"Don't Forget to Remember"
Single by Bee Gees
from the album Cucumber Castle
B-side"The Lord"
ReleasedAugust 1969
Recorded7 May 1969
IBC Studios, London
GenreCountry pop
Length3:28
LabelPolydor (United Kingdom)
Atco (United States)
Songwriter(s)Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb
Producer(s)Robert Stigwood, Bee Gees
Bee Gees singles chronology
"Tomorrow Tomorrow"
(1969)		 "Don't Forget to Remember"
(1969)		 "If Only I Had My Mind on Something Else"
(1970)
Audio sample
"Don't Forget To Remember"
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"Don't Forget to Remember" also called "Don't Forget to Remember Me" is a country ballad recorded by the Bee Gees, from the album Cucumber Castle. The song was written by Barry and Maurice Gibb. It was produced by the band with Robert Stigwood.

Recording

The song's genre is country like much of what Maurice and Barry wrote together without input from their brother, Robin, but all three brothers have written in the medium at other times, most notably the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton hit "Islands in the Stream", and its parent album Eyes That See in the Dark.[1]

The song was recorded at 7 May 1969 same day as the unreleased track "Who Knows What a Room Is". Barry Gibb's lead vocal was in a lower register than usual.[2] Peter Mason, Robin's intended replacement in the group originally sang harmony vocals on the song, as Mason explains, "I did some harmonies, I remember doing three songs, there was 'Don't Forget to Remember' and I put the harmony down on that and two other songs. [I don't know] whether it's a tryout, although he'd said before that he wanted me, because we sat and sang together."[3]

Mason also explained: "When I sit and listen to 'Don't Forget to Remember' I can't really tell whether it's me or not. He ran the tracks and said, 'Can you put a harmony to that?'". The song also sticks out in Mason's memory.[3]

Structure

The song features Barry Gibb singing at a lower pitch than usual. The song's lyrics follow the country-song tradition of romantic laments with its tearful first-person lyrics about a man haunted by a failed love affair he can't put out of his mind. Its melody matches the yearning quality of the lyrics, especially on the chorus, which underpins the forlorn wish Don't forget to remember me/And the love that used to be with glorious runs of ascending notes. On paper, the song seems applicable to the group's usual pop style but their recording uses country-music elements to carry it into that genre, a prominent acoustic guitar cuts through the background orchestration and Barry Gibb adds a Nashville-inspired twang to his vocal.[1]

Release

Maurice's reaction when the song was released was "The thing is that it is Jim Reeves-ish it's rather like 'Oh Lonesome Me' and that sort of song and you'll never forget the melody. It wasn't a deliberate dedication to Jim Reeves - it's just worked out that way". Maurice also explains, "We know we don't want to split up, maybe Colin will want to leave sometime in the future, but we all have different things we've involved in".[3] The single covers of the song, (in all countries) features the three remaining Bee Gees after the departure of Robin Gibb.

Record World called it a "country-flavored ballad" that's "another solid winner for the Bee Gees."[4]

The song was re-released in CD by RSO Records as a part in the EP of the same name (1987).[5]

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[17] Gold  

Cover versions

References

  1. 1 2 Guarisco, Donald A. "Bee Gees - Don't Forget to Remember". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  2. ↑ Joseph Brennan. "Gibb Songs: 1969".
  3. 1 2 3 Hughes, Andrew (2009). The Bee Gees - Tales of the Brothers Gibb. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857120045. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Record World. August 23, 1969. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  5. ↑ "45cat - The Bee Gees - Don't Forget to Remember". 45cat. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Songs Written by the Gibb Family on the International Charts - Part 1" (PDF). brothersgibb.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Bee Gees - Don't Forget To Remember". austriancharts.at.
  8. 1 2 "Bee Gees - Don't Forget To Remember". ultratop.be. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "Bee Gees - Don't Forget To Remember". officialcharts.de. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  10. ↑ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. p. 97. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  11. 1 2 "Bee Gees - Don't Forget To Remember". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  12. 1 2 "Bee Gees - Don't Forget To Remember". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  13. 1 2 "Bee Gees - Don't Forget To Remember". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  14. ↑ "Bee Gees Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  15. ↑ "Bee Gees Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "Cashbox Top 100 Singles". Cashbox Magazine. September 13, 1969. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  17. ↑ "Triple Crown" (PDF). Cash Box. 16 May 1970. p. 64. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  18. ↑ "Elton John as a Session Musician". Eltonography.com. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  19. ↑ "Jag ska aldrig lämna dig | Svensk mediedatabas". SMDB. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
  20. ↑ Ray Dylan (2010-11-01). "Ray Dylan, Goeie Ou Country - Vol.2, CDs, Musica A World awaits - 6005298030511". Musica.co.za. Archived from the original on 2014-01-10. Retrieved 2014-04-07.

Further reading

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