Released in 1983 as the title track of his solo album, “How Old Are You?” represents one of the most distinctive chapters in Robin Gibb’s individual artistic voice. During this period, Robin explored synthesizer-driven pop, sleek electronic textures, and emotionally charged lyrics that carried the same trembling vulnerability that defined his work with the Bee Gees. But here, without his brothers’ harmonies, the loneliness cuts deeper, and the questions feel more personal.
From the opening bars, the song signals its tone with a shimmering synthesizer pulse — cool, modern, and slightly distant.
This soundscape places Robin in an electronic world that contrasts sharply with the warm orchestral textures of his 1970s recordings. Yet his voice, with its unmistakable vibrato, adds humanity to the electronics. It trembles with longing, hesitation, and emotional truth — the contrast that makes the song feel so unmistakably Robin.
Lyrically, “How Old Are You?” uses a deceptively simple question to explore a deeper emotional divide.
It is not about literal age.
It is about emotional distance, the passage of time, and the realization that two people who were once close may no longer understand each other.
Robin sings as someone trying to reconnect but unsure whether the other person is still emotionally present. The question becomes symbolic:
Have we changed too much? Are we still the same people? Are we drifting beyond reach?
The emotional core arrives in the song’s plea-like refrain:
💬 “How old are you? Are you still the same as you used to be?”
There is no bitterness in Robin’s delivery — only yearning.
He is not accusing; he is remembering.
The lyric captures the heartbreak of watching a relationship evolve into something unfamiliar, not through conflict but through time. Robin’s vocal cracks slightly at the edges, giving the line a fragility that feels painfully real.
Musically, the song reflects early-1980s production trends:
– bright synthesizers,
– crisp drum machines,
– and airy electronic arrangements.
But Robin bends that style toward melancholy rather than celebration. The danceable rhythm carries an undercurrent of sadness — the feeling of moving forward while looking back. The polished production becomes a mask, while Robin’s voice slips through with raw emotion.
What makes “How Old Are You?” particularly compelling is its emotional ambiguity.
We never learn exactly why the relationship has changed.
There is no clear story, no explicit conflict.
Instead, Robin paints a portrait of someone standing at a distance from a loved one, struggling to recognize who they have become. The song becomes universal: anyone who has watched a friendship fade, a romance cool, or a loved one evolve beyond familiar reach can hear their own story in it.
Robin’s solo work often explored these intimate emotional corners, places where vulnerability sits unprotected. In “How Old Are You?”, that vulnerability is sharpened by the electronic production — like a soft voice echoing through a cold room.
Ultimately, “How Old Are You?” is Robin Gibb at his most introspective:
a man searching for connection,
haunted by change,
and holding onto memories that feel increasingly fragile.
A song that asks a simple question —
and reveals an entire emotional world beneath it.