"Jive Talkin" is a song by the Bee Gees, released as a single in May 1975 by RSO Records. This was the lead single from the albumMain Course and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100; it also reached the top-five on the UK Singles Chart in the middle of 1975. Largely recognised as the group's "comeback" song, it was their first US top-10 hit since "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart".
Origins and recording
The song was originally called "Drive Talking" in its early stage. The song's rhythm was modelled after the sound their car made crossing the Julia Tuttle Causeway each day from Biscayne Bay to Criteria Studios in Miami. Recording for "Jive Talkin took place on 30 January and 2 February 1975. The scratchy guitar intro was done by Barry and the funky bass line by Maurice. The pulsing synthesiser bass line, which featured in the final recording, was one of the earliest uses of "synth bass" on a pop recording. It was overdubbed by keyboardist Blue Weaver using a then state-of-the-art ARP 2600, which producer Arif Mardin had brought in for the recording of the Main Course album. Weaver stated, "Usually Maurice would play bass guitar, but he was away from the studio that night. And when Maurice came back, we let him hear it and suggested he re-record the bass line on his bass guitar". "I really liked the synth bass lines", Maurice said. "I overdubbed certain sections to add bass extra emphasis". "Jive Talkin was also influenced by "You're the One" by Little Sister. According to Maurice, while hearing this rhythmic sound, "Barry didn't notice that he's going 'Ji-Ji Jive Talkin'', thinking of the dance, 'You dance with your eyes'...that's all he had...exactly 35 mph...that's what we got." He goes on to say, "We played it to Arif , and he went 'Do you know what "Jive Talkin means?' And we said 'Well yeah, it's, ya know, you're dancing.' He says 'NO...it's a black expression for bullshitting.' And we went 'Oh, Really?!? Jive talkin', you're telling me lies...' and changed it." Maurice goes on to describe how Arif gave them "the groove, the tempo, everything." Robin Gibb then goes on to mention that, because they were English, they were less self-conscious about going into the "no-go areas", referring to musical styles that were more black in styles, etc. He then said, "We didn't think that there was any 'no go' areas, it's music!" Barry's guitar strumming has a smoother version of Kool and the Gang's signature chicka-chicka and funky Nassau version of KC and the Sunshine Band's Caribbean strumming. The song's rhythm riff perhaps from "Shirley & Company's "Shame, Shame, Shame", with a prominent use of the Bo Diddley beat. "Jive Talkin is a stuttering song like the Who's "My Generation", David Bowie's "Changes", Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" and Bob Seger's "Katmandu". After hearing "Jive Talkin, Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac, and co-producer Richard Dashut built up the song "Second Hand News" with four audio tracks of electric guitar and the use of chair percussion to evoke Celtic rock.
Release
Upon its release to radio stations, the single was delivered in a plain white cover, with no immediate indication of what the song's name was or who sang it. The DJs would only find out what the song was and who played it when it was placed on the turntable; RSO did provide the song with a label on the record itself. It was the second time in the band's career that this strategy had been employed to get airplay for their music, after a similar tactic had popularised their debut US single "New York Mining Disaster 1941" in 1967. The song approximates the synthesised propulsion of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition". The original studio version was included on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, as it was used in a scene that was cut from the final film. Later pressings of the album used the live version of "Jive Talkin' " from the Bee Gees 1977 album, Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live, due to contractual distribution changes. The CD version restores the use of the studio version.
In 1987, "Jive Talkin'" was covered by Boogie Box High, a musical project of Andros Georgiou's that featured collaborators such as his cousin George Michael and Haircut One Hundred's Nick Heyward. Michael sang lead on "Jive Talkin'," although his vocals were uncredited.
Rufus covered "Jive Talkin on their 1975 album Rufus featuring Chaka Khan.
Toward the end of Iron Maiden's song "More Tea Vicar," Bruce Dickinson sings a bit of "Jive Talkin'" in a Bee Gees-like falsetto, then says, "No, no, no, you got the wrong track! You have to go in the studio next door," followed by "Okay" in a Bee Gees-like voice.
Dread Zeppelin covered "Jive Talkin on their 1992 album It's Not Unusual.
The Judybats covered "Jive Talkin on their 1994 album Full-Empty.
