Tomorrow Tomorrow was a standalone single by the Bee Gees, coming during a transitional period in their career. The song followed the ambitious double-album Odessa and arrived just as the group faced internal strains and artistic shifts.
Despite the challenges behind the scenes, Tomorrow Tomorrow captured the Bee Gees’ gift for lush harmonies and heartfelt melodies, standing as a poignant example of their late 60s sound.
Bee Gees performs Tomorrow Tomorrow (1969)
Release Year: 1969
Writers: Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb
Lead Vocal: Barry Gibb
Producer: Robert Stigwood & Bee Gees
Label: Polydor (UK), Atco (US)
Chart Performance:
#23 in the UK Singles Chart
#54 on the US Billboard Hot 100
A bigger success internationally, reaching Top 10 in Germany, the Netherlands, and Mexico
Tomorrow Tomorrow was originally written for Joe Cocker, but when plans fell through, the Bee Gees decided to record it themselves.
By this time, the band was already undergoing tensions, especially with Robin Gibb temporarily leaving the group after disagreements over artistic direction. This explains why Barry takes the lead vocal, while Robin’s voice is absent from the single.
The arrangement reflects the Bee Gees’ late-60s style: dramatic orchestration, soulful vocal delivery, and a melancholic yet hopeful tone.
Lyrically, the song deals with uncertainty and the search for hope in the future, themes that resonated with audiences in the turbulent late 1960s.
Musically, it combines:
Orchestral pop arrangements with sweeping strings
Barry Gibb’s soaring lead vocal with layered harmonies
A soulful and dramatic ballad structure typical of the Bee Gees’ pre-disco era
The song was written at the same time as the Odessa sessions, though it was released as a non-album single.
With Robin absent, Tomorrow Tomorrow is one of the few late-60s Bee Gees singles led solely by Barry.
The track performed better in continental Europe and South America than in the English-speaking world, where it is often considered one of the Bee Gees’ overlooked singles.
In later years, the Bee Gees themselves admitted the song was more of a “stopgap” single while the band was going through changes.
