MOG

The Brothers Gibb were more of my kid sister's generation, so I wasn't as wrapped up in them as she was. Consequently, I have never heard the claim that they had in fact written a song totally for Brian.

This is something that his own boys The Beatles have never been documented as admitting doing for him ~ although rumor and hearsay abound as to a few Beatles songs having been written with their hopelessly devoted manager/best friend in mind, they NEVER came right out and said it for the record.

However, on the Bee Gees album Idea, which was released shortly after Brian's August 1967 death, one poignantly beautiful track, recorded in February 1968 at IBC Studios London, is described on the LP's liner notes as indeed having been written exclusively as a eulogy for him.

And, without a doubt, "In The Summer Of His Years" sounds exactly like a description of the real-life Eppy as his adoring young swinging sixties crowd regularly saw him ~ forever smiling and laughing. Upbeat and fun.

Although the voice and music are sad, the lyrics may surprise you because they reveal a Brian Epstein strikingly different from today's perceived public persona. Absolutely not the sad and tragic image we have of him today.

The sadness and the tragedy are ours for letting this great man slip away.

This track is also included in the Bee Gees compilation The Studio Albums 67-68.

Lyrics:

      In The Summer Of His Years

      In the summer of his years
      he would always smile;
      He would laugh every day if he was here to stay.
      For the summer of his years.

      In the daylight of his dreams
      he would save his tears; 
      He would always hear when there was no one near
      For the Summer of his years.

Trivia: 
For Maurice Gibb, another Bee Gees song had a painful memory attached  ~~

Shortly after they recorded "Massachusetts," Brian Epstein spoke with Maurice, who says Brian was supposed to join them in Cannes the next day. Bri came out of his office and said, "Massachusetts is going to be the world's number one" and would be the hit of the summer. "It's beautiful," said Bri, as he walked away. These proved to be the last words he ever said to Maurice -- because "Eppy" died two days later.

This song fits right in with commemorating Brian Epstein this year, Liverpool's Capital of Culture year. 2008 is also the year the motion picture The Fifth Beatle is being filmed ~ 41 years after Brian's death, the event which triggered the doom of the swinging sixties culture.