For the LeAnn Rimes album, see Unchained Melody: The Early Years.
"Unchained Melody"
Song by Todd Duncan
Released
January 19, 1955 (1955-01-19)
Composer(s)
Alex North
Lyricist(s)
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 prison film Unchained (1955),[1] hence the song title. Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack.[2] It has since become a standard and one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, most notably by the Righteous Brothers in 1965.[3] 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.[4]
In 1955, three versions of the song (by Les Baxter, Al Hibbler, and Roy Hamilton) charted in the Billboard top 10 in the United States,[5] and four versions (by Al Hibbler, Les Baxter, Jimmy Young, and Liberace) appeared in the top 20 in the United Kingdom simultaneously, a record for any song.[6][7] 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 United Kingdom until it was joined by Band Aid 30's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 2014.[8][9]
Of the hundreds of recordings made, the Righteous Brothers' version, 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. In 2004, it was number 27 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.
^"Unchained". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
^Robert Rodriguez, The 1950s' Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Rock & Roll Rebels, Brassey's, p.90.
^Dowling, Stephen (November 6, 2003). "Entertainment | Brothers in good company with hits". BBC News. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
"UnchainedMelody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North wrote the music as a theme for the prison film Unchained (1955)...
include three US 1965 Top Tens – "Just Once in My Life" and covers of "UnchainedMelody" (also a huge hit in 1990 after being featured in the film Ghost) and...
Bernard (May 2, 2009). "Melody Gardot should not be playing music". Brisbane Times. Retrieved August 9, 2009. "UnchainedMelody". Telegraph Magazine. London...
tenor part for the duo and sang solo on the group's 1965 recording of "UnchainedMelody". Born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, Hatfield moved with his family to...
Alley lyricist and composer who wrote the lyrics of the 1955 hit "UnchainedMelody," one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century. Zaret was born...
piano on "UnchainedMelody": 142 and "Little Darlin'" Norbert Putnam – bass on "UnchainedMelody" Alan Rush – guitar on "UnchainedMelody", "If You Love...
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Feelin'". Medley produced a number of the duo's songs, including "UnchainedMelody" and "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration". Medley is also a solo artist...
synchronized with archival footage of Presley's vocal performance on "UnchainedMelody" in the 2022 motion picture, Elvis directed by Baz Luhrman. Ogdin's...
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Zealand Chart Certification". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2016-06-17. "UnchainedMelodies by Roy Orbison with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Out November...
first for a composer. He wrote the music for UnchainedMelody as the theme for the prison film Unchained (1955), It has become a standard and one of the...
had three songs on the ARIA Singles Chart top 10 with his cover of "UnchainedMelody" reaching No. 2 and his original song, "More Than a Dream", at No....
Jerome in the latter half of the 1990s. They released a version of "UnchainedMelody", which stayed at number 1 for 7 weeks on the UK Chart, selling more...
album Glory to the Brave, 1997 "Unchained", a song by Lacuna Coil from the album Shallow Life, 2009 "UnchainedMelody", the theme song from the 1955 film...
enough song, almost but not quite. In 1979, he recorded his version of "UnchainedMelody" which was released in both 7" format (RCA PB 5175) and 12" format...
by Simon Cowell to the BMG label. Gates' first single, a cover of "UnchainedMelody", entered the UK Singles Chart at number one. The single went double-platinum...
Retrieved September 23, 2015. Calamur, Krishnadev (September 22, 2015). "UnchainedMelody". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved...
Biggest Billboard Hits: 'To Know Him Is to Love Him,' 'Be My Baby,' 'UnchainedMelody' & More". Billboard. January 17, 2021. Archived from the original on...
compilation of previously recorded material under the Nor Va Jak label, UnchainedMelody: The Early Years. The album mainly consisted of remakes, ranging from...
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