How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"
Single by Bee Gees
from the album Trafalgar
B-side	"Country Woman"
Released	28 May 1971
Format	7", 45 rpm
Recorded	28 January 1971 IBC Studios, London
Genre	Soft rock
Length	3:57
Label	Polydor Atco (United States, Canada)
Writer(s)	Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb
Producer(s)	Robert Stigwood, Bee Gees
Certification	Gold (RIAA)
Bee Gees singles chronology
"Lonely Days" (1970) "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" (1971) "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" (1971)

"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" is a song released by the Bee Gees in 1971. It was written mainly by Barry and Robin Gibb. It was the lead and first single on the group's 1971 album Trafalgar. The B-side, a Maurice Gibb composition "Country Woman". It was their first US No. 1 single. The song also reached #1 in Cashbox magazine in two weeks.^[1] The song is also in the 2013 film American Hustle and on its soundtrack.

In the US Atco Records issued both mono and stereo versions of the song on each side as a promo single.^[2]

Writing and recording

	"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" An excerpt from the first chorus
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Barry and Robin Gibb wrote the song in August 1970 with "Lonely Days" when the Gibb brothers had reconvened following a period of break-up and alienation. "Robin came to my place" says Barry, "and that afternoon we wrote 'How Can You Mend a Broken Heart' and that obviously was a link to us coming back together. We called Maurice, finished the song, went to the studio and once again, with only 'Broken Heart' as a basic structure, we went in to the studio with that and an idea for 'Lonely Days', and those two songs were recorded that night". They originally offered the song to Andy Williams, but ended up recording it themselves. Barry also explains, "We might imitate a certain group, later on, the group will pick up on the song and say that suits us."^[3] Maurice Gibb possibly had a hand in the writing of "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" although the song is officially credited to Barry and Robin Gibb. The 2009 release Ultimate Bee Gees officially credited Maurice for the first time as co-writer of the song, for both the "Ultimate" CD and DVD, and it was credited to the moniker Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb.^[4]

The song was recorded on 28 January 1971 in London same day as "We Lost the Road", "When Do I", "If I Were the Sky", "Bring Out the Thoughts in Me" and "Ellan Vannin".^[4] The group's later song "My World" followed along the same musical ideas on this song.^[3] Robin Gibb's remarked on the song, "The whole thing took about an hour to complete. The song reached the number one spot, to our great satisfaction."^[5]

Reception

Although failing to chart on the UK Singles Chart, the song became the Bee Gees' first US number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and also reached number four on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Billboard ranked this as the No. 5 song for 1971.^[6] In Spain, this single was released under the title "Cómo Puedes Arreglar Un Corazón Destrozada".^[7] The song was performed for the first time in 1971. That performance is notable for drummer Geoff Bridgford's first appearance with the band.^[8]

Following the release of "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", the song had a Grammy nomination for Best Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus among George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" and others.^[3] The song was performed as part of a medley in The Midnight Special in 1975. They performed the song in Japan on the Japanese TV special Love Sounds as well as the Mr. Natural tour in 1974. A live version recorded live in 17–18 Nov 1989 at the National Tennis Centre, Melbourne, Australia was used for the benefit album Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal. In 1997-1999, it was performed on the One Night Only tour in its entirety as part of a medley. The song was last performed by the Bee Gees in 2001.

Personnel

• Barry Gibb – lead and harmony vocals, acoustic guitar
• Robin Gibb – lead and harmony vocals
• Maurice Gibb – harmony vocals, bass guitar, piano, acoustic guitar, organ
• Geoff Bridgeford – drums
• Bill Shepherd – orchestral and strings arrangement

Charts

Cover versions

1970s

• 1971: Johnny Mathis recorded a version of this song on his LP You've Got a Friend.^[18]
• 1972: Al Green covered the track on his album Let's Stay Together, which also made the soundtrack to 1997's Good Will Hunting, 1999's The Virgin Suicides, 1999's Notting Hill and 2010's The Book of Eli. Green's version was released as a single in France on Cream Records.^[19] In 2008, Green's version was remade into a duet with Joss Stone for the soundtrack to the film adaptation of Sex and the City, with her vocals overdubbed onto the track.^[20][21]
• 1973: Singer-actress Cher covered the song in her 1973 album Half-Breed.^[22]
• 1977: Florence Henderson performed the song during a medley on an episode of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.^[23]

1990s

• 1991: Teddy Pendergrass recorded a version of this song on his LP Truly Blessed.^[24]

2000s

• 2003: Michael Bublé recorded this song, with Barry Gibb performing backup vocals, on his self-titled album. Bublé's version reached number twenty-two on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. It was Buble's first single.^[25]
• 2003: American Idol's second winner Ruben Studdard covered the song on his debut album Soulful.
• 2005: Steve Brookstein recorded it on his number-one album Heart and Soul.^[26]
• 2007: Barry Manilow's version appears on his album The Greatest Songs of the Seventies.^[27]
• 2009: Jazz singer-pianist Diana Krall covered this song on her album Quiet Nights.^[28]
• 2009: Rod Stewart recorded a version for his album Soulbook, though it was left off the final track listing.

2010s

• 2014: Eef Barzelay recorded a version for a fundraising CD titled More Super Hits Of The Seventies for freeform radio station WFMU.

References

Literature

• Melinda Bilyeu, Hector Cook, and Andrew Môn Hughes, with Joseph Brennan and Mark Crohan. The Ultimate Biography of the Bee Gees. London: Omnibus, 2001.
• Unpublished list of tape reels, Universal/Polygram, viewed in 2000 by Joseph Brennan.

External links

• Allmusic entry
• Superseventies.com entry
• Gibb Songs
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics