Holiday (Bee Gees song)
original song written and composed by Barry Gibb and Robert Gibb

"Holiday" is a song released by the Bee Gees in the United States in September 1967. It appeared on the album Bee Gees' 1st. The song was not released as a single in their native United Kingdom because Polydor UK released the single "World" from their next album Horizontal.
Composition and recording
The song is composed primarily in a minor key with a strong orchestral presence. Brothers Barry and Robin Gibb, who also wrote the song, share lead vocals. The song was recorded during the same session as "To Love Somebody" around April 1967.
All three Gibb brothers sang the "Dee dees" in the chorus sections of the song.
Release
Billboard described the single as "an intriguing ballad change of pace from their "To Love Somebody" hit," and specifically praised the production. Cash Box praised the "powerful organ backdrop" and "excellent vocal showing." Record World called it "another of the distinctive, inventive Bee Gees mood pieces."
Allmusic critic Stewart Mason praised the song's "haunting and pretty" melody, as well as the Bee Gees' "magical backing harmonies". He described the lyrics as "vaguely poetic and all but impenetrable", giving the lines "It's something I think's worthwhile/If the puppet makes you smile/If not then you're throwing stones, throwing stones, throwing stones" as a specific example.
The public source identifies “Holiday (Bee Gees song)” as original song written and composed by Barry Gibb and Robert Gibb. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Holiday, Gees and song.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Holiday (Bee Gees song)”, the useful work is to connect “original song written and composed by Barry Gibb and Robert Gibb” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5880328. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1967.
Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Holiday (Bee Gees song)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Holiday (Bee Gees song) primary sources, Holiday (Bee Gees song) archive and Holiday research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Holiday (Bee Gees song)”?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Holiday (Bee Gees song)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.