That "club down south" was a black only club. When they showed up to play, the guy at the door took one look and said, "You're in the wrong place." And they said that they were there to preform that evening. They were then told that they were absolutely at the wrong place. They were finally admitted. And were immediately booed as soon as they stepped foot on stage. But, at the end of the performance, they heard someone say "those brothers are righteous". It was the greatest compliment they'd ever received. And that's how they got their name.
This was my wedding song 1995. I lost him in 2005. I couldn't listen to this song for 10 years. It still takes me back to our first dance as husband and wife.
One minute he's just joking with Andy Williams, and the next minute he's singing this legendary song effortlessly. AMAZING. They don't make singers like this anymore.
Hello my brothers, As you said in the beginning, this song has been covered & performed by a multitude of artists, but in my humble opinion, this gentleman right here Mr. Bobby Hatfield (R.I.P.) of The Righteous Brothers, he "owns" this song!!! No one has ever performed it as good as he did and I don't think anybody ever will either!!! Mic-Drop!!! 🎤
Listen also to Angelina Jordan, 18 years old multitalented girl. From Norway, now in California, SANG 2 months ago at Nobel Peace Award. Listen to her" I put a spell on you." age 9!!! Mind blowing
He was just 24 years old at this time. His parents were in the audience and it was his Mom's first time hearing him sing this so he knocked it out of the park for her. Please react to "Summertime". It's another one of Bobby's solos.
Some other Fun Facts: This "live" performance is even better than the studio version and the studio version did not have the amazing high note "crescendo" ending that this "live" performance gave us!!! And you can take that to the bank too!!!
The tall guy, Bill Medley sings with Bobby Hatfield on, "You've Lost That Loving Feeling." Bill also sings solo on, "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life" which is from the movie, "Dirty Dancing." Get the videos where you see them in action.
The movie Unchained was a prison movie about an experimental prison with no bars in California, no surprise there. Movie released in 1955 by Todd Duncan. It was during Mac Carthyism, the directors writers singers actors were black balled as commute
❤bobby had a bad cold and in fact lost his lunch right before the performance. That little lip bite at the end was his "I did it" for his Mom in the audience.⚘
The Righteous Brothers are the epitome of "Blue-Eyed-Soul" and they have a lot of great songs to react to, for instance: "You've Lost That Loving Feeling," "Soul and Inspiration," "I Just Want To Make Love To You," "For Once In My Life," Summertime," "Ebb Tide," "Brown Eyed Woman," "Little Latin Lupe Lu," "What I'd Say," and "Rock and Roll Heaven," etc., etc...
Years after being released, two of their big hits became hits all over again because they were in memorable scenes from two iconic hit movies. This one was in Ghost, as Fenom said, and You've Lost That Loving Feeling was in Top Gun. Top Gun was in 1986, and Ghost was 1990. Over time, those songs might have been all but forgotten, but now they'll live forever.
Almost perfect? What wasn't perfect about this live, fantastic performance? If there was a flaw, I sure didn't hear it. Truly one of the greatest, live performances ever. Love the song and the performance as well. Continue to rest in peace Bobby. ❤
Re Specter ... he didn't produce this song. They were signed to Philles Records at the time but Specter was only interested in producing singles. He left the albums to Bill Medley who had been producing all their albums. So Specter was particularly annoyed when Unchained Melody overtook 'Hung on You'. On the studio version Bill played piano on it too.
Live.. amazing. so beautiful.. I got chills.. sing it and i'm with you.. way b4 i was born.. but love it. my parents put me on to great music from back in the day and I appreciate it.
This song is over 60 years old. The writer was jailed and wrote this to his wife. This song has been recorded by many singers, including Sam Cooke and many others. Back in those days, prisoners were chained together, thus the name unchained melody
Back then, they would record live performances and it’s amazing that he could sing the whole song without having to do take after take to get it right and then put it into an album.
Hi New to the channel just subscribed because of your zeppelin reactions glad to see open minds all 3 of your I thing I'm going to like the channel you guys have a good vibe.
