Their recording immediately reached number 1 in the UK, selling 314,000 copies in its first week, at that time the fastest-selling debut single in UK chart history. It became the best selling single of 1995, and one of the country's all-time biggest-selling singles (No. 9 in November 2012), with 1.87 million copies sold. The self-titled album they released later in the year also became the best-selling album of 1995. Although the duo decided to quit the following year, they would eventually sell 7 million copies of albums and 5 million copies of the 3 singles released. Simon Cowell, who before this was known largely as a creator of novelty records with television characters such as the puppets Zig and Zag and action characters Power Rangers, then came to the attention of the media for his ability to create hit records.
"Unchained Melody" reappeared on the Billboard charts in 1990 after The Righteous Brothers' recording was used in the box office blockbuster filmGhost. There was the reissue of the 1965 original Righteous Brothers single which received a lot of airplay, but sales were minimal since it was only available as a 45 RPM single.This version peaked at #13. There was also a 1990 re-recording of the song which was available only as a cassette single.
The re-recorded version saw minimal airplay, but excellent sales. For eight weeks, both versions were on the Hot 100 simultaneously. It reached #1 for the fifth time in the UK, becoming the UK's top selling single of 1990, and has since sold 1.04 million copies.It also reached #1 inAustralia, staying atnumber-onefor seven weeks through November 1990 and into January 1991. In 1990, Bobby Hatfield's original recording of "Unchained Melody" was featured in the popular feature film Ghost, starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore.
It triggered an avalanche of requests to Top 40 radio stations by fans who had seen the movie to play the 1965 Righteous Brothers' recording. This motivated Polygram (which now owned the Verve/MGM label archives) to re-release the song to Top 40 radio. It became a major hit for a second time, reaching No. 13 on the Hot 100 in 1990. The duo quickly re-recorded another version of "Unchained Melody" for Curb Records. Both the reissued and the re-recorded songs charted at the same time for several weeks, and the Righteous Brothers made history as the first act to have two versions of the same song in the Top 20 at the same time. The re-recorded "Unchained Melody" hit No. 19 on the Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America .
Their performance triggered a strong response from the audience who attempted to find a recording of the song that was then unavailable. Simon Cowell was alerted to the interest shown by the public, and pursued the two reluctant actors for the next four months to record the song, to the extent that Robson Green threatened legal action to stop Cowell harassing them. The actors were eventually persuaded to sign a recording contract with Cowell and record a Righteous Brothers-type version of the song as a duo.
It was later revealed by Stock that the vocals were "assisted" and parts of the song were sung by other session singers. It was released as a double A-sided single with "White Cliffs of Dover", a popular song during World War II, included in recognition of the 50th anniversary of VE day, the date of the single release. The video released for "Unchained Melody" also incorporated clips from the 1945 film Brief Encounter.
"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North wrote the music as a theme for the little-known prison film Unchained , hence the song title. It has since become a standard and one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, most notably by the Righteous Brothers. According to the song's publishing administrator, over 1,500 recordings of "Unchained Melody" have been made by more than 670 artists, in multiple languages. Two different versions of the song were released to coincide with the movie's release; an orchestral version and one with the lyrics performed by Al Hibbler. Hibbler's version of the song hit the number one position on the R&B charts in 1955, as did a version by Roy Hamilton.
Another version from June Valli reached the #29 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles list in May 1955. The song was also recorded by Harry Belafonte later that same year. In 1974, Medley and Hatfield announced their reunion at an appearance on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour. They signed with Haven Records, run by producers Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter and distributed by Capitol Records. Within a few weeks of reforming, they recorded Alan O'Day's "Rock and Roll Heaven", a paean to several deceased rock singers which became a hit, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
After 1975, however, the Righteous Brothers would not appear in music charts except for re-releases of older songs and compilation albums, some of which were re-recordings of earlier works. Felton JarvisElvis Presley singles chronology"My Way""Unchained Melody"" Teddy Bear"On June 21, 1977, Elvis Presley performed the song at a show in Rapid City, South Dakota. The performance, described as "the last great moment of his career", was recorded for his last television special two months before his death in August 1977. A single, based on this recording, was released in March 1978 by RCA Records with "Softly, As I Leave You" as the b-side. The song reached No. 6 in the country charts of both the US and Canada, and was certified Gold by Music Canada on July 10, 1986.
The 1965 original Righteous Brothers recording was reissued in 1990 by oldies-reissue label Verve Forecast under licensing from Polygram Records . The original version received a lot of airplay, and topped the U.S. adult contemporary chart for two weeks in 1990. However, sales for this version were minimal in the US since it was only available as a 45 RPM single and the song peaked at No. 13 based largely on airplay.
