THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.
91-The Righteous Brothers-Unchained Melody.
1965-Number 14 single.When reissued in 1990 it reached Number 1.
Best Bit-At 1.56.The original version of the song was first heard in the 1955 prison film ‘Unchained’ where Todd Duncan sings to a ‘captive’ audience.The song has captivated every generation since.
‘Unchained’ was a little known film made famous by this song.Alex North(1910-1991) was commissioned to provide music for the film,his other scores include ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ and ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf.’North approached Hy Zaret(1907-2007) to write the lyrics.The song tells of someone who pines for a lover he has not seen in a ‘long,lonely time.’
In the 1950’s it was normal for several artists to jump on the bandwagon and record a version of the best new songs of the day.In 1955 four versions appeared in the UK top 10 simultaneously,by Al Hibbler,Les Baxter,Liberace and Jimmy Young,who became the first to take the song to Number 1.The song has topped the UK chart a further three times,in 1995 Robson & Jerome sold over 1 million copies,as did Gareth Gates in 2002 and The Righteous Brothers in 1990.
The best known version is this one by The Righteous Brothers who were the duo of Bill Medley and Bob Hatfield(1940-2003)(see also best songs 782 and 439,) the song is solely sung by Bob Hatfield,with production by Bill Medley,although this is disputed by Phil Spector who has made his claim.
It fully captured the public’s imagination when used in the 1990 film ‘Ghost,’bringing the song to the attention of a whole new generation,it went on to become the biggest selling record of that year.
‘Time goes by so slowly and time can do so much,are you still mine.
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The countdown continues tomorrow at 1.0.pm.