Born in the Isle of Man to English parents, the family later moved to Manchester before settling in Brisbane, Australia. Gibb began his career as part of the family trio and when the group found their first success they returned to the United Kingdom where they achieved worldwide fame. In 2004, the Bee Gees received their CBEs from the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace for their "contribution to music". With record sales estimated in excess of 200 million units, the Bee Gees became one of the most successful pop groups of all time.
After a career spanning six decades, Gibb last performed on stage in February 2012 supporting injured British servicemen and women at a charity concert at the London Palladium. On 20 May 2012, Gibb died after a lengthy battle with colorectal cancer.
Solo career
Traditionally, Robin's role in the group has been one of singer, for which he vied constantly with his elder brother Barry Gibb during the group's first period of British success in the late 1960s. This eventually resulted in Robin leaving the group to begin a solo career. Meanwhile, there were rumours of drug problems, and his parents threatened to have him made a ward of court (the UK age of consent at that time being 21, and Robin only 19).
Although initially successful, with a number 2 hit, Saved by the Bell, his album, "Robin's Reign", was less successful and he found that being a solo artist was less than satisfying. He returned to the group and mended the breach with his family. During the 1980s, he released three further solo albums ("How Old Are You", "Secret Agent", and "Walls Have Eyes") which were more successful in Continental Europe than in the UK or USA. However, his 1984 single "Boys Do Fall in Love" did reach the Billboard top 40
Robin's next solo album, Magnet, was released in Germany on January 27, 2003 (Label: SPV), and worldwide shortly afterwards. It features the old Bee Gees classic Wish You Were Here in a new acoustic version.
In August 2003, Robin announced that he would be releasing a new single of My Lover's Prayer, a song first recorded by the Bee Gees in 1997, with vocals by Robin, Wanya Morris, and Lance Bass. This was played on radio, but was never actually released. In October 2003 another version was recorded as a duet with Alistair Griffin, runner-up in the UK television program Fame Academy, on which Robin had appeared as a judge.
My Lover's Prayer, credited as "Alistair Griffin feat. Robin Gibb", was eventually released in the UK in January 2004 as a double A side single, together with Griffin's solo recording of Bring It On. It reached number 5 in the UK charts. The duet was also on Griffin's debut album Bring It On which charted at number 12.
In late 2004, Robin embarked on a solo tour of Germany, Russia and Asia, with Alistair Griffin as the opening act. On his return he released a CD and DVD of live recordings from the German leg of the tour, backed by the Frankfurt Neue Philharmonic Orchestra. A further solo tour of Latin America followed in 2005.
In June 2005 he joined X Factor runners up G4 at a sell-out concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London, singing the Bee Gees song First of May . A recording of this performance was released in December 2005 as part of a double A side single, credited as "G4 feat. Robin Gibb" together with G4's own cover of Johnny Mathis' When a Child is Born. This track was also included on the platinum selling album G4 & Friends which reached number 6 in the UK album charts.
In March 2006 he announced plans for more solo concerts in Shanghai and Portugal. On May 20th. 2006, Robin took part in the Prince's Trust 30th Birthday Concert at the Tower of London along with his brother Barry. They sang 3 songs; Jive Talkin', To Love Somebody and You Should be Dancing.
Diamonds
Robin Gibb Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only one ambition , to find the precious stone
When I was a boy it was a vision
Now it all just seems like deja-vu
Maybe it was all a premonition
Searchin' for treasure in the land of peru , ooh
Diamonds ( diamonds) up , down , in and out of the amazon
Saw the holy temple , a man was on his knees
Sacrificion ceremony , the gods they wanna please , oh
Then the people shouted with emotion
Try to scale the giant pyramid
Following the writing on the sandstone
(saying the stone was in the room of the dead) oh no no no
Diamonds (diamonds) up , down , in and out of the amazon
Diamonds (diamonds) he won't stop , the kid goes on and on
Oh burning with fever , I'm dying of hunger
I'm searching all night , searching all night , all night
Then I jumped and run into the jungle
The solid ground gave way beneath my feet
Fallen inside an icy tomb forever
(the rock he was after is now out of reach)
Diamonds (diamonds) up , down , in and out the amazon
Diamonds (diamonds) he won't stop , the kid goes on and on
Diamonds (diamonds) up , down , in and out the amazon
Diamonds (diamonds) he won't stop , the kid goes on and on
Diamonds (diamonds) up , down , in and out of the amazon
Diamonds (diamonds) he won't stop , the kid goes on and on (fade)
The song "Diamonds" by Robin Gibb tells the story of a young boy who has a vision of searching for a precious stone in the land of Peru. He embarks on a journey to find the stone, despite the dangers that come with trekking through the Amazon jungle. The lyrics describe his experiences along the way, including encountering a sacrificial ceremony and the disappointment of discovering that the rock he was after is now out of reach.
The song captures the adventurous and daring spirit of the boy as he pursues his dream. The repetition of the phrase "diamonds up, down, in and out of the Amazon" emphasizes the relentless determination he shows in his search for the precious stone. The line "Maybe it was all a premonition" suggests that the boy may have had a psychic vision of his quest, adding a mystical element to the story.
One interesting aspect of the song is the use of vivid imagery to bring the story to life. The description of the sacrificial ceremony and the boy's descent into an icy tomb creates a sense of danger and adventure. The lyrics also contain a reference to the Nazca Lines, ancient geoglyphs in Peru that are thought to have been created by the Nazca people between 500 BCE and 500 CE.
Line by Line Meaning
Looking for direction, the mighty amazon
The singer is searching for guidance in the vastness of the Amazon jungle
Only one ambition, to find the precious stone
The singer's sole purpose is to find a valuable diamond
When I was a boy it was a vision
The singer first dreamed of finding the diamond when he was young
Now it all just seems like deja-vu
The situation now seems familiar and repetitive to the artist
Maybe it was all a premonition
The artist wonders if his childhood dream was a prediction of his current journey
Searchin' for treasure in the land of peru, ooh
The singer is on a quest for riches in the country of Peru
Saw the holy temple, a man was on his knees
The singer witnessed a religious ceremony at a revered temple
Sacrificion ceremony, the gods they wanna please, oh
The ceremony involves offerings made to the gods
Then the people shouted with emotion
The crowd reacted passionately to the ceremony
Try to scale the giant pyramid
The artist attempts to climb a massive pyramid structure
Following the writing on the sandstone
The singer follows inscriptions carved into stone for guidance
(saying the stone was in the room of the dead) oh no no no
The writing indicates that the diamond may be in a dangerous location
Oh burning with fever, I'm dying of hunger
The singer is suffering from illness and starvation
I'm searching all night, searching all night, all night
The singer is tirelessly looking for the diamond through the night
Then I jumped and run into the jungle
The singer flees into the jungle in a frantic attempt to find the diamond
The solid ground gave way beneath my feet
The ground collapses beneath the artist's feet
Fallen inside an icy tomb forever
The artist falls into a deadly trap, unable to escape
Diamonds (diamonds) up, down, in and out of the amazon
The diamond is located in various places within the vast Amazon jungle
Diamonds (diamonds), he won't stop, the kid goes on and on
The singer is determined to find the diamond, and will not give up
Contributed by Dylan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.