One of the most complex love songs in the Bee Gees' catalogue, gotta get a message to you tells a story that would be hard to pull off in three simple verses and a repeated refrain. But the sibling trio, who wrote this song together, did it, and it's a gem of a track.
The lyric, written by Robin Gibb, describes a man on Death Row who has murdered his wife's lover and begs the prison chaplain to pass him a final message to her before he is executed. The song is a sad and eerie tale, but it's also upbeat and pleasant enough.
When the Bee Gees released this single in 1968, it became their second number-one hit on the UK Singles Chart and their first US Top Ten. It is considered a classic of the group's 1960s disco period, and it was also re-recorded with Keith Urban for his 2021 album Greenfields.
This song was originally written by Barry and Robin Gibb, with help from Robert Stigwood, Vince Melouney, and Colin Petersen. It was subsequently recorded with the group's other members, and it was released on 7 September 1968 as the lead single from the Bee Gees' fifth studio album Idea.
The song is a beautiful combination of pop writing smarts and gilded harmonies, and it's still a timeless classic. And it's a perfect example of the sort of music that the Bee Gees have been known for in their 50-year career.
