| "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bee Gees | ||||
| from the album Trafalgar | ||||
| B-side | "Walking Back to Waterloo" | |||
| Released | October 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 7 April 1971 IBC Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 5:24 | |||
| Label | Polydor (United Kingdom) Atco (United States) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Barry Gibb | |||
| Producer(s) | Robert Stigwood, Bee Gees | |||
| Bee Gees singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" is a ballad written and sung by Barry Gibb, and released on the Bee Gees' album Trafalgar in 1971, and the second single release taken from the album.
Recording and release
This slow dramatic piano ballad was described by Robin Gibb in the liner notes of Tales from the Brothers Gibb box set as "...the dawning, or the closing, of the 'gotta find out who I really am' era." This track was the last song recorded for the album. "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" was recorded on April 7, the same day when they finished the tracks "Israel", "It's Just the Way" and "Engines, Aeroplanes".
The single was released in October 1971, two months after the number 1 hit "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart". Considering that "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" was a number 1, it was surprising that this did not even make the top fifty. Cash Box said of it that it was "another classic outing from the Brothers Gibb certain to trigger off a mighty sales explosion" and repeat the chart success of "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart. With the success of "...Broken Heart", Atco Records was choosing ballads exclusively for Bee Gees singles during this time. This song along with "Walking Back to Waterloo" was released as a double A-side in Spain, Canada, Japan and the US. The album version of the song was faded at 5:24.
A promotional single issued by Atco in the US, featured the song in its mono and stereo versions on its respective sides.
Personnel
- Barry Gibb — lead vocals
- Robin Gibb - harmony vocals
- Maurice Gibb — piano, bass, harmony vocals
- Geoff Bridgford — drums
- Bill Shepherd — orchestral arrangement
Chart positions
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM) | 34 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) | 29 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 53 |
| US Cash Box | 39 |
| US Record World | 30 |
References
- Dimery, Robert; Lydon, Michael (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (Revised and Updated ed.). Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
- Joseph Brennan. "Gibb Songs: 1971".
- "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. October 16, 1971. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
- Discogs.com (1971). "Bee Gees - Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself (US promo single)". Discogs.
- "RPM 100 Singles - Volume 16, No. 14". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ^ "Songs Written by the Gibb Family on the International Charts - Part 2" (PDF). brothersgibb.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
- "Bee Gees Charted Songs". musicvf.com. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
- "Cashbox Top 100". Cashbox Magazine. November 20, 1971. Archived from the original on 14 August 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
