"How Deep Is Your Love" is a song created and recorded by the Bee Gees in 1977. It was released as a single by RSO Records in September of that year. The song was later included in the soundtrack of the film Saturday Night Fever. It reached number three on the charts in the United Kingdom and Australia. In the United States, it reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 on December 25, 1977, and remained in the Top 10 for 17 weeks. It also spent six weeks at the top of the US adult contemporary chart. The song is ranked 27th on Billboard's All Time Top 100 list. Alongside "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever," it is one of three Bee Gees songs on this list. A version of the song by Take That, included on their 1996 Greatest Hits album, reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks.

The song ranked 375th on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In a 2011 British TV special, ITV viewers voted it The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song. During a 2001 interview with Billboard magazine, Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees stated that this was his favorite song by the group.

Composition and recording

After mixing Here at Last… Bee Gees… Live, the Bee Gees started recording songs for the next studio album following their 1976 release Children of the World. Their manager, Robert Stigwood, asked them to write songs for a movie he was making. The Bee Gees agreed to provide five songs, one of which was "How Deep Is Your Love." The song was mainly written by Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. Barry worked with keyboard player Blue Weaver to create the song's structure. Albhy Galuten, the co-producer, later said that Blue Weaver's input was very important, explaining that Weaver's personality influenced the song's sound, even though he did not write the lyrics. He noted that playing piano can feel like writing a song because it shapes the music's structure.

A demo of the song was recorded at Le Château d'Hérouville in France, with more recording completed at Criteria Studios in Miami. Blue Weaver explained that the demo was made quickly, starting around midnight and finished by early morning. Albhy Galuten played piano on the demo. Weaver said he did not work on it the next day but later added string arrangements. When the song was officially recorded at Criteria Studios, the chord structure remained the same. The only change was the addition of an electric piano part, which became central to the song's sound. Weaver said the piano's tone created the song's emotional feel.

Barry Gibb wrote the lyrics for the song. There was some discussion about singer Yvonne Elliman recording "How Deep Is Your Love," but Barry said Robert Stigwood insisted the Bee Gees should perform the song themselves.

Release and critical reception

"How Deep Is Your Love" was released as a single in September 1977 in most countries, but in the UK, it came out on December 29, 1977. When the album Children of the World was recorded, it was clear that Barry Gibb was the group's main singer. He often sang in a high, soft voice called falsetto and sometimes used a natural, breathy tone. Barry also sang most of the background vocals, while Robin and Maurice were barely heard in the mix. Robin sang the melody in the chorus and added some extra sounds. Two videos were made for the song with simple lighting. In one (a version of the main video), the brothers are shown singing while a dark image of a woman appears, along with a large white light. Barry had no beard in this video, like in the "Night Fever" video. In the main video, the brothers sing while walking past rainbow-colored lights. Barry had a beard in this version.

On February 4, 1978, the song was at number 13 on the Cashbox charts. At the same time, the group's second single from the soundtrack, "Stayin' Alive," was at number 1. "Night Fever" first appeared on the charts at number 71 that week.

When "How Deep Is Your Love" reached number 3 in the UK, Barry said, "It's amazing to have a Top Five single in England. With all the new wave and punk rock music coming out, I thought a song like this might not succeed. But we kept working hard and have grown stronger over time."

Billboard called the song a "warm, tender ballad," noting that it starts slowly and builds to a more emotional performance. Cash Box described it as a "beautifully harmonized, melodic ballad for music lovers of all ages." Record World called it "one of their most controlled, delicate efforts," with vocals that sound almost whispered at times, and praised its "good melody and expressive love lyrics."

Allmusic critic Bill Janovitz praised the "sublimely gorgeous" and "impossibly lovely and memorable classic" melody, as well as Barry's vocal performance. He noted that even though the song was released during the Bee Gees' disco period, it shares similarities with their earlier hits from the late 1960s and early 1970s, using "heartbreaking major-to-minor chord changes and an easygoing R&B groove" like in songs such as "To Love Somebody," "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," and "I've Gotta Get a Message to You."

The song won Best Pop Performance by a Group at the 20th Grammy Awards on February 23, 1978. It was also nominated for Best Original Song at the 35th Golden Globe Awards on January 28, 1978. The award went to Joe Brooks's "You Light Up My Life." During both events, the song was in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Brian Wilson said, "I always liked the Bee Gees very much. 'How Deep Is Your Love' is one that I think is really great. I turn the radio up a little when it comes on."

In 1983, a Chicago songwriter named Ronald Selle sued the Bee Gees, claiming the Gibb brothers used parts of his song "Let It End" in "How Deep Is Your Love." A jury ruled in favor of Selle. The Bee Gees' lawyer then asked the court to overturn the decision, arguing that Selle had not proven the Bee Gees had access to his song. Selle admitted his song had similarities to some Bee Gees songs from before his own, as well as to the Beatles' "From Me to You." A federal judge ruled in favor of the Bee Gees. Selle appealed, but the appellate court agreed that he had not proven his case.

Personnel

• Barry Gibb – main vocals, harmony vocals, and background vocals, rhythm guitar
• Robin Gibb – harmony vocals and background vocals
• Maurice Gibb – bass guitar, harmony vocals, and background vocals

• Alan Kendall – electric guitar
• Dennis Bryon – drums, percussion
• Blue Weaver – keyboards, synthesizer, Rhodes piano
• Joe Lala – percussion
• Wade Marcus – string arrangements

• Karl Richardson – engineering
• Michel Marie – assistant engineering

Take That version

In 1996, the English pop music group Take That released a cover version of a song as a single from its Greatest Hits compilation album, produced by RCA Records. This was the band's first single as a group of four members, as Robbie Williams had left the band the year before. The cover version is identical to the original song, except for one line that was changed from "I know your eyes in the morning sun, I feel you touch me in the pouring rain" to "and when you rise in the morning sun, I feel you touch my hand in the pouring rain."

The single was created by the band with the help of producer Chris Porter. It became the band's last UK number one song until their 2006 comeback single "Patience." The song reached number one on the UK charts for three weeks. It sold 671,000 copies and received a Platinum certification in the UK. The song also reached the top of the charts in Denmark, Israel, Ireland, Lithuania, and Spain.

In 2018, the band recorded a new version of the song with Barry Gibb for its Greatest Hits remix album called Odyssey.

Music Week gave the song a rating of three out of five, noting that the version lacked some energy compared to the original and was released as a preview for the band's upcoming greatest hits album. Gerald Martinez of New Sunday Times wrote that the song sounds similar to the original, but most fans may not have heard the Bee Gees' version. He described it as a stylish ballad worth listening to again. Gina Morris of Smash Hits gave the song a five-out-of-five rating and named it Best New Single, calling it a nostalgic reminder of the band's earlier work and a good choice for the album.

The music video for "How Deep Is Your Love" was directed by English photographer Nick Brandt. It was filmed on February 7 and 8, 1996, at a deserted warehouse and near a reservoir in Hayes, Middlesex. The video was made six days before the band announced its breakup. It shows the four remaining band members tied to chairs in a basement. An obsessive fan, Paula Hamilton, with blonde hair and heavy eye makeup, enters the basement and pulls the band members' hair. She places them in a van and drives them to a reservoir. She pushes Gary Barlow from the edge of the reservoir, and he falls into the water while still tied to his chair. She appears shocked but then smirks. MTV Europe removed some scenes from the video.

Band members and their roles:
• Gary Barlow – lead vocals, backing vocals
• Howard Donald – backing vocals
• Jason Orange – backing vocals
• Mark Owen – backing vocals

Other notable versions

• Luther Vandross's version of "How Deep Is Your Love" from his 1993 album Never Let Me Go was nominated for the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance award at the 36th Grammy Awards in 1994.
• The American R&B group Portrait included the song on its album All That Matters and released it as a single on May 23, 1995. The single reached No. 93 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 15 in Australia, and No. 1 in New Zealand for three weeks. It was certified gold in New Zealand and ranked No. 6 on the year-end singles chart there.
• A Muzak version of the song played at the Austin J. Tobin Plaza of the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks, as seen in footage recorded by Jack Taliercio. The song was heard as the Twin Towers burned.
• The New Zealand duo Adeaze covered the song on their 2004 album Always and for Real. In 2020, the recording was certified gold by Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ).
• Lionel Loueke included the song on his 2015 album Gaïa.
• PJ Morton released a version of the song on his 2017 album Gumbo, featuring Yebba. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance.
• A cover of the song appears in the 2024 film Kinds of Kindness, performed by Margaret Qualley's character, Vivian.
• American singer Prince Royce released a bachata version of the song on April 10, 2025, as the lead single from his first covers album, Eterno. The song debuted at No. 8 on the US Hot Tropical Songs chart and No. 6 on the Tropical Airplay chart, making it his 36th top-10 entry on the latter.