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. "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.
"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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 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. 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. 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. North wrote the music as a theme for the little-known prison film Unchained . The young 17-year-old Gareth Gates resurrected "Unchained Melody' at the 2002 singing competition 'Pop Idol' lead by Simon Cowel. He performed the song in the final round of the contest, which, however, was won by Will Young. Simon Cowel signed Gareth Gates and "Unchained Melody" was released as the first single by Gareth Gates as a signed artist.
The song saw a massive reception peaking at #1 in the UK, and selling 850,000 copies in the first week of release. This achievement also made Gareth Gates, at 17-years-old, the youngest solo male British artist to have a #1 charting hit. The song saw a massive resurgence in popularity again in 1990 when it was used as the love theme in the movie Ghost, featuring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. The Righteous Brothers wanted to re-release the song because of the renewed interest caused by the movie.
Due to licensing issues, The Righteous Brothers were forced to record a new version of the song, this time on Curb records. "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. Obviously, this song has spoken to something in the human soul, because through the years it has been recorded frequently by well-known artists. Years later, this same version by the Righteous Brothers reappeared in the movie Ghost and soared again to popularity, enthralling a whole new generation with its beauty and powerful emotion.
After being featured on the 'Ghost' soundtrack The Righteous Brothers wanted to re-release the song, however, were not able to, due to licensing issues. Both the original and the re-recorded charted on Billboard Hot 100, making the Righteous Brothers the first artist to chart two versions of the same song simultaneously. The song came to life in January 19, 1955, written by Hy Zaret and music by Alex North. The song was written for the movie titled 'Unchained' released in January 1955. The American baritone opera singer Todd Duncan sang the song for the movie soundtrack, and is the first life of the song. It has originally been performed by Todd Duncan, star of the Broadway musical "Porgy & Bess" , in the American film Unchained, released in 1955.
Todd Duncan played Bill Howard and the song title was "Unchained ". The music was composed by Alex North and the lyrics were written by Hy Zaret. So, The Righteous Brothers' version is not the original, because theirs came out 10 years later, in 1965.
"Unchained Melody" was the only song to have reached No. 1 in the UK in four different recordings on the official chart until it was joined by the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in its fourth re-recording in 2014. It is the only song to have sold over a million by three separate acts in the UK – Robson and Jerome (1.87 million), Gareth Gates (1.35 million), the Righteous Brothers (1.17 million). The song has been number 1 on lists of love songs featured on the United Kingdom's Channel 4 and Five. 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. Of the hundreds of recordings made, the Righteous Brothers' version in July 1965, with a solo by Bobby Hatfield, became the jukebox standard after its release. Hatfield changed the melody in the final verse and many subsequent covers of the song are based on his version. The Righteous Brothers recording achieved a second round of great popularity when featured in the film Ghost in 1990.
"Unchained Melody" was written in the 50s, but the Righteous Brothers' version was released in 1965. It is hard to reconcile this with what was going on in rock at the time. This song has to be one of the most recognizable, iconic songs of all time. In 2004, it was number 27 on AFI's 100 Years…100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.
With the help of The Righteous Brothers, Leslie Nielsen, and some strategically molded clay, it became one of history's greatest love songs. His cover became one of the fastest-selling singles in the UK, selling 328,000 copies in the first day of release. It reached number one, with sales of 850,000 copies in its first week. It became the second best-selling song in the UK in 2002, as well as that of the decade, after Will's single 'Evergreen'. In 1954, North was asked to compose the score for the prison film movie Unchained. North composed and recorded the score, and then was asked to write a song based on the movie's theme.
In 2006, singer Barry Manilow covered the song on his album The Greatest Songs of the Fifties and was released as a single. Another live version recorded earlier on April 24, 1977, at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan was included in his last album Moody Blue. Both versions had studio overdubs with additional instruments added before they were released. Gates reprised the song in the final as his personal choice, but the competition was won by Will Young.
