Unchained Melody

"Unchained Melody" is one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions.[1] The lyrics were written by Hy Zaret and the melody composed by Alex North.

In 1955, North used the music as a theme for the now obscure prison film Unchained. That same year, the song finally saw commercial release. The song was wildly popular: one week saw no fewer than four different cover versions in the top 30 on the British charts. The four artists covering the song are listed in the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles as: Jimmy Young, Les Baxter, Al Hibbler and Liberace, in May and June 1955. The song finished fifth in the 1955 voting for the Award.

Notable Versions

• Les Baxter recorded it for the film's soundtrack (it was also released as a single, Capitol Records catalog number 3055, and reached #1 on the Billboard charts). He was followed soon after by Al Hibbler (Decca Records catalog number 29441), who topped out at #3. Roy Hamilton's version (Epic Records catalog number 9102) reached #6, while June Valli took it to #29. Rockabilly legend Gene Vincent recorded it for his second album with the Blue Caps in 1956 - Vincent's version is played at mid-tempo and features a tremolo picking guitar part. It is also probably the most unusual cover version as the chorus was omitted. The first hit version was by Harry Belafonte, who also sang it at the 1956 Academy Awards. There is also an extremely uptempo doo-wop version by Vito & the Salutations. The song was recorded by The Lettermen as a track on their 1962 album Jim, Tony, and Bob.

• Perhaps the best-known version is the one produced by Phil Spector in 1965, credited to the Righteous Brothers, but performed as a solo by Bobby Hatfield, who later recorded versions credited solely to him. It climbed to #4. "Unchained Melody" reappeared on the Billboard charts in 1990, reaching #19, after The Righteous Brothers' recording was used in the film Ghost.

• In 2006, singer Barry Manilow covered the song on his album Greatest Songs of the Fifties, and it reached #20.

• The song has has the unique distinction of being a UK number-one hit for four different acts: Jimmy Young (1955); the Righteous Brothers (1990) [although it was recorded in 1965); Robson & Jerome (1995); Gareth Gates (2002).

• In 1969 Roy Orbison recorded his own version of the song. It appears on "Roy Orbison's Many Moods" (1969).

• On June 21, 1977, just six weeks prior to his death, Elvis Presley performed "Unchained Melody" for what would be his last television appearance, "Elvis In Concert". The actual recording that was ulteriorly released as a single, as well as included on the "Moody Blue" album, his last whilst alive, was from an earlier appearance at Ann Arbour, Michigan, featuring him on piano, as it was invariably the case when Presley sang the song in concert.

• Country singer LeAnn Rimes also recorded the song for her 1997 CD Unchained Melody: The Early Years.

• Cyndi Lauper was nominated for a 2005 Grammy award for "Best Instrumental Composition Accompanying a Vocal" for her interpretation of the song, which appears on the At Last album

• It has become a favourite among auditionees on TV singing contests. It has often been said by Simon Cowell to be his favourite song, leading it to be a favourite among those hoping to impress him in auditions for Pop Idol, American Idol, and The X Factor. It was performed on the original series of Pop Idol by runner-up Gareth Gates, who later released it as a single. It was also sung on Australian Idol by finalist Dan England and 2006's winner Damien Leith, and on American Idol by Clay Aiken during the Season 2 Top 3 finals, after which he advanced to the Top 2 (finals), as well as Kellie Pickler on Season 5 Top 6 Love Songs Week, for which she was eliminated.

• It was sung by Irish rock group U2 after a performance of One at 2005's Live 8, and is often performed in the same manner during ordinary live U2 performances. It appears on the Zoo TV: Live From Sydney video as well as on the B-sides of The Best of 1980-1990.

• Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers, was #4 on the hits, 50 Greatest Love Songs, in 2006.

• In 2006, Il Divo made a cover version in Italian named "Unchained Melody (Senza Catene)" in their second album "Ancora"

• Yndio recorded a spanish version called "Melodia Desencadenada"

Notes

• "Unchained Melody" is American Idol's judge Simon Cowell's favourite song.
• "Unchained Melody" is the song Marissa Nadler wishes she wrote herself.
• William Stirrat's false claim to have written "Unchained Melody" under the "pen name" Hy Zaret have been widely circulated on the internet.
• It is one of the few vocal works whose lyrics do not feature the title of the song.

External links

• Behind the song, MPL Communications