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. 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. 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" 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. The re-recorded version was certified Platinum by the RIAA on January 10, 1991, and received a Grammy Award nomination.
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 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. Both the original version and the re-recorded version actually appeared on The Billboard Hot 100 at the same time, making The Rigteous Brothers the very first group to have two versions of the same song charting in the top 20 at the same time. 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. Not surprisingly, the pace is picking up for the singer, who lives in Newport Beach with his wife and their two children.
He recently cut a note-for-note replica of "Unchained Melody" that has just been released as a single by Curb Records. The idea is to offer radio stations and record buyers a single version of a song that currently is only available on album. While Polydor seizes the moment, Unchained Melody is also available on the Ghost soundtrack -- a hastily assembled mishmash on MCA Records released as an afterthought when the movie struck gold. The album ($9.98) is mostly background music, providing the barest platform on which Unchained can rest. Though Unchained is a Top 40 hit, the big chart numbers have been gained primarily through radio play and not through singles sales.
Polydor has re- issued the song only as a scarce seven-inch single (the old "45" format) and not as a cassette single, which is the more popular format with young record-buyers. 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. 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. 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. 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. Hy Zaret"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 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. 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. English singer-songwriter Gareth Gates first performed "Unchained Melody" as a contestant in the quarter-final of the first series of the UK singing competition television show Pop Idol, which included Simon Cowell as one of the judges. 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 Righteous Brothers' cover of "Unchained Melody" is now widely considered the definitive version of the song. The production of their original recording has been described as "epic", and that with "Hatfield's emotion-packed tenor soaring to stratospheric heights, it's a record designed to reduce anyone separated from the one they loved to a "pile of mush". "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. 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. We are a Melbourne based, independent, online record store, specialising in the coolest rare and collectible vinyl records, CDs, posters, t-shirts and other music memorabilia.
After the tracks had been laid down, Hatfield asked if he could make a change. Feeling that he could add something more to the song, Hatfield asked Medley to let him record over part of the original take. All of our song lyric posters & prints are available in a variety of backgrounds and colours.
"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. In 2006, singer Barry Manilow covered the song on his album The Greatest Songs of the Fifties and was released as a single. In 1986, Leo Sayer released a version of the song with a contemporary reworking of the "wall of sound" production technique that included an unusual electric guitar solo near the climax.
Due to the success of their re-recording, The Righteous Brothers also re-recorded other songs and released them as part of a budget-priced CD compilation by Curb Records. 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".
In 1990, the blockbuster movie "Ghost" featured their classic hit record "Unchained Melody". When they first caught each other in action, blue-eyed soul singers Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield were both performing in different California-based bands, singing in clubs throughout the state. Medley was with a group called The Paramours, and when a spot opened up in that group, Medley invited Hatfield to audition. Though The Paramours were signed to a record deal with the Moonglow label, they failed to release anything beyond one single and soon went their separate ways.
It was 1963 and Medley and Hatfield decided to go it alone using the name The Paramours. This new version of Unchained will likely sound different than the old version, which featured only Hatfield on vocals. Still, Curb is expected to promote the new version to radio quite heavily and have it pressed and in stores in a heartbeat. And with that, the Righteous Brothers may actually have a chance to earn a little money. Though MCA had an agreement with the filmmaker for a soundtrack, it could not release Unchained as a single because the song belongs to Polydor's catalog.
Knowing this, Polydor likely reasoned it would clean up with its lower-priced album, since it could control the short supply of single copies of Unchained in the marketplace. Medley, who won a Grammy in 1988 for singing the Dirty Dancing theme (I've Had The Time of My Life, a duet with Jennifer Warnes) has been preparing a new album, Blue-Eyed Singer, that's due any day. In 1965 it peaked at No. 4 for the Righteous Brothers, but had hit No. 1 in 1955 for a singer named Les Baxter. That year Baxter was one of four vocalists on the charts with Unchained Melody. The song was taken from a film called Unchained and was written by the songwriting team of H. But two months later, Unchained Melody has not only helped the film last longer at the box office while keeping the film's profile high through radio play, it has now vaulted into Billboard's Top 40.
Last week Unchained was Billboard's "Power Pick." This week it moves to No. 37 with a bullet. Industry professionals predict, without reservation, that it will almost surely be a No. 1 song -- again. Generally speaking, record collectors will often cite Japanese records as being the best in the world, not only for their superior sound but also the packaging which included lyric sheets as standard in both Japanese and English languages. Also included, was the obi, a narrow paper sash with all the albums release information, these are also very collectable.
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This song was Number One in the UK charts for 4 weeks from 28 October 1990. Vinyl 7-inch single mounted on ivory board in Black Wood 30 cm x 40 cm frame with glass, showing personalised message. 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. Its popularity also meant that the song is one of the highest grossing songs for its copyright holders, estimated in 2012 to be the fifth biggest earners of royalties according to the BBC's list of The Richest Songs in the World at £18 million. In 2020, country singers Orville Peck and Paul Cauthen released a cover of the song under the name "The Unrighteous Brothers" along with a cover of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'".
The version by Robson & Jerome is notable as the best-selling single of 1995 in the UK. It also launched the singing career of Robson & Jerome, and became the biggest hit in the UK for Simon Cowell, marking his beginning as a significant figure in the music industry. 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?" in 2014.
None of the records on the site are for sale, these are all completed sales and auctions. Gripsweat is intended to be used a resource for pricing vinyl records. Record prices and the record market are highly dependent on condition and individual records' pressing details. Gripsweat is a searchable archive of past rare vinyl record sales and auctions. The guys had a hit with their first release with Spector, a song called "Just Once in My Life" that was penned by Spector, Gerry Goffin and Carole King.
For their followup, Spector asked a couple of the song writers in his stable to come up with the duo's next hit and "Hung on You" was the result. When the duo joined the Phillies label, Spector asked Medley if he would produce The Righteous Brothers albums so that Spector could focus on churning out singles. Medley had previously been producing the songs the duo recorded for Moonglow, so he readily agreed to the arrangement.
While in Daly City in 1964 with one of his groups The Ronettes, music producer Phil Spector happened to catch a performance by The Righteous Brothers. Spector immediately approached the guys about coming to work for him and learned they were already under contract with Moonglow. Undeterred, he negotiated a deal with Moonglow that gave him the US, UK and Canadian rights to songs he produced with The Righteous Brothers for his own label, Philles Records . "Unchained Melody" was written by composer Alex North and lyricist Hy Zaret.
