"(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away" is a song penned by Barry Gibb and Blue Weaver and recorded by the Bee Gees in 1977 on the Saturday Night Fever sessions but was not released until Bee Gees Greatest (1979). A different version was released in September 1978 by RSO Records as the third single by Andy Gibb from his second studio album Shadow Dancing. His version was produced by Gibb-Galuten-Richardson.
Andy Gibb's version The song was Andy Gibb's fifth single to reach the US Top 10; the single reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart. When Andy Gibb was going to record it, Barry reworked on the song adding the middle eight that was not on the original Bee Gees' version, as Blue Weaver recalls, "When Andy actually went to record it, Barry listened to it [the original version] again and thought, 'Oh, it's not finished', so Barry wrote the whole of the middle-eight.
Allmusic's Amy Hanson described this version of "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away" as a "tender ballad" that suited Andy's voice. Cash Box said it has "gentle keyboards, strings, an easy beat and harmonies". It appears on Andy's three greatest-hits albums.
Personnel Andy Gibb – lead vocals Barry Gibb – backing vocals Joey Murcia – guitar Tim Renwick – guitar George Bitzer – Keyboards, synthesizer Paul Harris – keyboards Harold Cowart – bass Joe Lala – percussion Ron Ziegler – drums Whit Sidener – horns Ken Faulk – horns Bill Purse – horns Neil Bonsanti – horns Stan Webb – horns Albhy Galuten, Blue Weaver and Barry Gibb – orchestral arrangement
Chart performance
Weekly charts Chart (1978–1979)PeakpositionAustralia (Kent Music Report)61Brazil (ABPD)7Canada (RPM) Top Singles8Canada (RPM) Adult Contemporary5Ireland (IRMA)21Japan (Oricon)27UK Singles (Official Charts Company)32US Cash Box Top 1007US Billboard Adult Contemporary2US Radio & Records10US Billboard Hot 1009
Year-end charts Chart (1978)RankCanada RPM Top Singles93
Chart (1979)RankUS Billboard Hot 10058
Bee Gees' version
The Bee Gees version of the song, the first one created, was recorded in 1977 during the sessions for Saturday Night Fever but was not released until the compilation Bee Gees Greatest in 1979. Barry and Maurice Gibb are the only members of the Bee Gees to appear on the recording.
Barry wrote the lyrics while Weaver composed the melody. Weaver said of this song, "That was me playing around again; It wasn't done for [Saturday Night Fever], it was just something that we did". The stereo mix of an early state of the song exists but was unreleased until now. Samantha Sang, who was visiting France where this version was recorded, asked Barry for a song; not long afterwards, Barry sent Sang "Don't Throw it All Away", but Sang never recorded or released it, choosing instead the new song "Emotion".
After Andy's death, during the Bee Gees' One Night Only tour, they performed the song with Andy's original lead vocal mixed in during the second verse, chorus, bridge and the coda of the song.
Personnel Barry Gibb – vocals, guitar Andy Gibb – background vocals Maurice Gibb – bass Blue Weaver – keyboards, orchestral arrangement Dennis Bryon – drums Joe Lala – percussion
Other versions Jennifer Love Hewitt also covered the song on her 1996 self-titled album. Barbra Streisand recorded her rendition of the song in 2005 off her album Guilty Pleasures, which had Barry Gibb on the album cover with her. On Streisand's version, Barry Gibb is heard singing also the chorus.
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