THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

782-Righteous Brothers-You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’

1965-Number 1 single. When it was re-issued in 1969 it reached Number 10, and when re-issued again in 1990, it made Number 3.

Best Bit-At 2.56. Bill Medley sings the whole of the first verse on his own, much to the annoyance of Booby Hatfield, who asked Phil Spector,’What am I supposed to do,’ to which Spector replied,’You can go directly to the bank.’

‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin” was written by the legendary songwriting team of the husband and wife, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil, (1940-2023) (see also best songs 568 and 257) the songs producer Phil Spector (1939-2021) is also given writing credit as was often his demand. Cynthia Weil has said,’Spector never really wrote, but instead ‘inspired’ songs.’ ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ is considered to be among the best of Spector’s ‘Wall of Sound’ productions (see also best songs 820-737-262-192-127-91 and 20.)

Phil Spector first met Bill Medley, and Bobby Hatfield, (1940-2003) the duo who were the original ‘Righteous Brothers’ (see also best songs 91) in 1964, when the pair were performing on the same bill in San Francisco, where Spector was conducting the orchestra. Impressed with the pair, Spector asked them to sign to his ‘Philles Records’ label. All of the labels previous Spector productions had been with African/American singers, and the Righteous Brothers would be his first white vocal act. At that point the Righteous Brothers had only issued six previous singles, with their biggest success being their debut ‘Little Latin Lupe Lu,’ which had stalled at Number 49 on Billboard in 1963. Phil Spector commissioned Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil to write a song for them, which would become ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.’ Mann and Weil freely admit taking inspiration from the then current Motown charting song ‘Baby I Need Your Loving,” by The Four Tops, and Mann took the opening line ‘You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips,’ from his previous composition ‘I Love How You Love Me,’ (The Paris Sisters, 1961-Billboard Number 5) which includes the lyrics ‘I love how your eyes close whenever you kiss me.’

Bobby Hatfield was born Robert Lee Hatfield, on August 10th, 1940, in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, United States, he died on November 5th, 2003, in his sleep, at the age of 63. A toxicology report concluded that cocaine use had precipitated a fatal heart attack.The initial autopsy found that Hatfield had advanced coronary disease. The medical examiner stated that ‘In this case, there was already a significant amount of blockage in the coronary arteries.’ Bobby Hatfield first met Bill Medley in 1962, when both were performing with different groups, the pair would soon join forces later that year. Their stage name derives from black marines at a concert at ‘El Toro Marine Base’ calling them ‘righteous brothers,’ at the end of a performance, a black U.S. marine shouted, ‘That was righteous, brother.’ The Righteous Brothers performed together until 1971, before reforming again in 1974, then they split again in 1976. Their final reformation was in 1986, which lasted through to Hatfield’s death in 2003. As a solo artist Bobby Hatfield released one solo Album ‘Messin’ In Muscle Shoals,’ in 1971, and eight singles between 1963-1972, with ‘”Only You (And You Alone’) from 1969, breaking in to the Billboard Hot 100 at Number 95.

‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin” is the only song to have been a top 10 hit on three separate occasions in the UK for the same artist. In 1999 the performing-rights organisation ‘Broadcast Music, Inc.’ (BMI) ranked the song as the most-played song on American radio and television in the 20th Century, having accumulated more than eight million airplays by 1999, and nearly 15 million by 2011, including all of the cover versions as well. The Righteous Brothers reached Number 1 on Billboard in America, and Number 1 in the UK with ”You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin,” but there have also been significant other hit versions as well. In 1965 the English singer Cilla Black (1943-2015) released her version of the song at the same time as the Righteous Brothers in the UK, with Cilla’s recording reaching Number 2. In 1969 Dionne Warwick made Number 16 on Billboard with her version, and in 1979, the English Blues singer Long John Baldry, (1941-2005) dueted with the American Blues singer Kathi McDonald, (1948-2012) with their recording reaching Number 2 in Australia. The American duo of Daryll Hall and John Oates recorded their cover of the song in 1980, which peaked at Number 12 on Billboard, like the Righteous Brothers, Hall & Oates were leading lights in the genre of ‘Blue Eyed Soul,’ and in recent years Hall & Oates took over the mantle of the worlds best selling duo, from the Righteous Brothers.

‘Baby, baby, I’d get down on my knees for you., if you would only love me like you used to do, yeah. We had a love, a love, a love you don’t find everyday, so don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t let it slip away.’