Bee Gees vs. Al Green | Head 2 Head 🗣️

On the 28th edition of Head 2 Head, iconic musicians Bee Gees & Al Green contend for the best rendition of “How Do You Mend a Broken Heart.”

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elcome to Head 2 Head 🗣️! On Head 2 Head, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  On the 28^th edition of head-to-head, iconic musicians 🎙 Bee Gees and 🎙 Al Green contend for the best rendition of 🎵 “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

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1. Bee Gees, “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”

💿 Trafalgar • 🏷 Capitol • 📅 1971

“I can think of younger days when living for my life / Was everything a man could want to do.” Sigh, #ICONIC!  That’s exactly what 🏆 Grammy-winning pop group 🎙 Bee Gees are in the scope of music history.  The hits are endless.  Among those hits is 🎵 “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” which appears on the brother trio’s 1971 album, 💿 Trafalgar. Worth noting, “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” marked the first Grammy nomination received by the group.  They’d ultimately lose to another iconic music group, 🎙 Carpenters.

What makes “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” so epic? The vocals and vocal harmonies by Bee Gees are gorgeous – simply untouchable.  The Brothers Gibb have a tone like none other – no one sounded like them. Furthermore, their songwriting is memorable, relatable, and thoughtful.  On the chorus, they ask a simple yet ultimately, a complex question:

“How can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
... Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again.”

Broken hearts are difficult to overcome, something the band superbly conveys on this ballad. Further amplifying the excellence is lush, warm production work.  Had no other version of “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” been recorded, the original rendition from Trafalgar would be sufficient, no cap.

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2. Al Green, “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”

💿 Let’s Stay Together • 🏷 Fat Possum • 📅 1972

It’s a tall task to cover a brilliantly penned and performed song.  🎙 Bee Gees ‘put in work’ on 🎵 “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” a surefire gem from 💿 Trafalgar (1971).  However, 🏆 Grammy-winning soul icon 🎙 Al Green transformed the pop ballad into a Memphis soul ballad.   In the process, Green extended the length of the song to north of six minutes, changed the time signature to a lilting, compound meter (six- or twelve-eight depending how you hear it), and gave it a more relaxed, unhurried vibe.  The melody is intact mind you, but this 1972 version from his legendary 💿 Let’s Stay Together is truly his own.

What makes “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” special in Al Green’s hands is the same reason it’s special in Bee Gees’ hands honestly – the voice.  The Brothers Gibb lean on their remarkable tone and seamless harmonies.  For Green, it’s also a distinct, ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ tone, as well as his expressive, at times, playful approach to the vocals.  The ad-libs are potent, bearing a fierceness that only Green could deliver.  While he has no bros to harmonize with, he does have spirited backing vocals, which remind us of the glorious sounds that dominated 70s soul.  Add in that Memphis soul palette, including guitar, organ, and strings and its further evidence that Green kills it – there’s no other way to characterize it!

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The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️ 

Bee Gees or Al Green?  Tough! The Brothers Gibb contended for a Grammy for this classic, so that accounts for something.  Had they not written it or performed it, there would’ve been no “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.” That said, the soulfulness that oozes out of Green’s interpretation is hard to deny. Personally, I think Green elevates this classic to a new level.  Sadly, too much of Mr. Green’s soul music (prior to his soul-gospel career) failed to be properly recognized by The Recording Academy, including the legendary “Let’s Stay Together” from the same album! I’m calling BS! Anyways, either way, we have once-in-a-lifetime musicians serving up musical goodness.  It’s a matter of personal preference.

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Bee Gees vs. Al Green: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 28 [📷: Brent Faulkner, Capitol, Fat Possum, GenderArts from Pixabay, The Musical Hype, Valentin Tikhonov from Pixabay]

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