It seemed that I had played every one of my favourite artists lately, and last night I was randomly searching my dusty memory banks for somebody I hadn’t played in the past month when I hit on the Bee Gees.  Odd, but I haven’t heard their music or thought about them for years.  So, then I had to try to remember which of their repertoire was my favourite, and I came up with this one, How Deep Is Your Love.

The track for this one was written mainly by the Gibb brothers — Barry, Robin and Maurice.  Barry worked out the melody with keyboard player Blue Weaver, though he is not credited officially as a songwriter.  The song was originally written for Amrican singer Yvonne Elliman, but Robert Stigwood, who produced the movie Saturday Night Fever, insisted the Bee Gees perform it themselves for the soundtrack.

The song won Best Pop Performance by a Group at the 20th Grammy Awards which were held on 23 February 1978.

An interesting bit of trivia … according to SongFacts …

A songwriter/antiques dealer in Illinois named Ronald Selle sued the Bee Gees, claiming a song he wrote in 1975 called “Let It End” was the basis for “How Deep Is Your Love.” The case went to a jury in 1983. The Bee Gees claimed that they had never heard “Let It End,” and there was no evidence that they did (that song was never released – Selle made a home recording that he had sent to music publishers). The case was based on the similarities between the songs, and an expert witness for Selle – a musicologist named Arrand Parsons – tried to convince the jury through technical analysis of the notes that the Bee Gees plagiarized the song. The jury bought it, and ruled that the Bee Gees did copy Selle’s song. The judge, however, nullified the verdict. Selle later appealed, and was once again rebuffed.

The case underscored the problem of juries making judgments on music, and it led to a landmark ruling that “striking similarities” between songs was not enough to prove plagiarism (something George Harrison would have appreciated). Henceforth, a songwriter had to prove that the infringing party actually heard the song before the case could move forward. This is one reason why music publishers and songwriters refuse to hear most unsolicited material.

How Deep Is Your Love
Bee Gees

I know your eyes in the morning sun
I feel you touch me in the pouring rain
And the moment that you wander far from me
I want to feel you in my arms again
And you come to me on a summer breeze
Keep me warm in your love, then you softly leave
And it’s me you need to show

How deep is your love, how deep is your love
How deep is your love?
I really mean to learn
‘Cause we’re living in a world of fools
Breaking us down when they all should let us be
We belong to you and me

I believe in you
You know the door to my very soul
You’re the light in my deepest, darkest hour
You’re my savior when I fall
And you may not think I care for you
When you know down inside that I really do
And it’s me you need to show

How deep is your love, how deep is your love
How deep is your love?
I really mean to learn
‘Cause we’re living in a world of fools
Breaking us down when they all should let us be
We belong to you and me

And you come to me on a summer breeze
Keep me warm in your love, then you softly leave
And it’s me you need to show

How deep is your love, how deep is your love
How deep is your love?
I really mean to learn
‘Cause we’re living in a world of fools
Breaking us down when they all should let us be
We belong to you and me

How deep is your love, how deep is your love
I really mean to learn
‘Cause we’re living in a world of fools
Breaking us down when they all should let us be
We belong to you and me

How deep is your love, how deep is your love
I really mean to learn
‘Cause we’re living in a world of fools
Breaking us down when they all should let us be
We belong to you and me

Songwriters: Barry Gibb / Maurice Ernest Gibb / Robin Hugh Gibb
How Deep Is Your Love lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.