Vocal analysis featuring Bobby Hatfield of The Righteous Brothers singing Unchained Melody LIVE
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- Опубліковано 9 тра 2023
- This classic needs no introduction. Today's analysis features Bobby Hatfield singing Unchained Melody LIVE.
Watch the original video uninterrupted: • Righteous Brothers -- ...
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#righteousbrothers #unchainedmelody #reaction
![Vocal Coach/Musician Reacts: Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody [Live - Best Quality] (1965)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/H4RPTr8o_bQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![Vocal Coach/Musician Reacts: Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody [Live - Best Quality] (1965)](/img/tr.png)
Bobby Hatfield was my cousin..his voice was absolutely amazing. RIP Bobby..you are missed so much
Ohh … lindo … tenho tanta de haver tão pouca informação sobre a juventude de Bobby ! Percebi que teve um irmão mais novo porque ele referiu a sua morte. Mesmo na pág no fb só encontro referências à sua vida de adulto. Parece um jovem dinâmico e divertido e como é típico dos Leões com muito charme. Gostava muito de saber mais sobre a vossa vida 😊
My father went to school with Your cousin my father was born in Anaheim California in 1939
He still is! I met him
Once and he was the most humble individual who ever had fame that I ever met! He is not even remotely replaceable.
Bobby was a counter tenor.
He could hit those notes with natural ease.
@@HGWTPaladin He was one of the worlds greatest singers as far as I'm concerned
No one will ever duplicate this. This is for all time! He owns it. Thanks!
Yes, this is his song. And even close to 60 years later it's still has the same effect.
This guy is responsible for 5% of America's current population. No frills, no gimmicks, no autotune, no messing about the stage. Just pure talent and charisma.
Great opening comment 😂
That made me chuckle;)
Between Bobby and Bill and their amazing three year mega-hit run -- You've Lost That Loving Feeling ('64); Unchained Melody ('65) and You are My Soul & Inspiration ('66) I suspect that 5% is probably way too low! I'd venture between these three songs, those Brothers added a good 15-20%! 🥰
@@jmichna1 I would have to strongly agree with the higher percentage! Also gotta factor in the additional boost from when it was featured as the main song in Ghost in 1990 😉
Only 5?
Its been covered so many times by various artists but this is Bobby's song. Absolutely immortal.
🙏
This song is Timeless. Never get tired of hearing Bobby sing it.
same here
I never ever get tired of listening to Bobby Hatfield singing Unchained Melody ❤
This is not close to perfection..... this is perfection
ABSOLUTELY 👍 ❤
Bobby Hatfield had a 5 octave range which very few artists could do. This song is timeless. I was very lucky to have seen the Righteous Brothers in 1965 at the live performance. Even today I still enjoy the music of the 60's, 70's and 80's. But no matter, there has never been or ever will be anyone who can perform this song as well as Bobby Hatfield.
He was amazing. They were amazing❤
👍One of the greatest live performances by any singer ever!
Yes, pretty good. If you haven’t checked out John Farnham tho, highly recommended. The Aussie flag tells me you may already know him. Personally I think he is the GOAT.
Makes me cry.every.single.time! I want to go back to those times..,we need this!
Unbelievably good. I hadn’t heard this simply extraordinary performance. My goodness…
I can't believe it's live .
THE greatest live performance.
Sadly, Bobby has left us and gone on to be in Rock and Roll Heaven. Here, he's 25 years old and on top of his game. His mother is in the audience and you can sometimes see how nervous he is. A young person I was watching this with asked me "Why were the microphones so small back then?" and I said "Because the voices were so big." This might be one of the most iconic live performances ever caught on tape and it's beautifully presented here. Even the orchestra is gorgeous.
Yes Cheryl he is still rocking out his music. He was much blessed with such a voice. He vocal range there is no word to describe it. He was a counter tenor. He did any of his songs, effortlessly. He is dearly missed.
I dare any pretender to the throne to record a song live on a wired small handheld microphone with an unseen band in the bacground. No autotune. No studio production with tech sound equpment. Just your voice covering a phenominal range and hit your highest note without gasping for breath but just smile at the camera.