For eight weeks, both versions were on the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously and the Righteous Brothers became the first act to have two versions of the same song in the Top 20 at the same time. This re-released song reached number 1 in the UK where it stayed for four weeks, becoming the UK's top selling single of 1990. The 1990 reissue also reached number 1 in Australia, Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Hy Zaret"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has since become a standard and one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, most notably by the Righteous Brothers in July 1965. According to the song's publishing administrator, over 1,500 recordings of "Unchained Melody" have been made by more than 670 artists, in multiple languages.
"Unchained Melody" received an Oscar nomination, losing out to "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing" from the movie of the same name. In addition to presenting Duncan's original recording from Unchained, the new anthology includes many of the song's earliest covers. Les Baxter's choral rendition on Capitol hit No. 2 on the U.S. pop chart, and not long after, Al Hibbler's vocal version reached No. 3. Mining the soulful potential of the North melody, Roy Hamilton took it to No. 1 R&B as well as No. 6 Pop.
Other early versions here are from rockabilly trailblazer Gene Vincent, vocalist Harry Belafonte , and country legends Eddy Arnold and Chet Atkins. The Righteous Brothers – Unchained Melody Live – Best Quality Of the hundreds of recordings made, The Righteous Brothers version is the most-known version of "Unchained Melody", which recorded by the duo for Philles Records in 1965. The lead vocal was performed solo by Bobby Hatfield, who later recorded other versions of the song credited solely to him. According to his singing partner Bill Medley, they had agreed to do one solo piece each per album. Both wanted to sing "Unchained Melody" for their fourth album, but Hatfield won the coin toss.
The Righteous Brothers had several other hit singles with Philles Records in 1965, including "Just Once in My Life" and "Unchained Melody" (originally the B-side of "Hung on You"), both reaching the Billboard Top 10. Medley said that he produced "Unchained Melody"; the song was originally intended only as a track on the album Just Once in My Life, and Spector had asked him to produce the albums so Spector could spend time and money on producing singles. Later copies of the original 45 release credited Spector as producer when it became a hit. Spector commissioned Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil to write a song for them, which turned out to be "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". The song, released in late 1964, became their first major hit single and reached No. 1 in February 1965. Produced by Phil Spector, the record is often cited as one of the finest expressions of Spector's Wall of Sound production techniques.
It is one of the most successful pop singles of its time, despite exceeding the then-standard length for radio play. Indeed, according to BMI, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" became the most-played song on American radio and television of the 20th century, with more than eight million airplays by the end of 1999. The song was nominated in 1956 for 1955's Oscar for best original song from the film Unchained. The re-recorded version by The Righteous Brothers was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1991 in the best pop performance by a duo or group category, and their original version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000. The use of the Righteous Brothers' cover of "Unchained Melody" in the film Ghost resurrected the song's popularity as it was recognized as the "most played" song of 1992 by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers . ASCAP also announced it to be one of the 25 most-performed songs and musical works of the 20th century in 1999, and the most-performed love song of the 1950s in 2003.
On Nov 3rd 1990, 25 years after their version was recorded, The Righteous Brothers went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with "Unchained Melody". The track had been featured in the Patrick Swayze film Ghost. Written by Alex North and Hy Zaret, "Unchained Melody" is one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, with over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages. A string of top hits followed until 1968 when Medley and Hatfield agreed to part ways to pursue solo efforts. Medley soon scored with top ten hits, Peace, Brother, Peace and Brown-eyed Woman.
In 1974, Bill and Bobby re- united and within a few weeks had yet another monster hit with Rock and Roll Heaven. The best-known version of Unchained Melody was recorded by the duo in 1965. Both wanted to sing Unchained Melody for their fourth album, but Hatfield won the coin toss.
In 1995, the song was performed byRobson GreenandJerome Flynnin the UK drama seriesSoldier Soldier. They subsequently released a Righteous Brothers-type version as a single, which quickly reached #1 in the UK, becoming one of the country's all time biggest-selling records, and has sold 1.86 million copies as of November 2012. The best known version of "Unchained Melody" was recorded by The Righteous Brothers and produced byPhil Spectorin 1965 as the 'B' side of the single featuring the song, "Hung On You". Although the version was credited to The Righteous Brothers, it was actually performed as a solo by Righteous BrotherBobby Hatfield, who later recorded other versions credited solely to him.
This recording climbed to #4 on theBillboard Hot 100chart in 1965 and reached #14 in the UK in 1965. "Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music byAlex Northand lyrics byHy Zaret. The duo split up in February 1968, a breakup that would last for more than six years, when Medley left to pursue a solo career. Medley recorded a few solo recordings on several labels, while Hatfield teamed up with singer Jimmy Walker using the Righteous Brothers name on the MGM label.
