Alone

The song *Alone* by the Bee Gees, which opens their twenty-first studio album, Still Waters, released in 1997, has a sound that evokes past eras, something the Gibb brothers consciously sought. Maurice Gibb described how, while working on it, he felt it had an air of 1950s music, and even aspired to that "Beatlesque" style that recalled the harmonies of The Byrds. To achieve that feeling, they experimented with bagpipe sounds, an idea that Robin Gibb insisted on, integrating it into a structure that, according to Maurice, felt like a "very exciting demo". The lyrics, with phrases like "I'm on a wheel of fortune with a twist of fate", also contribute to that nostalgic atmosphere. In the performance, both Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb alternate on lead vocals, supported by the group's characteristic falsetto.

This track was the first single released from Still Waters and had a notable international reach. In the United Kingdom, it reached number five, while in New Zealand it peaked at number two, becoming one of the best-selling singles of 1997. In Canada, it charted at number 20 and was recognized as the most successful adult contemporary song of that year by RPM magazine. In the United States, the song debuted at number 34 on the Billboard "Hot Shot" chart and eventually reached number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the Bee Gees' thirtieth and final appearance in the top 40 in that country. The single included on its British release the songs "Closer Than Close" and "Rings Around the Moon" as B-sides, and in the United States, a live version of *Stayin' Alive*. British magazine Music Week rated the track four out of five stars, highlighting its recognizable harmonies and Barry Gibb's production, which they described as "ELO-style" with "coded bagpipes".