits than their discography gives them credit for because members of the group wrote several notable songs for other artists. Barry Gibb composed "Grease," performed by Frankie Valli. Barry and Robin Gibb wrote "Emotion" for Samantha Sang. But, most importantly, those same Gibb brothers penned the No. 1 hit "Woman in Love" for Barbra Streisand — a song that was at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart 46 years ago today, on November 8, 1980.
Don't get us wrong; Streisand is a legendary performer due to her multifaceted talents and not because of one hit song written by two Gibb brothers. Her singing career was already well established before "Woman in Love" hit the charts — she'd had four other No. 1s by then — and her acting career started in the '60s. The fame was already there, but having another chart-topping hit certainly didn't hurt, especially one that did so well across the globe. Of course, the song wouldn't have landed on the charts at all if Barry and Robin Gibb never signed on — and they almost didn't.
How Woman in Love was almost never made
"Woman in Love" was Barbra Streisand's last single to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, but in this timeline at least, Barry and Robin Gibb needed to be onboard for that to happen. There are several factors that go into forming a collaboration, and the stars don't always align to make these things possible. In the case of the Streisand-Bee Gees collab, the thing standing in the way was the Gibbs' sense of awe toward the monolithic Barbra Streisand.
"At first, we didn't want to do it because it seemed so overwhelming. What if she doesn't like what we do?" Barry Gibb said during a 2001 interview with Billboard Magazine. These fears might make sense if the brothers Gibb were from some no-name band that never saw the pop charts, but that obviously wasn't the case. The Bee Gees were a venerable hit factory who'd been dominating the charts for years. All they really needed to do was lace up and get it done.
In the end, that's exactly what Barry and Robin did, finding motivation in Streisand's previous album, 1979's "Wet." "The question was, 'Can we beat this?'" Barry continued. "'Can we beat this album?' And for us it was yes." From that moment on, the fate of "Woman in Love" was written. It became a massive international hit for Streisand, reaching No. 1 in 19 different countries.