| "The Longest Night" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Bee Gees | |
| from the album E.S.P. | |
| Released | September 1987 (1987-09) |
| Recorded | January – March 1987, Middle Ear, Miami Beach and Criteria Studios, Miami |
| Genre | R&B |
| Length | 5:46 |
| Label | Warner Bros. |
| Songwriter(s) | Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb |
| Producer(s) | Arif Mardin, Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Brian Tench |
"The Longest Night" is a ballad number performed by the Bee Gees, with lead vocals by Robin Gibb. This song was written by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb, and was released in September 1987, from the album E.S.P..
Musical structure
On this song, it features Robin Gibb on the lead vocal, with Barry's guitar all over it; the variety of the melody, the flow of the lyric, and the structure with two verses but no chorus all set a contemplative mood. The second time around, as it hits the second verse section, Robin goes off into a few lines of new melody as if he's been distracted by his thoughts. Barry chimes in with his falsetto voice for backing vocals. The musicians who played on this song were Barry Gibb and Nick Moroch on guitar, Maurice Gibb and Robbie Kondor on keyboards, drums programmed by Rhett Lawrence and Marcus Miller on bass. In 1989, the song was performed live in Rotterdam as part of the One For All Tour. In 2008, Robin mimed to the song on a UK show.
Personnel
- Robin Gibb – lead vocal
- Barry Gibb – backing vocal, guitar
- Maurice Gibb – backing vocal, keyboards
- Robbie Kondor – keyboards
- Rhett Lawrence – drum programming
- Marcus Miller – bass
- Nick Moroch – guitar
References
- Discogs.com. "Bee Gees: E.S.P."
- Joseph Brennan. "Gibb Songs: 1987".
