In an era where pop stars are often criticized for using Auto-Tune to improve their singing, backing tracks for live performances, and AI to do everything from songwriting to arrangements, there’s something incredibly satisfying about a 1981 performance by the Bee Gees on Parkinson, a TV show hosted by iconic British journalist Mike Parkinson.
In the performance, the Bee Gees show how incredible their harmonies sound in a stripped-down performance of “(The Lights Went Out In) Massachusetts,” with brothers Barry and Maurice on acoustic guitar and Robin handling lead vocals. The song was a request from Parkinson after the Gibbs played some of their early tunes at the beginning of the broadcast.
The Bee Gees sing ‘Massachusetts’ on TV in 1981
“Massachusetts” was written and released in 1967 and was a backlash to the historic Summer of Love in San Francisco. In the song, the protagonist leaves Massachusetts for San Francisco, but later returns to the state after becoming homesick.
Feel I’m goin’ back to Massachusetts
Something’s telling me I must go home
And the lights all went out in Massachusetts
The day I left her standing on her own
Tried to hitch a ride to San Francisco
Gotta do the things I wanna do
And the lights all went out in Massachusetts
They brought me back to see my way with you
The song was a massive hit for the Bee Gees, selling over 5 million records, and it became their first of five number-one songs in the U.K.
The brothers agree that the song was written on a trip to New York City, but they differ on where. “There are two different memories,” Barry recalled in an interview. “Robin remembers us doing it in a boat going around New York City. And I remember us checking in at the St. Regis with Robert [Stigwood], going to the suite, and while the bags were being brought in, we were so high on being in New York that’s how ‘Massachusetts’ began.”
The Bee Gees had never been to Massachusetts when they wrote the song
Funnily enough, the band had never been to Massachusetts and chose to sing about it because it had a lot of “Ss” in the name. They had multiple hits using American locations in their titles, including 1967’s “New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones)” and 1975’s “Nights on Broadway.”
Seeing the Bee Gees once again delight the world with their heavenly harmonies reminds us that, in a world where music can seem overly manufactured, true artistry has a way of lifting the heart and spirit as few things can. Sadly, we’ll never be able to see the brothers make beautiful music live again. Maurice passed away in 2003 at 53. Robin would follow in 2012 at 62. Barry is the band’s last surviving member. Last year, he talked with Upworthy about his brothers’ early years and their love for Bob Dylan.
