"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" is a song released by the
Bee Gees in 1971. It was written by
Barry and
Robin Gibb and was the first single on the group's 1971 album Trafalgar. It was their first US No. 1 single and also reached No. 1 in Cashbox magazine for two weeks.[4]
In the US
Atco Records issued both mono and stereo versions of the song on each side as a promo single.[5] The B-side was a
Maurice Gibb composition "
Country Woman".
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, although Williams did later cover the song on his album You've Got a Friend. Barry also explains, "We might imitate a certain group, later on, the group will pick up on the song and say that suits us."[7]Maurice Gibb possibly had a hand in the writing of the song, although it is officially credited to Barry and Robin Gibb alone. 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.[8]
The single version was recorded on 28 January 1971 in
London, the same day as "
We Lost the Road", "When Do I", "If I Were the Sky", "Bring Out the Thoughts in Me" and "
Ellan Vannin".[8] The group's later song "
My World" followed along the same musical ideas on this song.[7] 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."[1]
Reception
The song was sung live for the first time in 1971, in a performance that was notable as drummer Geoff Bridgford's first appearance with the band.[9] 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 BillboardAdult Contemporary chart. Billboard ranked it as
the No. 5 song for 1971. Cash Box described the song as being "a slower, almost country-ballad styled performance which links an intricate melody segment with more powerful thrusts to give the track top forty impetus."[10]Record World called it a "lovely tune [that] can't miss."[11] In Spain, it was released under the title "Cómo Puedes Arreglar Un Corazón Destrozado".[12]
1984: Single release by Deirdre and Louise Rutkowski (later of 4AD supergroup
This Mortal Coil) for their debut "In An Ideal World" (1984) with their first band Sunset Gun.[37]
1985: Mexican Group El Tiempo recorded a
Spanish-language version called "Como Curar Un Corazón" on their album Cada Día Más[38]
2003:
Michael Bublé recorded this song, with Barry Gibb performing
backup vocals, on his self-titled album. Bublé's version reached number 22 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. It was Buble's first single.[40]
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.