Draft:Staying Alive (soundtrack album)

Staying Alive: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by the Bee Gees and other artists
Released	June 1983
Recorded	1982–1983 1977 for "Stayin' Alive"
Studio	Middle Ear Studio Château d'Hérouville ("Stayin' Alive") Westlake Ocean Way Smoke Tree Record Plant Pasha Studios
Genre	R&B Pop rock
Length	45:29
Language	English
Label	RSO Records PolyGram
Producer	Bee Gees Karl Richardson Albhy Galuten Johnny Mandel Stewart Levine Bruce Stephen Foster Tony Marolda Randy Bishop
Bee Gees chronology
Living Eyes (1981) Staying Alive: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1983) E.S.P. (1987)
Singles from Staying Alive: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
"The Woman in You" Released: May 1983 "Someone Belonging to Someone" Released: July 1983 "Far from Over" Released: July 1983 "Look Out for Number One" Released: 1983 "I'm Never Gonna Give You Up" Released: December 1983

Staying Alive: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 1983 film Staying Alive, the sequel to Saturday Night Fever. It was released in June 1983 by RSO Records, a month before the film premiered, and would be the label's last album release.

The album's first side features five new songs written and performed by the Bee Gees, while its second side includes songs by a variety of artists, mostly co-written with Frank Stallone, and performed by Stallone and Cynthia Rhodes, both of which were actors in the film, along with Tommy Faragher.

The soundtrack reached No. 14 in the United Kingdom, No. 6 in the United States, No. 1 in Switzerland, and No. 2 in Italy and Japan.

Background

After the release of Living Eyes, the Bee Gees took a break to focus on other projects. During the second half of 1982, they contributed to Dionne Warwick's Heartbreaker album, and began work on what would become Kenny Rogers' Eyes That See in the Dark album. At the same time, Robin started work on his second solo album, How Old Are You?, with assistance from Maurice.

During this period, Robert Stigwood approached the Bee Gees and asked them to record songs for the upcoming Staying Alive film, the sequel to Saturday Night Fever. Stigwood, who had been planning the sequel since the original's highly successful release, contacted the group about halfway through the film's production. Their contributions to the soundtrack fulfilled their final contractual obligation with RSO Records.

The film's director, Sylvester Stallone, had been busy sorting through tapes sent by a variety of artists from around the country, including those from his younger brother Frank. In addition to appearing as a street-corner singer in Rocky, Frank had composed songs for the first three Rocky films and for Paradise Alley.

Recording and composition

In 1982, while the film's script was still being "polished", Frank Stallone and some musician friends "holed up in a 'garage in the (San Fernando) valley' with 'a $40 that was always breaking" to record 12 or 13 songs in hopes that one might be selected for the film by his older brother, director Sylvester Stallone.

During filming, Frank would frequently bring Sylvester new mixes of his tracks, which he described as "straight-ahead music", though some had "a harder edge than just pop." Despite accusations of nepotism, the song selection process was actually conducted anonymously, as Frank later recalled:

"[Sylvester] played my tapes for Stigwood and his associates, without telling them who composed the music, because none of them really wanted me working on the picture. When they said it was great, [Sylvester] told them, 'It's my brother,' and they were kind of caught."

Out of the songs that Frank co-wrote, nine were featured in film movie, while four made it onto the album. "Far from Over", which he co-wrote with Vince DiCola and performed solo, was released as a single in July, a few days before the film's premiere, and was featured prominently throughout. At around the same time that Frank Stallone was working on his compositions, the Bee Gees were also in the process of creating music for the movie, in case they were asked. Between February and March of 1983, the group gathered at Middle Ear Studio in Miami Beach and cut five new songs. Talking about their contributions to the soundtrack, Maurice said:

"It is five years later and, to us, the script projected the '80s. So we went for a totally different kind of energy in the score. Because of [Tony Manero's] outlook in this film, the music is more brutal."

While the Bee Gees were working on their new tracks, Sylvester Stallone visited them at the studio and stayed somewhat involved in the process. Robin revealed that Sylvester was "in touch by and large with the process of the writing". He also mentioned that Sylvester called them several times to say "what he wanted here and there ... in different parts of the music." Despite this, the brothers still expressed some dissatisfaction with how directors handled music, with Barry saying that it would be "nice" if the composers and filmmakers could "actually sit down at the same table long before the film gets made, and discuss how the music will be treated or how the film will be made compared to the music."

None of the songs from Saturday Night Fever were included on the sequel's soundtrack, except for an edited version of "Stayin' Alive", which was Side one's sixth and final track. The Bee Gees also recorded a sixth song during the Staying Alive sessions, titled "River of Souls", that still remains unreleased. Intended for film's final dance sequence, it has been described as "a terrific number, the music changing several times, building in intensity, with two main melodies and an instrumental section."

Along with the Bee Gees' contributions, it was reported at the start of 1983, that Sylvester Stallone had invited the Australian band Sherbet to write songs for the movie, and that Dionne Warwick had contributed a love song she sang with Frank Stallone. However, if these recordings were completed, they went unused in the final soundtrack.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic

On May 28, 1983, Billboard observed that with "The Woman in You", "the rock-dance synthesis" the Bee Gees had "perfected" in Saturday Night Fever still retained its "powerful appeal." The following week, on June 4, Cashbox wrote that the track provided "an excellent barometer of the changes and similarities in dance music" since Saturday Night Fever, adding that while "the keyboards, horns and funk beat" made for a "tougher sound", the end result was "equally tuneful."

