Massachusetts

During a 1967 tour of the United States, the Bee Gees found themselves in New York City, where Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb began writing "Massachusetts" at the Regis Hotel. Robin remembered working on it in a boat going around New York, while Barry recalled checking into the hotel with Robert and starting to strum the song while the bags were being brought in. The brothers disagreed on exactly where the writing happened, but all three agreed that everyone was there when the song was born.

The song was meant as an antithesis to flower power anthems like "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)", with a protagonist who had joined the hippies but was now homesick. The lights going out in Massachusetts suggested everyone had left for San Francisco. The brothers had never been to the state itself; they simply liked the unusual sound of the name with its repeated letter 'S'. It was originally intended for The Seekers, but after arriving in London from Australia the Bee Gees failed to get the song to the group and recorded it themselves. In 2003, after learning of the song's origins from Maurice Gibb in a chance meeting years earlier, the Seekers recorded it as a tribute to Maurice following his death.

Robin Gibb sang lead, and it became one of his staple songs in both Bee Gees concerts and solo appearances. Recorded at IBC Studios in London on 9 August 1967 and finished on 17 August, the song gave the group their first of five UK No. 1 hits, topped charts in 12 other countries, and sold over five million copies worldwide.