When you think of Barry Gibb, you think of the Bee Gees: the falsetto, the white suit, “Stayin’ Alive.” But here’s the wild part. Some of the biggest hits of the last 50 years weren’t sung by him at all. He just wrote them, handed them over, and watched other people ride them to number one. Frankie Valli, Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, Celine Dion. The man was a hit factory who kept giving away the merchandise. Here’s as complete a roundup as we could assemble of the songs Barry Gibb wrote (or co-wrote) for other artists, and the stories behind them.
“I Just Want to Be Your Everything” by Andy Gibb (1977)
Barry wrote his little brother’s debut single and it shot to No. 1 in the US. Family business has never paid off quite so handsomely.
“Love Is Thicker Than Water” by Andy Gibb (1977)
Another Barry co-write for Andy, another US chart-topper, part of an astonishing run where Barry-penned songs simply refused to leave the top spot.
“Shadow Dancing” by Andy Gibb (1978)
Credited to all four Gibb brothers, it became Andy’s third straight US No. 1. Three singles, three number ones, all with Barry’s fingerprints.
“Emotion” by Samantha Sang (1977)
One of Gibb’s best-known compositions for another artist, “Emotion” remains Samantha Sang’s signature hit. Barry sang backing vocals on it, and decades later Destiny’s Child took their cover into the charts too.
“Grease” by Frankie Valli (1978)
Written by Barry Gibb as the title song for the movie musical, and recorded by Frankie Valli. It was a solo Gibb composition that became a US number one. Peter Frampton plays guitar on it, a fun bit of trivia for a song that screams 1950s nostalgia but was pure ’70s creation.
“If I Can’t Have You” by Yvonne Elliman (1978)
One of the hit tracks on the Saturday Night Fever album credited to the Bee Gees, it was taken to the top of the US charts by Yvonne Elliman. Part of the reason that soundtrack became a juggernaut.
“More Than a Woman” by Tavares (1977)
Funk, soul, and R&B group Tavares recorded “More Than a Woman” for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Two versions appeared on the album, the Bee Gees’ own and the Tavares cut that became the single.
“Woman in Love” by Barbra Streisand (1980)
Co-written with Robin, this is Streisand’s biggest-ever hit. It stayed at No. 1 for three weeks, and the video featured clips from Streisand’s 1976 film A Star Is Born. Barry either wrote or co-wrote all nine songs on her album Guilty.
“Guilty” by Barbra Streisand with Barry Gibb (1980)
The title-track duet won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group and hit the US Top 5. One of two duets Barry sang with Streisand on the album.
“What Kind of Fool” by Barbra Streisand with Barry Gibb (1981)
The second Streisand-Gibb duet, it reached the US Top 10 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart. Proof the Guilty partnership was no fluke.
“Heartbreaker” by Dionne Warwick (1982)
Written by all three Gibb brothers, with Barry’s vocals on the chorus. The brothers wished they’d recorded it themselves, and it became one of Warwick’s biggest hits and her eighth No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Barry produced the whole album.
“All the Love in the World” by Dionne Warwick (1982)
Another Gibb cut from the Barry-produced Heartbreaker album, one of Warwick’s best-selling records.
“Islands in the Stream” by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (1983)
The big one. The Bee Gees originally wrote it in an R&B tempo, and it was handed to Kenny Rogers for his Eyes That See in the Dark album, where he turned it into a duet with Dolly Parton. Robin Gibb once claimed it was written for Marvin Gaye, though Barry has always said Diana Ross was the intended artist. Either way, it became one of the best-selling country singles of all time.
“Eyes That See in the Dark” by Kenny Rogers (1983)
Barry wrote and produced the entire Rogers album of this name, not just the famous duet. A full-album handover to a country superstar.
“Eaten Alive” by Diana Ross (1985)
The title track of the Ross album Barry largely wrote and produced, co-written with Robin, Maurice, and even Michael Jackson.
“Chain Reaction” by Diana Ross (1985)
A deliberate Motown throwback that took Ross to No. 1 in the UK. Barry later admitted it was the last song they cut and they were almost too scared to play it for her because it was so Motown-ish, until Robin convinced her by framing it as something she’d have done with The Supremes.
“Come On Over” by Olivia Newton-John (1976)
Written by Barry and Robin, it became the title track of Newton-John’s seventh album, having originated on the Bee Gees’ Main Course.
“Save Me, Save Me” by Network (1977)
A lesser-known Barry co-write later covered by a string of names including Frankie Valli, Dusty Springfield, and Teri DeSario.
“Ain’t Nothing Gonna Keep Me from You” by Teri DeSario (1978)
Barry wrote it and provided background vocals, a deep cut beloved by Gibb completists.
“Hold On to My Love” by Jimmy Ruffin (1980)
Co-written and produced by Robin and Barry, it gave the Motown veteran a late-career hit.
“Immortality” by Celine Dion (1998)
The Bee Gees supplied backing vocals for Celine Dion’s “Immortality,” which they also wrote; it was a commercial hit in Europe and did well in Canada.