This song was featured in the film “Saturday Night Fever” (1977) which represented the disco era, so the song became tightly bound with disco, though the Bee Gees had been popular as a vocal harmony group prior to the film, and they disliked the fact that everybody began to label them as a disco singers. Robin Gibb said in a 1989 interview with Q magazine, “We were not disco. People who emulated us were disco.”
About This Song
- This was one of five songs the Bee Gees wrote specifically for the “Saturday Night Fever” film. Robert Stigwood, who produced the film, got the idea from a New York Magazine article about discomania and the Brooklyn club scene. The line in the song “We can try to understand the New York Times’ effect on man” is a reference to that.
- The soundtrack, this song belong to, was a huge success: it won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and became the best-selling album ever until it was toppled down by Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” (1982). It still remained the best-selling soundtrack of all time until the soundtrack to “The Bodyguard” (1992) overtook it.
- This song is one of the band’s most recognizable songs. It won a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement For Voices. It wasn’t going to be a single but fans requested this song so much from radio stations after seeing the film’s trailers that it was eventually released as a single one month after the soundtrack album.
Video
Lyric
Well, you can tell by the way I use my walkI’m a woman’s man, no time to talkMusic loud and women warm, I’ve been kicked aroundSince I was bornAnd now it’s alright, it’s okayAnd you may look the other wayWe can try to understandThe New York Times’ effect on manWhether you’re a brother or whether you’re a motherYou’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ aliveFeel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’And we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ aliveAh, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ aliveAh, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ aliveOh, when you walkWell now, I get low and I get highAnd if I can’t get either, I really tryGot the wings of Heaven on my shoesI’m a dancin’ man and I just can’t loseYou know it’s alright, it’s okayI’ll live to see another dayWe can try to understandThe New York Times’ effect on manWhether you’re a brother or whether you’re a motherYou’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ aliveFeel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’And we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ aliveAh, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive (oh)Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive (oh)Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help meSomebody help me, yeahLife goin’ nowhere, somebody help me, yeahI’m stayin’ aliveWell, you can tell by the way I use my walkI’m a woman’s man, no time to talkMusic loud and women warmI’ve been kicked around since I was bornAnd now it’s all right, it’s okayAnd you may look the other wayWe can try to understandThe New York Times’ effect on manWhether you’re a brother or whether you’re a motherYou’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ aliveFeel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’And we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ aliveAh, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ aliveAh, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive (hey)Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help meSomebody help me, yeahLife goin’ nowhere, somebody help me, yeahI’m stayin’ aliveLife goin’ nowhere, somebody help meSomebody help me, yeah (ah, ah, ah)Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me, yeahI’m stayin’ aliveLife goin’ nowhere, somebody help meSomebody help me, yeah (ah, ah, ah, ay)Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me, yeahI’m stayin’ aliveLife goin’ nowhere, somebody help meSomebody help me, yeah (oh)Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me, yeahI’m stayin’ alive
Guitar chord
INTRO | Em | % | A | % | | Em | % | VERSE Em Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk D Em I'm a woman's man, no time to talk Em Music loud and women warm D Em I've been kicked around since I was born A But now it's all right, that's okay A You may look the other way A We can try to understand A The New York Times' effect on man CHORUS Em Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother Em You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive Em Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin' Em I'm a-stayin' alive, stayin' alive Em Em Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' alive, stayin' alive Em Em [ D Em ] Bm7 Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' ali-i-i-i --- ive (break) | Em | % | Oh, when you walk VERSE Em Well, now I get low and I get high D Em And if I can't get either, I really try Em Got the wings of heaven on my shoes D Em I'm a dancin' man, and I just can't lose A You know, it's all right, it's okay A I'll live to see another day A We can try to understand A The New York Times' effect on man CHORUS Em Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother Em You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive Em Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin' Em I'm a-stayin' alive, stayin' alive Em Em Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' alive, stayin' alive Em Em [ D Em ] Bm7 Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' ali-i-i-i --- ive (break) | Em | % | Oooooh MIDDLE 8 A Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me [ Em | % | Somebody help me, yeah A Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah | A | | Em | % | I'm stayin' alive VERSE Em Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk D Em I'm a woman's man, no time to talk Em Music loud and women warm D Em I've been kicked around since I was born A But now it's all right, that's okay A You may look the other way A We can try to understand A The New York Times' effect on man CHORUS Em Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother Em You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive Em Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin' Em I'm a-stayin' alive, stayin' alive Em Em Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' alive, stayin' alive Em Em [ D Em ] Bm7 Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' ali-i-i-i --- ive (break) | Em | % | Yeah CODA A Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me [ Em | % | Somebody help me, yeah A Em Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah | Em | % | % | I'm stayin' ali-i-i-i-ive A Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me [ Em | % | Somebody help me, yeah A Em Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah | Em | % | % | I'm stayin' ali-i-i-i-ive A Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me [ Em | % | Somebody help me, yeah A Em Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah | Em | % | % | I'm stayin' ali-i-i-i-ive A Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me [ Em | % | Somebody help me, yeah A Em Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah | Em | % | % | I'm stayin' ali-i-i-i-ive