Too Much Heaven

In this song, the Bee Gees find a new way to express their abiding love, telling the lady that nobody gets too much heaven, so they should be together always. The group is often remembered for uptempo hits like "Stayin' Alive," but love songs like this one and "To Love Somebody" were also very effective.

The Bee Gees ruled 1978 with three #1 US hits, plus three more they (or at least Barry Gibb) wrote for other artists ("Shadow Dancing" by Andy Gibb, "If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman, "Grease" by Frankie Valli). Remarkably, they had another three chart-toppers in 1979, starting with "Too Much Heaven." It was the lead single from their Spirits Having Flown album, followed by "Tragedy" and "Love You Inside Out." By the end of the year, American listeners had gotten too much Bee Gees, and their subsequent singles fizzled. They pivoted to focus on writing songs for other artists, which worked out very well. One of their biggest songwriting hits was "Islands in the Stream," a #1 for Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton in 1983.

The Bee Gees donated royalties from this song, estimated to be at least $7 million, to UNICEF. Along with Donna Summer, John Denver, Abba, and a few other big names, they pledged a song as part of the Music For Unicef Concert on January 9, 1979, held at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. Their song, "Too Much Heaven," ended up being the #1 hit in America that week and the centerpiece of the show, which aired as a primetime special on NBC the next evening. It was later included on the soundtrack album.