If that comes off anywhere near this, i will not be only amazed, I will be outright stunned.
Bobby was a legend, pure and simple.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
If you love singing, and you have talent and some singing lessons, it can definitely be done. Some people are just shy.
What you just asked for i can assure you, it is not going to happen! That is the best of the best!
Well said!
Then there's Kanye...
He not only nails the performance with the correct notes, but also the feeling and emotions that the words are suggesting.
Way to often today's singers try to hit the notes but forget the emotion the song wants to portray.
It's hard to imagine any man singing better than that. That was flawless, powerful, and so beautiful a song.
The fact that this is live, no auto tune, just blows my mind.
Well, there was no autotune back then. So in that sense it’s not surprising. It’s also not surprising because singers needed to be authentically great back then, because their voices were totally exposed. They had to practice their butts off and make sure that their ears were working to keep everything in pitch.
Yep…no others words needed….❤❤❤
he was a little nervous as I understand his mom was in the audience that day.
Mn autotune feature, did not come into play perhaps in the early 90' s. That feature was not even a thought in the early 60' s or mid 60' s. Bobby had such a "raw", natural talent, his voice. He was such a talented, blessed individual. Any song that he sang was no words can say. Surely after all this years, he is still "rockin it out". He is dearly missed. We still have his beautiful music to listen to.
@@cabbott328he also was sick at the time with a cold.
Bobby’s vocals dance with the different instruments in the orchestration in different ways. He flirts with the strings throughout, but he mightily battles the horns and trumpets, playfully, as they climb behind his vocals challenging him and guiding him as his singing climbs all the way up to his transcendent closing section. What a truly spectacular moment in music history.
What human can hit that last note? Amazing. He just effortlessly ramps up and nails it.
Have you heard Dimash?
Bobby é um contratenor. E Dimash ok tem uma voz incrível mas totalmente fora da emoção e doce paixão que Bobby transmite sem esforço. Por alguma razão ele e Bill eram chamados Blue eyed soul.
@@teresadavilasoares6136 They both have blue eyes; and after a radio DJ met them, he started calling them "my blue-eyed soul brothers" when introducing their songs.
I've been on the search, and a lot are close, but no dice, not yet 😊
A lot of people can, but few can do it as heavenly as Bob just did it. Ha ha. Especially males.
I love the vocal analysts critiquing Bobby’s voice and ability. He was a one of a kind.❤
I have seen countless reactions to this song over the past week. The reactions on people's faces is what gets me. It's like they can't believe it. Sometimes I seem to forget about this song until I run across it again, then I listen to it well over 100 times... can't get enough of it.
You probably know that this is one of the most beautiful live performances in the history of music. I am a 78 year old Vietnam war vet and before my wife died we saw Elvis and the Righteous Brothers live. We saw the Rolling Stones too. This video is so popular, I watch it in awe every chance I get. I see that you love it too. Thanks for your reaction.
Thank you for your service sir!
Him biting his lip at the end....HE KNEW what he was doing...it was premeditated
It was a nervous habit he had.
I've had a number of voice lessons and I can say without equivocation, in this style of music there will never be another better or possibly even equal to Bobby Hatfield! The tone, the beauty, the timing, the phrasing and the incredible range that Bobby had was just totally phenomenal! There will never be another.
Never
One of the best vocal performances ever! He didn't even need his righteous brother 😂
The greatest performance in history !
Exactly, and he, in my mind, makes this the greatest song ever written.
Best version hands down of this classic song. Absolutely loved the Righteous Brothers. Sadly we lost Bobby Hatfield about 20 years ago. He had a beautiful one of a kind voice. Home Free recently did a great version of this song. And Austin Brown (from HF) also did a very beautiful tribute of this song a couple of years ago.
Home Free's version was excellent and worthy of watching. I liked their spin on the background.
@@FatherAntox
Home Free's 'spin' was derived from the 1955 movie "UNCHAINED" featuring this song and set within a prison.
