"Holiday" is a song released by the

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...

in the United States in September 1967. It appeared on the album ''

Bee Gees' 1st ''Bee Gees' 1st'' is the third studio album by the Bee Gees, and their first international full-length recording after two albums distributed only in Australia and New Zealand. ''Bee Gees' 1st'' was the group's debut album for the UK Polydor labe ...

''. The song was not released as a single in their native United Kingdom because

Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

UK released the single "

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" from their next album '' Horizontal''.

Composition and recording

The song is composed primarily in a minor key with a strong orchestral presence. Brothers

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 195 ...

and

Robin Gibb Robin Hugh Gibb (22 December 1949 – 20 May 2012) was a British singer and songwriter. He gained global fame as a member of the Bee Gees with elder brother Barry and fraternal twin brother Maurice. Robin Gibb also had his own successfu ...

, who also wrote the song, share lead vocals. The song was recorded during the same session as " To Love Somebody" around April 1967. All three Gibb brothers sang the "Dee dees" in the chorus sections of the song.

Release

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' described the single as "an intriguing ballad change of pace from their " To Love Somebody" hit," and specifically praised the

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' praised the "powerful organ backdrop" and "excellent vocal showing." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' called it "another of the distinctive, inventive Bee Gees mood pieces." The song's flipside was " Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You" in the US, Canada and Australia but "Red Chair, Fade Away" was used in other territories. The song's music video, consisted of footage of the band enjoying traveling a city bus in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Their footage visiting Paris is also used as the music video for "

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". Another promotional film, filmed in black and white, featured the group performing the song. The song remained a concert favourite for over 30 years, and

Maurice Gibb Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician and songwriter. He achieved global fame as a member of the Bee Gees pop group. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb wer ...

often provided the audience with comedic antics by attempting many failed attempts to join Barry and Robin while singing this song. Evidence of this can be seen in the 1989 "One For All" concert video where Maurice takes a camera from a film cameraman standing nearby and films Barry and Robin as they sing the song.

Personnel

Barry Gibb Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Along with his younger fraternal twin brothers, Robin Gibb, Robin and Maurice Gibb, Maurice, he rose to global fame as a member ...

– lead and backing vocals *

– lead and backing vocals,

pump organ The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reed aerophone, free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ ...

– bass guitar,

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which causes a length of magnetic tape to contact a Capstan (tape recorder), capstan, which pulls i ...

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

, backing vocals *

Colin Petersen Frederick Colin Petersen (24 March 1946 – 18 November 2024) was an Australian musician and actor. He played as a member of the bands Steve and the Board, the Bee Gees and Humpy Bong. In August 1969, he left the Bee Gees and he was replaced ...

– drums * Bill Shepherd – orchestral arrangement

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

* In 1968 French-American singer Claudine Longet covered the song on the album ''Love Is Blue'', A&M Records – SP-4142, Side A Track 4. * In 1968 French singer Michel Didier covered the song in French under the title ''C'est une folle idée'' (lyrics: Michel Didier). * In 1969,

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included a cover version on their self-titled album. * In 1979, Moulin Rouge recorded a late 1970s disco style cover version. * In 2007, HRSTA recorded a cover on its third album '' Ghosts Will Come and Kiss Our Eyes''.

Legacy

The song was prominently used in the South Korean film '' Nowhere to Hide'' (). It later featured in the South Korean television series ''

Reply 1997 ''Reply 1997'' () is a 2012 South Korean television series and the first installment of the ''Reply'' anthology series. It centers on the lives of six friends in Busan as the timeline moves back and forth between their past selves as 18-year-old ...

'', and South Korean girl group Red Velvet's ''Level Up Project'', as a contrast to the song of the same name by SM Entertainment labelmate, Girl's Generation. One of the robots sang the song in the " Mitchell" episode of the American television comedy series ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...

''.

References

{{authority control 1967 singles 1967 songs Bee Gees songs Demis Roussos songs Songs written by Barry Gibb Songs written by Robin Gibb Song recordings produced by Robert Stigwood Polydor Records singles Atco Records singles