Birdie Told Me

When the Bee Gees entered Chappell Studios to shape their album Horizontal, the first song they recorded was Birdie Told Me. Barry Gibb recalls that the idea revolved around recovering love, a person who has lost their partner and receives comfort. He described it as a beautiful piece, with an air that evokes late sixties cinema, and highlighted the emotiveness of its chorus. Barry's original conception for Birdie Told Me arose in the studios of Chappell Music, a place they alternated with IBC Studios in Portland Place, directly opposite the BBC. The recording of this song had several stages, with four different versions registered between July 30 and October 28, 1967.

Finally, the piece was completed with orchestral arrangements and choirs, and a lead guitar intervention by Vince Melouney was added. The melody, in the key of A, starts with a bass line, and Bill Shepherd's orchestration was incorporated in the chorus and the second verse. Birdie Told Me lasts 2 minutes and 19 seconds in its mono version, and 2 minutes and 23 seconds in stereo. This composition, written by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, and Maurice Gibb, is part of the album Horizontal, released in early 1968. This album, the Bee Gees' fourth studio album, was the second to have international distribution and contained hits like Massachusetts and World.

The album, released by Polydor in many countries and by Atco in the United States and Canada, showed influences ranging from the Beatles to baroque pop. The recording of Horizontal spanned several months of 1967, with sessions including July 30, August 1 and 10, and October 28. In 2007, the album was reissued with stereo and mono mixes, as well as additional material. The song was also covered by Dodle Best.