Both Home Free AND Austin Brown's versions are more than worthy.
Quite simply, this is the best live vocal performance i have ever seen, bar none. Thank God it was recorded as people would not believe it.
The song may be timeless but then again so is Bobby.
Having listened to this countless times, I keep being amazed of how he can sing like the heavens and belt out opera notes, while still giving the feeling he is talking to you personally in a sincere and earnest way to express his feelings.
Nobody but nobody could ever sing this song better than BOBBY!! R I P
Clay Aiken
In my opinion this is the best live vocal performance ever. I really don’t know how it could be improved.
Bobby Hatfield OWNS this song.
Bobby is my favorite male singer of all time. They played this video at his funeral. What a perfect way to honor this amazing talent.
One of my favorite songs more from my era. Thanks for adding your grace, class and charm to the performance through your reaction.
His breath and voice control were phenomenal.
One of my all time favourite songs ever, and such a magical performance. ❤
Lovely reaction. This performance is exquisite. I heard that he was very nervous as his mum was there & that little bite of the lip & smirk at the end was showing his relief that he'd nailed it. I think that you'd love 'You've lost that loving feeling' by both Bobby & Bill. It also has some very early Rock'n'Roll influences. 💕
Bobby was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin and raised in Anaheim, California, so he was not southern. So not sure what you are hearing; maybe it's because he had a cold and was nasally. His vocal range is: B2-E♭6. In 1990, after the success of the film Ghost in which "Unchained Melody" was used, Hatfield re-recorded the song and remarked to friends that he had not lost any of the high notes in his tenor range since the original recording but had actually gained one note. Bobby could sing 4 octaves and was a crystalline countertenor.
Southern Californian?
Dressed to the nines. Mom in the audience. Knock 'em dead.
Absolutely The Best!
I am awed by his range, tone, breath control and emotional connection. He owns this song. My favourite moment is that smile at the end and that bite of his lips. I just melt. This is at once so intimate and immense.
This is so true.😭😭😭😭
That last sentence in your comment says it all, beautifully.
Catherine, absolutely. Bobby had such a blessed voice, this is his song. Cannot think of any artist, then or now that could ever reach those ranges, w/o the auto tune feature that was put in place in the 90' s. Bobby was so very much blessed with such an amazing voice. After all these years he is still dearly missed.
Best version ever, period! Untouchable!
The orchestral arrangement by the NBC Studio Orchestra putting the Strings and Horn sections out-front made this version of "Unchained Melody" the quintessential version of them all.
Written back in (1955) as the music score for the 1955 prison movie "Unchained." It was written by multi award winning composer Alex North with Lyrics by Hy Zaret.
The song became even more popular then when Bobby Hatfield of the Righteous Brothers sang this song (live) on the "Andy Williams Show" 58yrs ago in (1965).
This performance by the NBC Studio Orchestra and the great Counter Tenor voice of the late great Bobby Hatfield. Has by many in the music and entertainment industry been considered the greatest live television performance ever. The rest as they say is history.
Firstly, what a splendid performance. It's a style in which precious few sing anymore. His melismatic flights are everywhere, but never seem self-serving or obnoxious. Secondly, the power and relevance of this composition endures. It's timeless. Pop songs have become infinitely more derivative and disposable, especially in the past couple of decades. It's really a shame, but at least we have classics like these to fall back on. Glad to hear your thoughts on this one.
Yes. He did a lot of melisma, but it never felt too over done, and it never felt like he was just doing it to show off. It’s more like if he was feeling it in the moment, emotionally, he would do it.
This was on the Andy Williams show
Yes indeed! 1965.
Damn. This song doesn't get old for me. I can listen to it every day. 😊😊
What I love is the sincerity in the vocal and the lyrics, and on top of that it has to surely be one of the best songs ever written. It’s timeless.
I’ve always been impressed at the sound of the ornamentation, almost melisma, that he does. It is smooth, precise, musical, and totally in the style of the rest of the song. Also, I love that little lip bite at the end when he realizes that he nailed it and mom is listening in the audience.