They had hits!!! My dad had their albums & saw them live in Vegas!!!👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 In 80's Bill Medey opened a club in Long Beach, CA and both were there for Grand Opening!!! Nice guys and very Talented!!❤❤❤❤❤💋💋💋💋💋
You gotta hear the Righteous Brothers song "You Lost that Loving Feeling" with both singing & harmonizing, the other one Bill Medley has a deep voice, at times sounds a little raspy and they sound amazing together. There's a video of them performing this song live.
"You've Lost That Loving Feeling" was the most popular song of the entire 20th Century! It was the most requested song when radio was king. But my favorite song of theirs was "Soul and Inspiration." Just love Bill's deep voice.
Have you ever heard of a Black artist of the Fifties named Roy Hamilton? He had an operatic voice, and BEFORE the Righteous Brothers covered this, Roy had three consecutive top ten hits on the Black charts: this song {which reached Number One), also two other songs that The Righteous Brothers covered; 'You'll Never Walk Alone" (#1 R&B chart) and "Ebb Tide". Elvis Loved Roy Hamilton's music, and you can definitely hear Roy's voice in Elvis' first few gospel albums. Roy Hamilton was also one of the first black artists to have a top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart when Unchained Melody reached #6 in 1955. So, when Elvis covered Unchained Melody, he was not covering the Righteous Brothers arrangement. The arrangement is in a totally different time signature. It's the Roy Hamilton version. Elvis became friends with Roy, and when Roy became ill, Elvis paid for his kidney dialysis and his funeral. Thought you would enjoy a little Music History.
What a voice Hatfield had! That was like the male Whitney Houston performance of that song! It's a very poetic lyric. But the the cover of this song that I love the best is by Aaron Neville. You should really check that one out!
Love Bobby's performance. I was in high school when I watched him sing this beautiful song on the Andy Williams show in 1965. No one sang this better than he did, no auto tunes, just pure raw talent. RIP Bobby, we miss hearing your beautiful voice. ❤❤❤❤
They weren't brothers, but Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield (both born in 1940) were most definitely righteous, defining (and perhaps even inspiring) the term "blue-eyed soul" in the mid-'60s.
The Walker Brothers did a version of this that was fantastic as well. "You've Lost that Loving Feeling", and "Ebb Tide" were my 2nd and 3rd favourites by the Righteous Brothers.
Bobby Hatfield live performance . The Andy Williams Show- Episode #4.5 Episode aired Oct 25, 1965: Robert Lee Hatfield (August 10, 1940 - November 5, 2003) Bobby Hatfield, who had a higher counter tenor voice to Bill Medley’s, William Thomas Medley (born September 19, 1940) baritone, sang lead on this track. It was his idea to record it, since Medley and Hatfield were each allowed to choose a song to sing as a solo vocalist on their albums. As Medley tells it, Hatfield knew the song well, and was a big fan of the Roy Hamilton and Al Hibbler versions of the song. *In Nov. 2003 Hatfield died of a heart attack at age 63. The Righteous Brothers version was a huge hit, but it was recorded with far more modest expectations. Phil Spector considered it album filler and released it as a B-side. The single had "Unchained Melody," with no producer credit on the label, as the flip to Gerry Goffin and Carole King's "Hung on You," but many DJs preferred "Unchained Melody" and played that one instead. This infuriated Spector, who subsequently left no doubt (actually calling DJs telling them to play “Hung On You” not “Unchained Melody “)as to which side of a Philles single was the A-side. * The famous climax of this song where Bobby Hatfield sings the high "I need your love" line wasn't how the song was written. In an interview with Bill Medley, he explained that Hatfield did two takes of the song, then left. He would often reconsider his performance and come back later to change it, and that's what he did on this track, returning to ask Medley if he could make an edit. This was no easy task, since with a maximum of four tracks to work with, you had to record over part of the original take, but Medley accommodated and Hatfield delivered that soaring vocal line. Said Medley: "I punched that in and before he left he said, 'No, I can do it better. ’And I said, 'No, you can't.' [Laughs] And I think it's a big part of that song." * This was released on Philles Records, Phil Spector's label. Spector, known for his "Wall Of Sound" technique, did not produce this - Bill Medley did. In a 2007 statement to the Forgotten Hits newsletter, Medley said: "You have to remember that I was producing our stuff before Phil Spector... I mean I produced 'Little Latin Lupe Lu,' 'My Babe' and all that stuff. Then when we went with Phil, Phil asked me if I would produce the albums because it was too time consuming for him to produce the entire albums. So he was going to do the singles and I would do the album. And so that's how that happened and that's how I produced 'Unchained Melody,' which Phil Spector apparently now takes credit for. He can have the credit. And I'm not a producer. I know how to produce. But it's obviously not a Spector production. 'Unchained Melody' was never intended to be the single... it was produced to be on the album. It was put on the B side of a Phil Spector single 'Hung On You' and the minute it was released 'Unchained Melody' just went through the roof." Hatfield’s rendition of “Unchained Melody” although not the original, is the ‘gold standard’.