Gates was signed by Cowell, and as the runner-up, Gates released the song as his first single three weeks after the winner had released his single, the double A-sided "Anything Is Possible" / "Evergreen". Gates' cover of "Unchained Melody" was released together with his versions of the same two songs released by Young, which Gates had also performed in the final. The best-known version of "Unchained Melody" was recorded by the duo The Righteous Brothers 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 Brother's recording reached #4 on Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. It reappeared on the charts when the song was featured on the 'Ghost' movie soundtrack in 1990, starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. In 1955 alone, two other versions of the song came out, by Les Baxter, and Al Hibbler. The two versions reached #1 and #3 on the US singles chart in 1955.
The underlying theme of the song is to be understood with the plot of the movie it was written for. The singer or the lead role of the movie is in prison and he misses his wife so much. Being locked up in a small room can affect someone's mentality quite negatively, and this guy long to go home. In 1955, three versions of the song charted in the Billboard top 10 in the United States, and four versions appeared in the top 20 in the United Kingdom simultaneously, a record for any song. The song continued to chart in the 21st century, and it was the only song to reach number one with four different recordings in the UK until it was joined by Band Aid 30's "Do They Know It's Christmas?
The song was originally written as part of a score for a 1955 movie called "Unchained" which was based on a book published by Kenyon Judson Scudder in 1952. Both the book and the movie follow the story of a man serving time in a medium-security prison. He is deeply conflicted and must decide whether to behave himself behind bars and serve out his sentence or try to escape so he can see his wife, who he loves deeply and misses so very much. The song has been covered by many artists; 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" was originally released as the "B" side of the single "Hung On You" as the follow-up single to "Just Once in My Life".
However, "Hung On You" failed to interest radio DJs who instead chose to play the 'B' side "Unchained Melody". However, he failed, and the song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 14 in the UK in 1965. While the sheet music business was losing its prominence to sound recordings, a sheet music release of the song peaked at number 1 on its tenth week on the Billboard Best Selling Sheet Music chart on the week ending June 18, 1955.
It stayed at its peak position for nine weeks until it dropped to number 4 on its twentieth week on the week ending August 27. Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack and performs an abbreviated version in the film. Playing one of the prisoners, he sings it, accompanied by another prisoner on guitar, while other prisoners listen sadly. With Duncan singing the vocals, the song was nominated for 1955's Oscars, but the Best Song award went to the hit song "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing". The song continued to chart in the 21st century, and it was the only song to reach number one with four different recordings in the UK until it was joined by Band Aid 30's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 2014. Although the movie itself faded into obscurity, its theme song prospered.
The music of "Unchained Melody" was composed by Alex North (who later wrote musical scores for many movies, including Spartacus, Prizzi's Honor and Good Morning, Vietnam) with lyrics by Hy Zaret. Leann Rimes is another artist who mainstreamed "Unchained Melody" with several live performances and a studio recording. There are very few songs that have survived the test of time over fifty years. In the handful that do succeed in this ultimate test, much of the success resonates with the song's artist as well.
However, "Unchained Melody," from 1955, has been an exception. This is possibly one of the most covered songs in the history of music, even by some of the greats throughout the history. After 65 years in existence, "Unchained Melody" has not lost its soul and flavor among its fanbase. Spector insisted on having songs never meant for radio play appear on the B-sides of his releases.
Wanting to feature "Hung on You" as the A-side of the 45's release, he chose an older song for the guys to cover for the B-side. And so it was that "Unchained Melody", a hit form a decade earlier, was covered by Medley and Hatfield. "Unchained Melody" was written by composer Alex North and lyricist Hy Zaret.
North composed the score for the film and was then asked to write a theme song. Zaret was originally not interested in helping North with the lyrics for the song, but North kept after him and Zaret finally agreed. According to his obituary in the New York Times, the composer Alex North phoned Hy Zaret and asked him to write lyrics for a song he had just written.