Medley first recorded "I Can't Make It Alone" written by Carole King, but the song failed to make much of an impact. The following single, "Brown Eyed Woman" written by Mann and Weil, performed better. However, neither he nor Hatfield was able to match their previous chart success. After the success of "Unchained Melody", Spector started releasing older songs with the Righteous Brothers, including "Ebb Tide", which reached No. 5.
Hatfield was the only vocal on "Unchained Melody" and "Ebb Tide", and both were songs Bobby Hatfield had performed with his first group, the Variations. The last single released that they recorded with Philles Records was "The White Cliffs of Dover". Although Spector focused his attention in producing singles, a number of albums by the Righteous Brothers released with Philles Records sold well. Other notable hits include three US 1965 Top Tens – "Just Once in My Life" and covers of "Unchained Melody" and "Ebb Tide" – and the massive US 1966 number one "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration", plus the 1974 comeback hit "Rock and Roll Heaven". Both Hatfield and Medley also had for a time their own solo careers.
In 2016, Medley re-formed The Righteous Brothers with Bucky Heard and they continue to perform as a duo. Gates' version of "Unchained Melody" became one of the fastest-selling singles in the UK, selling around 328,000 copies in the first day of release. It reached number one on the UK Singles Chart in its first week of release with sales of 850,000 copies, and stayed at the top of the chart for four weeks.
It became the second best-selling song in the UK in 2002, as well as that of the decade of 2000s, after the single by the winner Will Young. "Unchained Melody" reappeared on the US Billboard charts in 1990 after The Righteous Brothers' recording was used in the box office blockbuster film Ghost. Two versions charted in the US that year – the original and a new recording.
According to Medley, he was interested in having the original recording released due to the renewed interest in the song, but was told that there were licensing issues. Although Hatfield's voice was no longer as good as when he first recorded the song, they decided to re-record it for Curb Records. The re-recorded version was released as both a cassette single and a CD single. It received minimal airplay but sold well, peaking at number 19.
The re-recorded version was certified Platinum by the RIAA on January 10, 1991, and received a Grammy Award nomination. The best-known version of "Unchained Melody" was recorded by the duo The Righteous Brothers for Philles Records in 1965. Both wanted to sing "Unchained Melody" for their fourth album, but Hatfield won the coin toss.
In 1954, Alex North was contracted to compose the score for the prison film Unchained . North composed and recorded the score and then was asked to write a song based upon the movie's theme. After first refusing, Zaret and North together wrote "Unchained Melody." Zaret refused the producer's request to include the word "unchained" in his lyrics.
The song eventually became known as the "Unchained Melody" even though the song does not actually include the word "unchained". Instead, Zaret chose to focus on someone who pines for a lover he has not seen in a "long, lonely time". The film centered on a man who contemplates either escaping from prison to live life on the run or completing his sentence and returning to his wife and family. The song has an unusual harmonic device as the bridge ends on the tonic chord rather than the more usual dominant chord. The story goes that he and his singing partner Bill Medley agreed to do one solo performance each per album. Both of the singers wanted to do "Unchained Melody," however Hatfield won a coin-toss and the rest is history.
Bill Medley is truly one of the iconic figures in American music history. His instantly recognizable baritone voice has anchored some of the biggest recordings of all time. He's won a Grammy, an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and an American Music Award. The Orange County, CA native began writing songs as a boy and had his breakout as a songwriter and singer when, in 1963, the Medley-penned Little Latin Lupe Lu became a regional hit for Bill and Bobby Hatfield, as their first release as The Righteous Brothers. Other regional hits followed, Justine, Koko Joe, and My Babe, which led to a regular spot on ABC-TV's national Shindig! The show, featuring a cast of regulars, along with guest stars every week, catered to the teen audience, something new for TV at that time.
Shindig' s smash success coincided with The Righteous Brothers opening for both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones on their first US tours. Elvis Presleyperformed "Unchained Melody" on April 24, 1977 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the recording of which was included on theMoody Bluealbum . On June 21, just six weeks before his death, he performed "Unchained Melody" in Rapid City, S.D.
For what would be his last television appearance, "Elvis In Concert"; ultimately, the song was not included on the October 3 broadcast and this version would be released the following year as a single. Both versions featured him on piano, as was invariably the case when Presley sang the song in concert. Les Baxter released an instrumental version which reached #1. However, it was the July 1965 version byThe Righteous Brothersthat became ajukeboxstandard for the late 20th century, achieving a second round of great popularity when it was featured in the 1990 blockbuster filmGhost.