Me too…
BTW-It’s not falsetto you hear. Bobby had an enormous tenor range which allowed him to go higher and higher without effort. No straining falsetto needed.
He was a Countertenor. Effortlessly skips those octaves ❤
@@TheNatalieemI wish people would stop saying this. He is a tenor. Go look up what a countertenor actually sounds like. A choirboy in a man's body.
Bobby had a great ability to mix his head and chest voice. Countertenors very much have a full falsetto sound.
Theoretically I'm a soprano but I have a full mezzo and even alto notes. My tone is more mezzo. Singers don't automatically fit into range boxes .
I know people want to label him a countertenor because its rare so making him extra special. His voice already is special without making things up
@@YvonneSanders-hv2gc
A counter tenor is comparable to a mezzo soprano.🙂
@@HGWTPaladin it's not solely about range it's also tone. Go listen to actual countertenors
That's right. Bobby was able to transition into his head voice with no break. It was all just a sound moving from his gut through his chest into his head. No falsetto.
This song is epic. It placed number 1 on the KOOL 108 top 500 oldies countdown. Fantastic vocals and never loses its luster. Classic.
Watching you smile in pure joy is priceless and brightens my day as much as the music. Thank you.
I grew up hearing this on the radio years ago. But more than anything I enjoyed watching her facial reactions to Bobby's singing. Priceless!
Bobby had a cold here when he sang this song but he wanted to get it right as his Mum was in the Audience!I think we can safely say that he did just fine lol
The nasal touch adds to the great performance.
He absolutely nailed it.
Yea, can hear his voice nearly crack on the second 'hunger' due to a cold or something. Took some stones to perform anyway and actually pull it off !
I love it so much. You can tell that Bobby is only singing to Bethany for the first 95 seconds and she is melting in adoration. So beautiful. Thank you Beth for curling up in Bobby's blanket voice🥰
I know little about singing or music, but this has to be one of the greatest live performances ever.
Love what you do, and your genuine reactions are the best, you are joy to behold!
One of the most beautiful songs to ever be sung imo
This performance always gives me that dreamlike feeling of "This is what it would be like if your blond Ken doll could suddenly sing!" Also, his rendition of "Ebb Tide" is my favorite, ever‼Bobby sure knew what to do with that gorgeous jaw of his!👏❤🔥
Yes so excited to see your reaction to one of the best male pop live vocals I have seen. Thank you Bethany for reaching back and doing this classic song and I hope you will do a few more Righteous Brothers songs. Love your channel and your positive energy! 😍❤️🙏
Much to my wife’s displeasure I don’t like to dance. But when this song is played at every wedding reception I”ve ever attended I am magically attracted to the dance floor in a daze of love and nostalgia❤
I drank a beer with Bobby at a party in Anaheim back in the 60's. He was not only a great singer but a very nice guy.
gotta be one of the best performances live, of all time. this is magic and makes me so emotional when I hear it!!! great song and great delivery...
Incredible voice, great song, impossible not to be moved, if not by the romance, then his unparalleled vocals.
Thanks, Vocalyst! this is so pretty... Bobby hit all the notes without straining or screaming... and also really not falsetto... !! (plus, his MOM was in the audience, so he was a bit nervous... I'm sure she was proud!)
He was a counter tenor. And giving the best life performance I have ever heard.
Wrong
Don't forget he's singing this in 1965 on a rv program ,with 1965 electronics Bobby said in a interview he was nervous because his mom was in the audience ,what a world class performance
Plus he & Bill Medley were guests on the Andy Williams show, who was no slouch as a singer himself.
Best live performance of all time period. Perfection.
The problem with the "screaming" vocals is that they emphasize style over content and lose the drama that Bobby eloquently crafts while still managing to blow us away with the sheer power and beauty of his voice.
There was no "screaming". Bobby didn't scream. It's called a falsetto.
@@SweetThing You misunderstand Coinnreach Maclellan's comment, which compliments, and is not critical of, Bobby Hatfield's awesome rendition.
@@SweetThing I'll add there was no falsetto here.