Thank you so much for talking about the movie! Most reactors don't even mention it. I'm way old enough to remember when this song first came out in 1956. I was just a little one, but I remember it on Your Hit Parade, It became popular again during the Vietnam insanity as well. I love Bobby Hatfield's voice, but I think Sam Cooke's version is my favorite by just a hair. It's always good to hear this melody.
I have seen this live performance many times before but somehow never seen that interview segment before. Really great to have seen this extra portion of the performance.
What you meant to say as far as not being alive when this song came out was the expression. "I wasn't even a twinkle in my father's eye". Haha! Bobby Hatfield truly had an amazing voice, didn't he? Mind you, Bill Medley singing You've Lost That Loving Feeling can make women melt! I was one of them. Their voices together are magic, to be sure.
So very beautiful. And somehow, when I see these images, or think of times passed, from way before we were born I somehow have an image in my mind that things were more simple. Sweeter. But the backstory makes me realize people were always people 🤷♀️.. It’s just that in some era’s mainstream music wasn’t as explicit as it is today so for an outsider I fell for the mask that era was wearing 🥸 Thank you for your work people, have a beautiful day!
You need to check out the Elvis cover. The live video of him doing this song was from his last performance right before he died. You can see what horrible shape he was in but he was the king and he absolutely killed it. It was amazing.
It's so funny. When they got this song, Bill Medley didn't think the song would go anywhere so he opted out and Bobby Hatfield ended up doing this CLASSIC HIT and the rest is history!!!!!!
Great song and reaction. Other favorites Righteous Brothers songs of mine would be "You've lost that loving feeling" and "Rock and Roll Heaven". Bill Medley also did a great duet with Jennifer Warnes (I've had) The Time of My Life.
Gentlemen,Sorry to have to this, "GHOST" is not where this song was first heard the movie was "UNCHAINED "(1955) introduced by Todd Duncan. Check out the origin and history of this classic song to hear some of the 1,500 version of this classic song. Some of the singers like Elvis, the Platters, the Supremes, and the Manhattan Transfer all recorded this song the rest just may surprise you. Bobby Hatfield (8/10/1940-11/5/2003) has the most acclaim and popular version of the song. He was a little nervous because his parents were sitting in the audience.
I’m so glad you are showing the whole video! Most of the reactors show only Bobby singing the song and don’t know how they got their Righteous Brothers name. BTW-They flipped a coin to see who would do the solo. Thank goodness Bobby won!
Just subscribed after seeing a few of your vids. Lots of reasons for each of you, but the big 2 are: firstly, you actually listen to the original whole without slamming the pause button, and ONLY THEN, secondly, you give 3 very different but all totally interesting angles/perspectives, which as a whole complete the full deal. On both parts you stand out heads and shoulders above ... Cheers lads, you're bang on
Bobby Hatfield owns this song!!! ( RIP). The song, Unchained Melody was written in 1955 for a little known prison movie called "Unchained". There were 3 recordings of the song ( Al Hibbler's version was the best of the 3" early recordings) Bobby Hatfield, with his 5 octave range, counter tenor voice ( no falsetto, pure notes)took this very plain and simple song and knocked it up several notches and turned it into the solid gold classic that it is. Probably the most covered song of all times. Elvis recorded it on his last album and sang it at is last concert in Indiana in 1977; just a few weeks before he died. His version is done in Elvis' own style and is very good. But, there is no one with the smooth velvety voice of an angel, like Bobby Hatfield. Back story on this song. Bill and Bobby did a coin toss to see who would sing this. Bobby won. And as the gentleman there said, it was the B side of a record. This performance on, the Andy Williams Show, was live in 1965. Bobby was 24 and was very nervous. He had a cold, his mother was in the audience ( sitting behind him to his right) and in front of the live audience, there were well over 1 million tv viewers. Andy's show was one of the most popular weekly shows at the time.. this rendition of the song is different than the recorded version. Bobby wanted to do the recording over but the producers liked it the Way it was. ( that's the version heard in the movie "Ghost"). Bobby wanted to show his amazing range so he did that on Andy's show. Unchanged Melody made it high on the charts but not a #1 song. When it was used in "Ghost" it had a resurgence in popularity, a second life. It rose in the charts again and became covered by hundreds of artists. Sadly, Bill and Bobby went their seperate ways for solo careers ( so don't have a big list of hits together) but got back together later on Check out other Righteous Brother's songs: *You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling *Ebb Tide *Soul and Inspiration *You'll Never Walk Alone *Rock & Roll Heaven * Summertime (Bobby/solo) *I Just Wanna Make Love To You ( Bill/solo) *Little Latin Lupe On ( one of their first songs,) * The Time of My Life ( Bill and Jennifer Warens from the movie "Dirty Dancing" ( final dance scene / with Patrick Swayze)
That "club down south" was a black only club.
When they showed up to play, the guy at the door took one look and said, "You're in the wrong place."
And they said that they were there to preform that evening.
They were then told that they were absolutely at the wrong place.
They were finally admitted.
And were immediately booed as soon as they stepped foot on stage.
But, at the end of the performance, they heard someone say
"those brothers are righteous".
It was the greatest compliment they'd ever received.
And that's how they got their name.
❤❤❤thanks so so much for that information.
Southern California
It was a club near the El Toro Marine Corps base.
This is live, first take and no auto tune. This is pure talent.
This was my wedding song 1995. I lost him in 2005. I couldn't listen to this song for 10 years. It still takes me back to our first dance as husband and wife.
If you love this song you should listen to *You"ve lost that loving feeling*. You really hear them harmonize together.
This part.
What a shame
One minute he's just joking with Andy Williams, and the next minute he's singing this legendary song effortlessly. AMAZING. They don't make singers like this anymore.
Hello my brothers, As you said in the beginning, this song has been covered & performed by a multitude of artists, but in my humble opinion, this gentleman right here Mr. Bobby Hatfield (R.I.P.) of The Righteous Brothers, he "owns" this song!!! No one has ever performed it as good as he did and I don't think anybody ever will either!!! Mic-Drop!!! 🎤
👍👍👍
I agree
sung by many mastered by one.
"FACTS!!!"@@magz6763
Listen also to Angelina Jordan, 18 years old multitalented girl. From Norway, now in California, SANG 2 months ago at Nobel Peace Award. Listen to her" I put a spell on you." age 9!!! Mind blowing
7:32 He was a counter tenor who could reach soprano notes. The rarest vocal type. Those high noses were no strain.
RIP dearest Bobby.
Bobby would have been 83 yrs old in Nov 2023. Died when he was 63... gone 20 yrs. Still missing & loving this beautiful man. 😢❤
He was just 24 years old at this time. His parents were in the audience and it was his Mom's first time hearing him sing this so he knocked it out of the park for her. Please react to "Summertime". It's another one of Bobby's solos.
Look at how he is singing, no stress, relaxed as he can be…..
Some other Fun Facts: This "live" performance is even better than the studio version and the studio version did not have the amazing high note "crescendo" ending that this "live" performance gave us!!! And you can take that to the bank too!!!
The tall guy, Bill Medley sings with Bobby Hatfield on, "You've Lost That Loving Feeling." Bill also sings solo on, "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life" which is from the movie, "Dirty Dancing." Get the videos where you see them in action.
The movie Unchained was a prison movie about an experimental prison with no bars in California, no surprise there. Movie released in 1955 by Todd Duncan. It was during Mac Carthyism, the directors writers singers actors were black balled as commute
❤bobby had a bad cold and in fact lost his lunch right before the performance.
That little lip bite at the end was his "I did it" for his Mom in the audience.⚘
No one will ever do this song like Bobby Hatfield HE OWNS THIS SONG NO ONE CAN TOUCH HIS PERFORMANCE it was effortless and sheer perfection .
I was 14 when I saw this on the Andy Williams show. We had a black and white TV so I did not know he wore that pink jacket.
What year was this, 1965?
@@derekbeck9124 yes
The Righteous Brothers are the epitome of "Blue-Eyed-Soul" and they have a lot of great songs to react to, for instance: "You've Lost That Loving Feeling," "Soul and Inspiration," "I Just Want To Make Love To You," "For Once In My Life," Summertime," "Ebb Tide," "Brown Eyed Woman," "Little Latin Lupe Lu," "What I'd Say," and "Rock and Roll Heaven," etc., etc...
You already found out that many have covered this song. Bobby's version is considered the GOLD standard.
Iconic. Blue eyed soul!
Years after being released, two of their big hits became hits all over again because they were in memorable scenes from two iconic hit movies. This one was in Ghost, as Fenom said, and You've Lost That Loving Feeling was in Top Gun. Top Gun was in 1986, and Ghost was 1990. Over time, those songs might have been all but forgotten, but now they'll live forever.
Reportedly the most played song of the 20th Century ❤❤❤
Almost perfect? What wasn't perfect about this live, fantastic performance? If there was a flaw, I sure didn't hear it. Truly one of the greatest, live performances ever. Love the song and the performance as well. Continue to rest in peace Bobby. ❤
A lot of soul and emotion expressed in his voice. He set the standard for blue-eyed soul.
Re Specter ... he didn't produce this song. They were signed to Philles Records at the time but Specter was only interested in producing singles. He left the albums to Bill Medley who had been producing all their albums. So Specter was particularly annoyed when Unchained Melody overtook 'Hung on You'. On the studio version Bill played piano on it too.
That was him who recorded it again for the movie Ghost at 50 yrs. of age. Love me some Righteous Brothers. Nobody has ever done this like Bobby!❤
Oh wow, I was wondering if that was him! God what a voice!
Live.. amazing. so beautiful.. I got chills.. sing it and i'm with you.. way b4 i was born.. but love it. my parents put me on to great music from back in the day and I appreciate it.
They are really good together when they sing You've Lost That Loving Feeling. Live in 1965. And yes they've have many more great songs.
This performance was in 1965, a few months after the studio recording was released. Then used in Ghost in 1990, and charted all over again.
soul and inspiration. they both shine.
He also seems so humble about his performance. No arrogance or boasting.
My dad passed away in 2004 this was played at his funeral to this day I haven't been able to listen to it without crying today was no different
They do some bluesier stuff too, including "Harlem Shuffle ". Sooo many good songs❤
This song is over 60 years old. The writer was jailed and wrote this to his wife. This song has been recorded by many singers, including Sam Cooke and many others. Back in those days, prisoners were chained together, thus the name unchained melody
I saw them in concert in the 70s ..they were absolutely fantastic.
why don't you guys have at least 1M followers???? Really enjoy your reactions!
We love doing this! Thanks for the love! This is making us musically well rounded!
This is just one brother- Bobby Hatfield. Fantastic. Watch the two of them in You’ve Lost That Lonely Feeling. They’re not real brothers!
*Loving Feeling, not "Lonely"
Don’t matter how many times I hear it, it’s still so Special. Beautiful, Beautiful Song
No one has ever or will ever come close to this live performance by Bobby ❤❤❤
It was also a heartbreaking favorite for all the young men in vietnam at the time...😥✌🏼🕊
This song was played at my parents wedding,in 1955. And it's Simon Cowl's favorite song.
Gut gemacht hier.....ohne Unterbrechung und alles vorher und nachher gezeigt👌👌👌👌👌👌
This made the Guinness world records with 4 artists hitting #1 on the Billboard with it. Righteous Brothers, Elvis and 2 others.
Back then, they would record live performances and it’s amazing that he could sing the whole song without having to do take after take to get it right and then put it into an album.
I was 7 years old in 1964 when this song came out my mom loved it and so did I😊😊😊😊❤❤❤❤
Masterful performance. We do not see these types of performances very often. Ty to those who recorded this back in the day
Never knew that’s why they were named Righteous Brothers, but that’s actually way cooler than them actually being brothers.
Best live performance in history period
No auto tune, just pure talent. ❤
Hi New to the channel just subscribed because of your zeppelin reactions glad to see open minds all 3 of your I thing I'm going to like the channel you guys have a good vibe.
Pure and unfiltered voice! Beautiful
They both sing on you’ve lost that loving feeling! That’s a great song.
Listen to Brown Eyed Woman by Bill Medley and Summertime by Bobby Hatfield.
Enjoy😊
They had hits!!! My dad had their albums & saw them live in Vegas!!!👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
In 80's Bill Medey opened a club in Long Beach, CA and both were there for Grand Opening!!! Nice guys and very Talented!!❤❤❤❤❤💋💋💋💋💋
You gotta hear the Righteous Brothers song "You Lost that Loving Feeling" with both singing & harmonizing, the other one Bill Medley has a deep voice, at times sounds a little raspy and they sound amazing together. There's a video of them performing this song live.
VERY soulful. To me, it's in my top 3 best live performances I've ever heard.
If you liked this one, you really should hear them both do “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”. Amazing!
"You've Lost That Loving Feeling" was the most popular song of the entire 20th Century! It was the most requested song when radio was king. But my favorite song of theirs was "Soul and Inspiration." Just love Bill's deep voice.
Have you ever heard of a Black artist of the Fifties named Roy Hamilton? He had an operatic voice, and BEFORE the Righteous Brothers covered this, Roy had three consecutive top ten hits on the Black charts: this song {which reached Number One), also two other songs that The Righteous Brothers covered; 'You'll Never Walk Alone" (#1 R&B chart) and "Ebb Tide". Elvis Loved Roy Hamilton's music, and you can definitely hear Roy's voice in Elvis' first few gospel albums. Roy Hamilton was also one of the first black artists to have a top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart when Unchained Melody reached #6 in 1955. So, when Elvis covered Unchained Melody, he was not covering the Righteous Brothers arrangement. The arrangement is in a totally different time signature. It's the Roy Hamilton version. Elvis became friends with Roy, and when Roy became ill, Elvis paid for his kidney dialysis and his funeral. Thought you would enjoy a little Music History.
Gives me the chills every time I hear 👂
What a voice Hatfield had! That was like the male Whitney Houston performance of that song! It's a very poetic lyric. But the the cover of this song that I love the best is by Aaron Neville. You should really check that one out!
Love Bobby's performance. I was in high school when I watched him sing this beautiful song on the Andy Williams show in 1965. No one sang this better than he did, no auto tunes, just pure raw talent. RIP Bobby, we miss hearing your beautiful voice. ❤❤❤❤
Sounded like a brother named the Righteous Brothers if you pay attention to them talking in the beginning ❤Down South ❤❤❤❤
Yea, I remember listening to this in the back back of a station wagon. Good times!
This song was a hit for three other singers before Bobby sang it, and for several after. But his was the best....🙂
They weren't brothers, but Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield (both born in 1940) were most definitely righteous, defining (and perhaps even inspiring) the term "blue-eyed soul" in the mid-'60s.
Listen to them sing You've Lost That Loving Feeling live. It was the most listened to song of the 20th century! Really 😊
The Righteous Bros. always sounded better on live shows than on the studio versions.
The Walker Brothers did a version of this that was fantastic as well. "You've Lost that Loving Feeling", and "Ebb Tide" were my 2nd and 3rd favourites by the Righteous Brothers.
Ja, Scot Walker hatte auch eine ganz tolle Stimme😊😊
Bobby Hatfield live performance .
The Andy Williams Show-
Episode #4.5
Episode aired Oct 25, 1965:
Robert Lee Hatfield (August 10, 1940 - November 5, 2003) Bobby Hatfield, who had a higher counter tenor voice to Bill Medley’s, William Thomas Medley (born September 19, 1940) baritone, sang lead on this track. It was his idea to record it, since Medley and Hatfield were each allowed to choose a song to sing as a solo vocalist on their albums. As Medley tells it, Hatfield knew the song well, and was a big fan of the Roy Hamilton and Al Hibbler versions of the song.
*In Nov. 2003 Hatfield died of a heart attack at age 63.
The Righteous Brothers version was a huge hit, but it was recorded with far more modest expectations. Phil Spector considered it album filler and released it as a B-side. The single had "Unchained Melody," with no producer credit on the label, as the flip to Gerry Goffin and Carole King's "Hung on You," but many DJs preferred "Unchained Melody" and played that one instead. This infuriated Spector, who subsequently left no doubt (actually calling DJs telling them to play “Hung On You” not “Unchained Melody “)as to which side of a Philles single was the A-side.
* The famous climax of this song where Bobby Hatfield sings the high "I need your love" line wasn't how the song was written. In an interview with Bill Medley, he explained that Hatfield did two takes of the song, then left. He would often reconsider his performance and come back later to change it, and that's what he did on this track, returning to ask Medley if he could make an edit. This was no easy task, since with a maximum of four tracks to work with, you had to record over part of the original take, but Medley accommodated and Hatfield delivered that soaring vocal line. Said Medley: "I punched that in and before he left he said, 'No, I can do it better. ’And I said, 'No, you can't.' [Laughs] And I think it's a big part of that song."
* This was released on Philles Records, Phil Spector's label. Spector, known for his "Wall Of Sound" technique, did not produce this - Bill Medley did. In a 2007 statement to the Forgotten Hits newsletter, Medley said: "You have to remember that I was producing our stuff before Phil Spector... I mean I produced 'Little Latin Lupe Lu,' 'My Babe' and all that stuff. Then when we went with Phil, Phil asked me if I would produce the albums because it was too time consuming for him to produce the entire albums. So he was going to do the singles and I would do the album. And so that's how that happened and that's how I produced 'Unchained Melody,' which Phil Spector apparently now takes credit for. He can have the credit. And I'm not a producer. I know how to produce. But it's obviously not a Spector production. 'Unchained Melody' was never intended to be the single... it was produced to be on the album. It was put on the B side of a Phil Spector single 'Hung On You' and the minute it was released 'Unchained Melody' just went through the roof."
Hatfield’s rendition of “Unchained Melody” although not the original, is the ‘gold standard’.
Thank you so much for talking about the movie! Most reactors don't even mention it. I'm way old enough to remember when this song first came out in 1956. I was just a little one, but I remember it on Your Hit Parade, It became popular again during the Vietnam insanity as well. I love Bobby Hatfield's voice, but I think Sam Cooke's version is my favorite by just a hair. It's always good to hear this melody.
To get the full mix of both Righteous Brothers, you need to hear "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" and "Soul and Inspiration" - jaw dropping.
Ole Andy Williams old crooner . His show had a lot of stars starting out like the bee gees and the Osmonds and I think the Jackson 5. Great song ..
I have seen this live performance many times before but somehow never seen that interview segment before. Really great to have seen this extra portion of the performance.
What you meant to say as far as not being alive when this song came out was the expression. "I wasn't even a twinkle in my father's eye". Haha! Bobby Hatfield truly had an amazing voice, didn't he? Mind you, Bill Medley singing You've Lost That Loving Feeling can make women melt! I was one of them. Their voices together are magic, to be sure.
So very beautiful. And somehow, when I see these images, or think of times passed, from way before we were born I somehow have an image in my mind that things were more simple. Sweeter. But the backstory makes me realize people were always people 🤷♀️.. It’s just that in some era’s mainstream music wasn’t as explicit as it is today so for an outsider I fell for the mask that era was wearing 🥸 Thank you for your work people, have a beautiful day!
Bill Medley also did Higher Love in the ‘80s big hit for him with the younger generation too.
Andy Williams was no slouch either. But this guys voice is angelic.
He was so nervous, His Mama was in the crowd that night. So sweet!❤
I heard this live, Best version ever.
I saw Bobby sing this live in the early 70s in a Toronto concert.
its all about the voice, 10 out of 10 perfect" this is real talent,
You need to check out the Elvis cover. The live video of him doing this song was from his last performance right before he died. You can see what horrible shape he was in but he was the king and he absolutely killed it. It was amazing.
It's so funny. When they got this song, Bill Medley didn't think the song would go anywhere so he opted out and Bobby Hatfield ended up doing this CLASSIC HIT and the rest is history!!!!!!
Goosebumps listening to this ❤
You’re My Soul and Inspiration is SUPER!!!! And ROCK & ROLL HEAVEN. PHENOMENAL ❤❤😊
Great song and reaction. Other favorites Righteous Brothers songs of mine would be "You've lost that loving feeling" and "Rock and Roll Heaven". Bill Medley also did a great duet with Jennifer Warnes (I've had) The Time of My Life.
Love those smiles, gentlemen! :D
Glad you included the intro of them talking. Wonderful!
Gentlemen,Sorry to have to this, "GHOST" is not where this song was first heard the movie was "UNCHAINED "(1955) introduced by Todd Duncan. Check out the origin and history of this classic song to hear some of the 1,500 version of this classic song. Some of the singers like Elvis, the Platters, the Supremes, and the Manhattan Transfer all recorded this song the rest just may surprise you. Bobby Hatfield (8/10/1940-11/5/2003) has the most acclaim and popular version of the song. He was a little nervous because his parents were sitting in the audience.
Top shelf blue eyed soul.
It is all about his singing. If I would give him my song to sing it would be perfect.
Since y’all are on blue eyed soul and “ Bobbie’s”- how about some Bobby Caldwell? “ What I Would Not Do For Love”. ❤❤❤❤
Great analysis. Incredible song. Wonderful reaction!
I’m so glad you are showing the whole video! Most of the reactors show only Bobby singing the song and don’t know how they got their Righteous Brothers name. BTW-They flipped a coin to see who would do the solo. Thank goodness Bobby won!
Both so professional, talented with style!
Just subscribed after seeing a few of your vids. Lots of reasons for each of you, but the big 2 are: firstly, you actually listen to the original whole without slamming the pause button, and ONLY THEN, secondly, you give 3 very different but all totally interesting angles/perspectives, which as a whole complete the full deal. On both parts you stand out heads and shoulders above ...
Cheers lads, you're bang on
Bobby Hatfield owns this song!!! ( RIP).
The song, Unchained Melody was written in 1955 for a little known prison movie called "Unchained". There were 3 recordings of the song ( Al Hibbler's version was the best of the 3" early recordings) Bobby Hatfield, with his 5 octave range, counter tenor voice ( no falsetto, pure notes)took this very plain and simple song and knocked it up several notches and turned it into the solid gold classic that it is. Probably the most covered song of all times. Elvis recorded it on his last album and sang it at is last concert in Indiana in 1977; just a few weeks before he died. His version is done in Elvis' own style and is very good. But, there is no one with the smooth velvety voice of an angel, like Bobby Hatfield.
Back story on this song. Bill and Bobby did a coin toss to see who would sing this. Bobby won. And as the gentleman there said, it was the B side of a record. This performance on, the Andy Williams Show, was live in 1965. Bobby was 24 and was very nervous. He had a cold, his mother was in the audience ( sitting behind him to his right) and in front of the live audience, there were well over 1 million tv viewers. Andy's show was one of the most popular weekly shows at the time.. this rendition of the song is different than the recorded version. Bobby wanted to do the recording over but the producers liked it the Way it was. ( that's the version heard in the movie "Ghost"). Bobby wanted to show his amazing range so he did that on Andy's show. Unchanged Melody made it high on the charts but not a #1 song. When it was used in "Ghost" it had a resurgence in popularity, a second life. It rose in the charts again and became covered by hundreds of artists. Sadly, Bill and Bobby went their seperate ways for solo careers ( so don't have a big list of hits together) but got back together later on
Check out other Righteous Brother's songs:
*You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling
*Ebb Tide
*Soul and Inspiration
*You'll Never Walk Alone
*Rock & Roll Heaven
* Summertime (Bobby/solo)
*I Just Wanna Make Love To You ( Bill/solo)
*Little Latin Lupe On ( one of their first songs,)
* The Time of My Life ( Bill and Jennifer Warens from the movie "Dirty Dancing" ( final dance scene / with Patrick Swayze)
Bobby has a beautiful voice! He’s handsome, too.😯
this was the Time for Vietnam War,this Melodie was a Diamant for Heart.....Blue eyed Soul
Thanks!
Thanks for the love!!!