That same month, Michael Lawson of The Canadian Press remarked that, despite being the director's brother, Frank Stallone stood on his own with "mellow tunes" that "provided some of the nicest moments of the soundtrack", especially with the "bluesy" "Moody Girl". Lawson wrote that the Bee Gees' tracks were "likeable enough", noting that "The Woman in You" was the strongest, while "Breakout" showcased the "familiar elements of the group at its finest." However, he felt the rest of their contributions lacked the "dynamics" of their Saturday Night Fever work.

On July 2, Cashbox reviewed the album and suggested that the "movie and its modern dance motifs could possibly bring on the same kind of enthusiasm generated by Flashdance", though they "may be somewhat hindered by the disco backlash." On July 15, the day of the film's premiere, Janet Maslin of The New York Times described the Bee Gees songs as "pleasant, but little more". A week later, Bruce Bailey of The Gazette described Staying Alive as a soundtrack "in search of a movie", and noted that it was not "even "particularly good". By the end of the month, Associated Press writer Bob Thomas wrote that the album was a "bore" and a "monumental disappointment" in comparison to Saturday Night Fever, from which came the sequel's "best" song: its title track. Thomas considered that "The Woman in You" was the best of the new Bee Gees tracks, since the rest had a "sense of deja vu" about them, and said that Stallone's compositions were "even worse", describing them as "anonymous and uninteresting." In August, David Denby wrote on New York Magazine that even though the Bee Gees songs were "mediocre", they fared better when compared to the "Vegas-showroom junk" composed by Stallone.

In a retrospective review, AllMusic's William Ruhlmann found that despite the film's and soundtrack's commercial failure, the album contained some of the "better Bee Gees work of the '80s", especially "Someone Belonging to Someone".

Track listing

All tracks on Side one are written and performed (as the Bee Gees) by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, and are produced by the Bee Gees along with Karl Richardson and Albhy Galuten.

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Woman in You"	4:01
2.	"I Love You Too Much"	4:27
3.	"Breakout"	4:41
4.	"Someone Belonging to Someone"	4:24
5.	"Life Goes On"	4:23
6.	"Stayin' Alive" (edited version)	1:30

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Far from Over" (Frank Stallone)	Stallone Vince DiCola	Johnny Mandel	3:53
2.	"Look Out for Number One" (Tommy Faragher)	Bruce Stephen Foster Tom Marolda	Stewart Levine Foster Marolda	3:19
3.	"Finding Out the Hard Way" (Cynthia Rhodes)	Stallone Roy Freeland	Levine Stallone	3:30
4.	"Moody Girl" (Frank Stallone)	Stallone DiCola Joe "Bean" Esposito	Mandel	4:06
5.	"(We Dance) So Close to the Fire" (Tommy Faragher)	Randy Bishop Faragher	Levine Randy Bishop	3:43
6.	"I'm Never Gonna Give You Up" (Frank Stallone and Cynthia Rhodes)	Stallone DiCola Esposito	Mandel	3:32
Total length:				45:29

Personnel

Adapted from the album's liner notes.

Musicians

• Bee Gees – vocals (1–6)
• Frank Stallone – lead vocals (7, 10, 12)
• Tommy Faragher – lead vocals (8, 11)
• Cynthia Rhodes – lead vocals (9, 12)

Production

• Frank Stallone; Vince DiCola – rhythm arragements (7, 9)
• Joe "Bean" Esposito; Frank Stallone; Vince DiCola – rhythm arragements (10, 12)
• Bernie Grundman – digital mastering
• Bill Levy – album art direction
• Mo Ström – album design (for Bob Heimall, Inc.)
• Mario Casilli – back cover photography

Producers

• Bee Gees; Karl Richardson; Albhy Galuten – tracks 1–6
• Johnny Mandel – tracks 7, 10, 12
• Stewart Levine; Bruce Stephen Foster; Tom Marolda – track 8
• Stewart Levine; Frank Stallone – track 9
• Randy Bishop – track 11
• Spencer Proffer – executive producer (track 11)

Engineers

• Karl Richardson; Steve Klein – tracks 1–5
• Karl Richardson – track 6
• Joel W. Moss – tracks 7, 10, 12
• Rik Pekkonen – tracks 8, 9, 11

Charts

Chart (1983)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	28
US (Billboard 200)	6

Chart singles

Year	Title	Artist	US	US AC	US R&B	US Dance	UK
1983	"The Woman in You"	Bee Gees	24	-	77	-	81
	"Someone Belonging to Someone"		49	-	-	-	49
	"Far from Over"	Frank Stallone	10	-	-	43	68
	"I'm Never Gonna Give You Up"	Frank Stallone, Cynthia Rhodes	-	16	-	-	-
	"Look Out for Number One"	Tommy Faragher	-	-	-	-	-

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)	Platinum	100,000^
France (SNEP)	Gold	100,000*
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)	Gold	10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)	Silver	60,000^
United States (RIAA)	Platinum	1,000,000^
Venezuela	—	113,000
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.