And yet Bobby is also a master lf the "screaming" vocals. His Summertime is a master piece. I do not think that "screaning" is a problem, it is just singing with a different purpose to get another effect.
@@ragulper But, he isn't screaming.
I think one of the things many miss is that here, in his prime, Bobby had tremendous breath control. In opera/classical singing, singers are taught to sing off a column of air -- it makes all things possible. No strain in the face or neck, no reaching or stretching to finish the long lines he sings at a couple of points. He always said he never had a vocal coach, but at some point, somewhere, somehow, he learned how to sing well. There really wasn't anyone quite like him.
I agree.
I understand that he sang in church choir. He also sang in his high school choir, probably had a good teacher.
Total aside:
1) Have no way of knowing if this is true (saw it somewhere or other but people do invent things) that his father was a singer as a young man.
2) This is true. Bobby's first public performance was on a local radio program when he was 8. He sang Shortenin' Bread. 😄
Bobby is irreplaceable. It just is what it is for me. He is gone, but not forgotten!
How in the world do these folks perform these songs and not break down in tears??
I need to say I am a percussionist. All talk about his perfection of notes. Timing is also perfect. Not sure what it is called but he rolls his voice on the front and back of the count. Also, I love his transitions; perfection to the ear. Subtle, smooth, passive, as the words ask for. Absolutely delightful. Perhaps the most amazing performance I have ever seen.
probably the best live performance of all time....regardless of song or singer.
You can keep your fancy opera singers ,none of them could sing like this . The greatest voice ever .
Great reaction Bethany! In my opinion, this live performance is pretty much perfect.
Absolutely enjoyed your analysis Bethany. It is a joy to watch someone get every milisecond of this performance which I have listened dozens of times over the last few months now and it truly is everything you described and more. Mr.Hatfield did bring an elegant tone(s) to this performance. I haven't heard the studio track in years and I'm almost afraid that it just won't measure up, I may have even seen this very show because my father always watched it but I would never have noticed 'cause it wasn't rocknroll. Again.... beautiful reaction!!
Barry Gibb sang falsetto; Bobby Hatfield did not. Bobby was born in, I think, Wisconsin but, like Bill Medley, grew up and spent his life in Orange County, CA.
He had a cold that night, which may have given his diction a slight tinge.
You can see him more animated in Guess Who; Justine; Bring it on home to me (he mimics Bill's deep voice).,Come on.à Another perfect Bobby solo Somewhere, and the incòmparablè Summertime.
VOICE aside, "the blond bomber " Bill's nickname for Bobby) had it ALL!
@@doloresschultz8393 He was literally the blonde bomber. He was a naval aviator.
Man, The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody (circa 1965?) brings back memories for us "geezers".
Dr. Google says that in 1956 opera singer Todd Duncan's version of Unchained Melody was nominated for an Academy Award and was sung by Harry Belafonte at the Oscars.
Thanks for bringing it back, Bethany!!
This song came out in 1965 during the Vietnam war. Here I am 58 years later reminiscing back to 1965 and even though that was an ugly time for me whenever I hear this song it lifts me up and out of that horrible time. Thank you Bobby Hatfield
Bobby with his heart and soul and perfectly magnificent voice. Bill was kidding as he helped produce the side B that became a hit and charted twice. This live performance was ten times better than the studio cut. Bobby played his vowels & words, adding that touch of blue eyed soul as they were dubbed. Not falsetto but Bobby's awesome/effortless range. RIP Bobby Hatfield you are missed.
Bobby was, is, and will always be my favorite male singer. There really never will be another like him. He was unique, one of a kind, and you don't just hear his music, you feel it. Only in my dreams would someone ever sing to me like that!! Oh, and Bobby was pure tenor, although many people thought he was falsetto. He is a legend. Listen to some of his other solos like: Love You For Sentimental Reasons, Stay With Me, My Prayer, For Your Love, Crying in the Chapel, Ebb Tide, Only You, I Need A Girl...You won't be disappointed!!
