Watch the extraordinary moment the Bee Gees busked on the streets of London in 1993

1 June 2022, 17:00 | Updated: 16 June 2023, 13:26

Bee Gees Robin (centre), Maurice (left) and Barry Gibb (right) busked in London's Covent Garden in 1993. Picture: Rapido TV

By Giorgina Ramazzotti

The Bee Gees sang their hit song 'To Love Somebody' on the streets of London in the summer of 1993 and were joined by a crowd of overjoyed onlookers.

Bee Gees Robin, Maurice and Barry Gibb had a long history of incredible live performances, but perhaps one that has been forgotten by many was the amazing moment the trio busked in London's Covent Garden.

Filmed in 1993 and for the early nineties music TV show Naked City, the three brothers are joined by presenter Johnny Vaughan and a huge crowd of fans for the incredible moment.

After introducing the three Bee Gees brothers and a local busker called Jolly Wolly, Johnny told viewers they were in for a "busking battle the like of which you'll never before have seen".

Despite 'To Love Somebody' becoming one of the Bee Gees most well-loved song, it only reached number 41 in the UK chart upon its release in 1967. — Despite 'To Love Somebody' becoming one of the Bee Gees most well-loved songs, it only reached number 41 in the UK chart upon its release in 1967. Picture: Rapido TV

The tongue-in-cheek moment then sees Johnny introduce Barry Gibb, asking him if he's nervous ahead of busking on the streets of London.

"Terrified, terrified," Barry confirms with a straight face. "The last time we did this was when we were very tiny kids and we used to do it on the corner of our street where we lived in Manchester."

When asked how this compares to some of the world's largest stadiums, Barry continues to play along: "Radically different. This is pure, this is raw, you can't play any tricks or games, this is exactly how it is."

Johnny Vaughan then turns to seasoned busked Jolly Wolly and asks if he has any tips for the Bee Gees. "Yeah," he replies, "stay clear of the Old Bill."

the Bee Gees as they stand in front of an open guitar case and play an acoustic version of their hit songs 'To Love Somebody' and 'Massachusetts' as the crowd stood on all sides watching them sing. Picture: Rapido TV

Despite having written hundreds of songs, Barry Gibb (centre) says 'To Love Somebody' is one of his all-time favourites. Picture: Getty

BEE GEES live on the street in London 1993 150

The camera then pans to the Bee Gees as they stand in front of an open guitar case and play an acoustic version of their hit songs 'To Love Somebody' and 'Massachusetts' as the crowd stood on all sides watching them sing.

Despite 'To Love Somebody' becoming one of the Bee Gees most well-loved songs, it only reached number 41 in the UK chart upon its release in 1967.

The band later spoke of the song in an interview quoted in Bee Gees: Tales Of The Brothers Gibb by Andrew Hughes.

"Everyone told us what a great record they thought it was, Other groups all raved about it but for some reason people in Britain just did not seem to like it," Robin Gibb said.

The Bee Gees in Australia in 1971, four years after the release of 'To Love Somebody' in the UK. Picture: Getty

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"I think the reason it didn't do well here was because it's a soul number, Americans loved it, but it just wasn't right for this country," added Barry Gibb.

In 2017, during an interview on Piers Morgan's Life Stories, Barry Gibb said that despite having written hundreds of songs, the 1967 classic is on of his favourites.

Piers said: "Of all the songs that you've ever written, which song would you choose?"

Barry replied his choice would be 'To Love Somebody' as it has "a clear, emotional message."