Bee Gees – Massachusetts

“Massachusetts” – Single by Bee Gees from the album Horizontal B-side “Barker of the UFO” (UK), “Sir Geoffrey Saved the World” (US)

Released: 19 September 1967 (UK), November 1967 (US)
Recorded: 9–17 August 1967

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Bee Gees - Massachusetts

Bee Gees - Massachusetts (1967) 4K02:18

“(The Lights Went Out In) Massachusetts” is a song by the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb and released in 1967. Robin Gibb sang lead vocals on this song and it would become one of his staple songs to perform during both Bee Gees concerts and his solo appearances. It later appeared on their 1968 album, Horizontal.

The song became the first of the group’s five No. 1 hits in the UK Singles Chart, reached No. 1 in twelve other countries, peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually sold over five million copies worldwide. When the brothers wrote the song, they had never been to Massachusetts. In a UK television special on ITV in December 2011, it was voted third (behind “How Deep Is Your Love” and “You Win Again”) in “The Nation’s Favourite Bee Gees Song”.

The Bee Gees had never actually been to Massachusetts when they recorded this; they just liked the sound of the name. Robin Gibb explained in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh: “We have never been there but we loved the word and there is always something magic about American place names. It only works with British names if you do it as a folk song. Roger Whittaker did that with ‘Durham Town.'”

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