I have read that his voice is classed as counter tenor. I enjoy your reactions.
Out of the male singers, I think Bobby Hatfield 9and Aaron Neville) were the first I heard in mainstream music that played vocal gymnastics. This was a fabulous vocal performance. Yes, the transition into the softening sound on the word "mine" was excellent.
I love when Bobby goes into the top of his countertenor range at the end.
Yes, he absolutely knows that he is hot stuff because no one in this entire world has ever sung this song like him. Ever!❤
One of my top5 live performances by anyone EVER. ❤🎼
oh just once in my life how i would love this sung to me
I can’t say how much I appreciate your analyses and pore emotional response to such artistry. Tears often comes to my eyes as I hear the beauty in song, such a gift for one to share with the world. Truly joyous!
One of the BIGGEST love songs of the 20th century!!! The man has a great vocal range..
So amazingly relaxed! OMG!
May he rest in peace; but his voice is eternal
I predict that you will enjoy this man's skill. He is amazingly good and has a wonderful vocal range. Many have said this is the biggest love song of that time period. What I really like about this, is it is a man and a microphone. No studio tricks. No auto-tune, just raw vocal talent!!! Both Bobbie and Bill were darn good! You must review a song with both of them singing, please! A little sidenote, At the end watch for the lip bite and smile. He knows he nailed it -- talent!!!!! I am going to sound like an old geezer here - these days few if any singers are at this level. Am I biased??? Good is good....... You may already know these men often were called blue-eyed soul... Women swooning to their singing.. This happen often!!!! Skill levels beyond most folks....... I hope you LOVED it..... Most folks do!!!! Please locate and review their "You've lost that "Loving feeling." I think it was their biggest hit ever. It is really, really GOOD!!! They don't make them like this anymore, which is a shame...... Thank you and please take care. Such a beautiful song!!!!
Perfect Sir!
What a beautiful voice, voice of the angels.
My Dad had every album of the Righteous Brothers and almost every Saturday we had a in house concert from the old console stereo turntable.
If you could only have lived through those days , it was amazing . For months we didn’t know if the Righteous Brothers were black or white. No one had ever heard a sound like they had at that time. It brings back so many memory’s. Thank you for the memory.
My daughter who though she works as head of security at a museum also makes a chunk of her income singing in pubs and bars in Scotland watched this with me. She pointed out an interesting thing about his voice. Sometimes he has very classic American "R's" and sometimes his "R's" are more British sounding. My daughter is half American, half British so i guess that's why she noticed ha ha.
One aspect of Bobby's voice which is quite unusual is that his vocal range extended as he got older. It was remarked during his re-recording of this song in 1990 (following the popularity of Ghost) that at the age of 50 he could not only still reach the high notes, but sing even higher notes than he ever could at 25 years old when it was first released.
The musical attributes you add to this most beautiful songis fully exhibited in your enjoyment of the piece. Bravo!!
Is this a LOVE song or what???? The man was so darn good!!!! A great vocal range.... After one-half of a century, Women still are falling in love to and with this song. A perfect performance. He said he was nervous for this show because his mother and sister where there. At the end -- the lip bite and smile!!!! Bobby had it going on...
He couldn't have said that. Yes, his mother was there, but he didn't have a sister, only brothers.
Perhaps the greatest live vocal, ever!!
In my head, if I think of angels singing..this is what I hear.
Bobby was such a brilliant and talented Countertenor…
Not a single drop of sweat... Someone somwhere wrote that he was actually really nervous before his performance because his mother was first time in the audience...unbelievable. Hat off.
Would love to see an analysis of a Roy Orbison vocal performance such as “Crying” or “In Dreams” (the black & white night versions). He was truly one of the great operatic balladeers.
Saw the show the night they were on. Yes, I'm old. This was one of the best "make-out" dance songs ever.
The man interviewing Bill and Bobby was Andy Williams who was quite a great singer himself or with the Williams Brothers (who really were brothers).
What can I say?... Perfect 🎉🎉🎉
Bobby Hatfield: a voice from heaven, sent to us, to hear.