Nights on Broadway

When Barry Gibb found himself singing in a register so high and powerful that even he didn't know he possessed it, something new was born for the Bee Gees. It was during the recording of Main Course, in January 1975, that producer Arif Mardin asked them for some "screaming" to give more strength to the chorus of Nights on Broadway. What began as a request for vocal improvisation transformed into Barry's distinctive falsetto, a trademark that would define much of their subsequent sound. The lyrics, born from a dream, narrate a man's pursuit of a woman who does not love him, attributing his misfortune to nights on Broadway and love songs that resonate directly to the heart. The song's rhythm, described as a rhythmic sway that accompanies the urgency of the words, makes it very close to the dance floor, and its melody is more direct than in the group's previous hits.

The recording of Nights on Broadway took place at Criteria Studios in Miami, with sessions that included January 20 and 30, 1975, sharing time with other tracks from the album such as Jive Talkin' and Fanny (Be Tender with My Love). The result was a track that, released as the second single from Main Course, reached number seven on the American Billboard Hot 100 chart. For radio play, a shorter version was prepared that removed the more paused section. The song, written by Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, and produced by Arif Mardin, became an R&B effort with highly polished vocal harmonies, which some critics described as a fusion of grand arrangements with imitations of black falsettos, framing the disco sound that was beginning to gain strength. In 1977, Candi Staton covered the song, achieving notable success in the United Kingdom and Ireland.