The way Barry Gibb and Olivia Newton-John shared a beautiful smile as Barry started singing “How Do You Mend A Broken Heart” said it all. They knew this was one of those legendary moments. Singing the Bee Gees is hard work without the Gibb brothers’ vocal trio. But when you have Olivia on the mic, then something magical happens. Now with Bee Gees brothers Robin and Maurice, and also Olivia having passed, watching this performance really hits different.
“How Do You Mend A Broken Heart” is something many fans were asking and came to this performance to remember the timeless music they shared with us. Barry shines here with a delicate and touching lead vocal – he always knows how to pull on the heartstrings. Olivia was all class with her opening breathy vocal lines, before she brought the power further into her verse. Get ready for all the feels to come when Barry and Olivia bring their voices together. The Music Man has to say we could listen to this duo all day!
Fan channel Traintoy Publishing uploaded Barry and Olivia’s rendition of “How Do You Mend A Broken Heart” to YouTube, where it hit a hefty 23 million views. Viewers added comments such as “I am sure when Barry plays this song, he thinks of all his brothers, and what a ride they went on. Great job Barry” and “This is so heart-wrenching listening to Olivia sing this with Barry after she passed away. RIP. Her passing feels like it has the same weight as when Robin Gibb passed away a decade before she would.”
Barry and Olivia sang “How Do You Mend a Broken Heart” at the Sound Relief concert at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2009. Fans got a real treat as Olivia sat in with the band for not one but two classics. The second number she sang with Barry was “Islands in the Stream.” Now, we all know this was made a hit by none other than Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers back in 1983. However, what some fans might not be aware of was that it was written by the Bee Gees brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb.
“How Do You Mend A Broken Heart” was written by Barry and Robin Gibb. The Bee Gees issued it as the first single from their album Trafalgar on May 28, 1971. Prior to writing the song, the brothers had been going through somewhat of a period of estrangement, and the afternoon they wrote the song served to bring them back together. The Music Man readers might be interested to hear that after writing the tune, the two brothers called Maurice and recorded it that very night, along with “Lonely Days.”