Billboard #1's
The Story Behind Shadow DancingWhen “Shadow Dancing” went to number one, Andy Gibb became the first solo artist in the history of the Hot 100 to have his first three chart singles reach number one. The only chart acts that have surpassed this total are the Jackson Five, who had their first four chart singles go to number one in 1970, and Mariah Carey, whose first five singles all went to number one in 1990 and 1991. The Four Seasons started with three consecutive number ones, but they had already charted as the Four Lovers.
“Shadow Dancing” also extended the chart dominance of the Gibb family and the RSO label. It was the eighth RSO number one in 1978, an unprecedented total that would add another digit when Frankie Valli took a Barry Gibb song (“Grease”) to the top of the chart less than two months later.
As for the Gibb takeover of the chart, “Shadow Dancing” was the number one single of 1978, according to “Billboard,” presiding over a year-end top 10 that included the Bee Gees’ “Night Fever” (number two), “Stayin’ Alive” (number four) and “How Deep Is Your Love” (number six) as well as Andy’s “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water” (number eight).
Andy wrote “Shadow Dancing” with his three older brothers in Los Angeles. “My brothers were making “Sgt. Pepper,” the movie,” Andy would recall years later. “And one night while we were relaxing, we sat down and we had to start getting tracks together for the (second) album. So we just literally sat down and in ten minutes, we had a group going, (singing) the chorus part. As it says underneath the song, we all wrote it, the four of us.”
After recording part of the song at Wally Heider Studios in Los Angeles, Gibb returned to the home of the Bee Gees’ hits, Criteria Studios, to record the “Shadow Dancing’ album. Contributing to the LP were Eagles Joe Walsh and Don Felder. Producers Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson also hired the same string musicians used by the Eagles on “Hotel California” for the “Shadow Dancing” single.
“Shadow Dancing” debuted on the Hot 100 at number 69 and 10 weeks later began a seven-week run at the top. While it was the number one song in America, Andy’s concert at Miami’s “Jai Alai” fronton featured some surprise guests – the Bee Gees. It was the first concert performance with all four Gibbs and the sole live appearance of the Bee Gees during 1978.
Gibb followed the platinum selling “Shadow Dancing” with three top 10 singles: “An Everlasting Love” (number five in September, 1978), “(Our Love) Don’t Throw It All Away” (number nine in December, 1978) and “Desire” (number four in March, 1980). He also charted with two duets: “I Can’t Help It” (number 12 in May, 1980) with Olivia Newton-John and a re-make of the Everly Brothers’ “All I Have to Do Is Dream” (number 51 in September, 1981) with Victoria Principal, Pamela Barnes Ewing in ”Dallas” and the subject of much media coverage because of her romance with Gibb.
Andy made his acting debut in the Los Angeles production of the Joseph Papp revival of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance.” He later re-created the role of Frederic in the Canadian production.
Gibb hosted TV’s “Solid Gold” series from 1981 until 1982. In January, 1988, he signed with Island Records. He was working on a new album when he was admitted to the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, England, with sever stomach pains. On March 10, 1988, Andy died of an inflammatory heart virus.
