B-side "Waiting for You" Format 7" single, 12" Length 4:24 | Released January 1980 Genre Soul, funk | |
Recorded 1978 (instrumental tracks)
30 May 1979 (lead vocals) | ||
"Desire" is a song written by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb, and originally recorded by the Bee Gees in 1978 during the sessions of Spirits Having Flown. Blue Weaver recalls that this version was originally intended for the album. After spending weeks on it, they dropped it from the album lineup. Weaver also recalls that the version sounded like "Too Much Heaven".
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Andy Gibb version
Later it was recorded by Andy Gibb and released as a single and on the album and Andy having a new lead vocal in 1979. But the instrumental tracks are recorded back in 1978. Although the copyright for this song gives the artist as the 'Bee Gees' and was registered on July 11, 1979. It was also his first single in one year since 1978.
Andy's version of "Desire" was released as a single in January 1980 and included on his last studio album After Dark reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Any sense that Andy was channeling the Bee Gees rather than finding his own way would be confirmed here, as all three of his brothers were heard in the background. This is one of two songs to feature all four Gibb brothers (the other being Andy's final song, "Arrow Through The Heart", issued posthumously in 2010, 23 years after it was originally recorded.) His version would be his last top ten single in the United States. In other countries this single and its B-side "Waiting For You" which was from his Shadow Dancing album were released as a double A.
The song was included as the last track on Andy Gibb's Greatest Hits, his first compilation album, as well as Greatest Hits Collection and 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection.