One of the great songs of the 1960s is The Righteous Brothers recording of “Unchained Melody,” a song that has been covered by many great stars, including Elvis Presley. But The Righteous Brothers were not the first to record the song. And why is the song called “Unchained Melody” when the word “unchained” occurs nowhere in the song?
Although The Righteous Brother version was released on July 17, 1965, “Unchained Melody” had its origins decades earlier. Songwriter Alex North worked on the music in the 1930s, and at one time Bing Crosby turned down the opportunity to record an unfinished version of the song.
The Movie That Gave the Song Its Name
But North did not give up on the music. In the 1950s he and Hy Zaret were contracted to write a song for a prison movie. With Zaret adding lyrics to the music, the two came up with the completed song for the 1955 film, which was called Unchained. Hence, the song from the movie became known as “Unchained Melody.”
The movie Unchained was about an inmate who struggles with the decision of whether or not to try to escape. Todd Duncan recorded the song on the soundtrack and he appeared in the film as a prisoner singing part of the song.
Duncan had the chops for the song. He was the first black singer to join the New York City Opera when he performed there in 1945. Below is the clip from Unchained with Duncan singing “Unchained Melody.”
The Righteous Brothers Hit
Others recorded versions of the song before The Righteous Brothers. Performers who recorded “Unchained Melody” included bandleader Les Baxter, Al Hibler, and Jimmy Young.
Of course, the version we know best is by The Righteous Brothers. But the original recording did not include both brothers. It featured only Bobby Hatfield and did not include the other “brother” Bill Medley.
After the song was a hit in 1965, it once again climbed the charts in the early 1990s after it was featured in another movie, Ghost (1990). We should be glad that the song was first featured in Unchained. Otherwise, we would be calling it “Ghost Melody.”
And that’s the story behind the song.
What is your favorite version of “Unchained Melody”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
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