‘The Bee Gees’ little brother, Andy, wasn’t quite sure what kind of career he should carve for himself as he entered his teens. He’d grown up in the shadows of fame his entire life, and didn’t know if show business was the right approach to take. He decided to give it a try, and spent several years honing his voice, writing, and performing talents. As a Gibb brother, he was very much aware of the fact that he had to come on like a seasoned veteran from the moment of his pro debut. 

In 1977, the Bee Gees’ manager, Robert Stigwood, decided that eighteen-year-old Andy was ready. He was summoned, along with Barry, to Stigwood’s island retreat in Bermuda. He was given a contract, and instructed to come up with a hit song — a super song — worthy of a Bee Gee brother.

“Well, it was Barry who came up with the tune,” said Andy. “We needed a single, and locked ourselves in a bedroom at my manager’s big estate there. I think we wound up writing four songs in two days.

“The first day we came up with a nice ballad that was never used. Then, that afternoon, on his own, Barry came up with ‘I Just Want to Be Your Everything.'”

To Barry, the word “just” was vital to the song; it was the sentiment he wanted to express. He spent a long time looking for a way to put emphasis on that word, and finally made “I” a long note, instead of putting it in the same line as the rest of the title. Stigwood liked the song, but planned to make “Love Is (Thicker Than Water)” Andy’s actual debut single. Three days before the scheduled release date, he changed his mind.

“I Just Want to Be Your Everything” broke in late July 1977, and sped to the top of the charts. It stayed there for four weeks, and remained on the best-seller list for and incredible seven months.

“I think Barry pinpointed the reason,” explained Andy. “He said it all works with the time of year. If you release a song in the summer that’s right for summer, and it’s a happy song, then it’s bound to become a hit. ‘I just Want to Be Your Everything’ was that perfect song. Everybody sang along to it. In fact, it was a big hit within the industry before it was even released. Acetates went around to people at different companies, and they rang us up, saying, ‘This is amazing. Everybody at our label is singing that song here.’ It was a big hit because it was an up, happy, summer song.

“I remember when it entered the Top 30. It was exciting — God, it was incredible! It was making big jumps, but then it began to slow down. It got to number twenty and made an astonishing jump to thirteen. I thought, ooh, and picked up again, and everyone thought, gee, this could be big. It went thirteen to seven; I thought, oh no, I don’t believe it, this could be a number one record, my first! The first time, as much as you want that number one — it’s what you’ve been dreaming about all your life — when it happens, you can’t really face the fact that you could have a number-one record on your hands. At times I thought it wasn’t going up there, but it did.”