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.
Like A Fool
Robin Gibb Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too many nights
Face in the mirror that keeps you alive.
So close together
So far apart
I'm so afraid without you.
Wind on the ocean
The feeling is lost.
I still believe that you cry for me
Will I survive without you?
Like a fool I was waiting
Like a fool for you to come back.
Fool I was standing alone in the rain.
Like a fool I was dreamin'
Like a fool to lose you this way.
Oh
And now I'm just foolin' myself.
Hearts go on beating
Love out of time.
Streets without pity
I search for a sign.
Oh
I keep runnin' into the night
But I'm still lost without you.
Too many lovers
Too many nights
Face in the window that keeps me alive.
So close together
So far apart
Will I survive without you?
Like a fool I was waiting
Like a fool for you to come back.
Like a fool I was standing alone in the rain.
Like a fool I was dreamin'
Like a fool to lose you this way.
Like a fool I was standing alone in the nights.
I've travelled so far
In the lonely lonely nights.
In the lonely, only like a fool I was waiting
Like a fool, and now I'm just foolin' myself.
Robin Gibb's song "Like A Fool" tells the emotional story of a person who has lost their lover and is struggling to move on without them. The first verse describes how the singer had too many lovers and too many nights, but still felt incomplete without the love they lost. The line "Face in the mirror that keeps you alive" suggests that the singer is barely surviving without the comforting presence of their lover. Despite the overwhelming sense of loneliness, the singer still believes that their lover thinks of them and imagines them crying for their return.
In the chorus, the singer admits their foolishness for waiting and dreaming that the lover would return. They stand alone in the rain, longing for the one who left them. The line "Hearts go on beating, love out of time" highlights the disconnect between the singer's heart and the reality of the lost love. The search for a sign in the streets without pity reflects the desperation of the singer, who cannot let go of the past despite moving forward in life. The verse ends with the singer admitting they are just fooling themselves and feels stuck in a cycle of longing and heartbreak.
The second verse repeats the emotions expressed in the first, but this time from the perspective of someone searching for meaning after the loss of their lover. The singer's attempts to move on are futile, as they are haunted by memories of their past love. The repetition of the "Like a fool" line throughout the song emphasizes the singer's self-blame for their situation. The song ends with the singer admitting they have travelled far, but still feel alone and foolish for holding onto something that is gone.
Line by Line Meaning
So many lovers
The singer has had multiple lovers in his life.
Too many nights
He has spent countless nights in pursuit of love.
Face in the mirror that keeps you alive.
The singer uses his reflection in the mirror to remind himself that he is still alive.
So close together
The singer and his lover were once very close.
So far apart
However, they are now separated and far from each other.
I'm so afraid without you.
The singer is afraid of living without his lover.
Rain on the river I'll never cross
The singer feels like he can never bridge the gap between himself and his lover.
Wind on the ocean
The singer is lost and adrift like the wind on the ocean.
The feeling is lost.
He has lost the feeling of love for his partner.
I still believe that you cry for me
The singer believes that his lover still has feelings for him and cries for him.
Will I survive without you?
He questions his ability to live without his partner.
Like a fool I was waiting
The singer was foolishly waiting for his lover to return.
Fool I was standing alone in the rain.
He feels foolish standing outside in the rain by himself.
Like a fool I was dreamin'
He foolishly dreams of being with his lover again.
Like a fool to lose you this way.
He regrets losing his lover in this manner.
Oh
Exclamation of emotions.
And now I'm just foolin' myself.
The singer is deceiving himself into thinking he can reunite with his lover.
Hearts go on beating
Heartbeats continue even when love is gone.
Love out of time.
The singer feels like his love has missed its time.
Streets without pity
The world can be harsh and unforgiving to those who have lost in love.
I search for a sign.
The singer is looking for some kind of indication to guide him in his quest for love.
I keep runnin' into the night
He is continuously running in his search, but without a clear direction or end in sight.
But I'm still lost without you.
The singer is still lost and incomplete without his lover.
Face in the window that keeps me alive.
The singer uses a window as a metaphor to symbolize his innermost self, and his desire to keep going.
Like a fool I was waiting
The singer regrets waiting for his love to return.
Like a fool I was standing alone in the rain.
He is foolishly standing outside in the rain, unable to let go of his past.
Like a fool I was dreamin'
He is foolishly dreaming of reuniting with his lover.
Like a fool to lose you this way.
He regrets losing his lover, knowing that he played a role in causing it to happen.
Like a fool I was standing alone in the nights.
The singer is lost and alone in his nights, as he longs for his lover.
I've travelled so far
The singer has come a long way from where he started.
In the lonely lonely nights.
He keeps company with his loneliness during sleepless nights.
In the lonely, only like a fool I was waiting
He realizes that waiting for a lost love is a foolish endeavor.
Like a fool, and now I'm just foolin' myself.
The singer discovers that he is only deceiving himself, by holding out hope for something that's not meant to be.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BARRY GIBB, MAURICE ERNEST GIBB, ROBIN HUGH GIBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind