Saturday, November 06, 2010

Unchained Melody

"Unchained Melody" (written by Alex North & Hy Zaret) is one of the most beautiful and emotional songs of all-time. Most of you I'm sure have heard the Righteous Brothers' classic rendition of it. If not, here it is.





There are over 500 versions of this song, but maybe the best, certainly the most powerful is by Vito & the Salutations. This is a master class in interpretation. I warn you -- you're going to need a hanky.



14 comments :

Corinne said...

That was like the chipmunks on Speed.

Sérgio said...

Whenever I hear that song I think of this (starts around 1:25):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRBLsiLRAxM&feature=related

I see on IMDB that the writers are: David Isaacs & KEN LEVINE!!! Hurray!

Mac said...

They've just nailed the emotional tone of that song.
I'm amazed Vito and the guys didn't get the call when they were re-interpreting "Candle In The Wind" for Princess Di's funeral.

gottacook said...

I didn't know about the Righteous Brothers version until I was an adult; instead I grew up with Dionne Warwick's version (arrangement by Burt Bacharach) included in one of her anthologies of mostly Bacharach-David songs. However one may regard its merits and flaws from a distance of 45 years, that Bacharach/Warwick record makes the Brothers' version sound rather pallid by comparison.

Of course I love doo-wop too - I had only heard this version once before, probably on the (sadly defunct) Scooter Magruder's Night Train weekend radio show in the DC area.

Constance Reader said...

You're right, I did need a hanky -- to wipe the spittle from my laptop screen when I burst into laughter.

Thanks, Ken, I needed that laugh.

Dave said...

Dammit Ken, I gotta stop blindly clicking your media links. That was painful.

Cap'n Bob said...

It has a good beat and I can dance to it. I'll rate it a 95.

Mister Charlie said...

Jesus wept.

I laughed.

Master class in interpretation indeed. :)

Trotwood Copperfield said...

No one ever remembers that this song was composed for the film UNCHAINED--a prison drama starring none other than Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch (with jazz musician Dexter Gordon in a small role--he was not hired for the film; he was actually serving time on a drug charge in the prison where it was shot).

Word verification: "Singsms." What the characters in GLEE have when they have sex.

benson said...

Bobby Hatfield died just down the street from here seven years ago yesterday. If the coroner's report is right, that sounds like it might have been his last performance.

DwWashburn said...

We met Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley backstage at Bally's here in Las Vegas many years ago. We had a Best of CD with the photo you have at the top of this post. As Bobby was signing it, he told us that he and Bill nearly froze during that photo shoot.

D. McEwan said...

Nice to hear an under-wrought performance of such an overwrought ballad.

J S Swanson said...

I'll bet The Situation & Snooki were spoon fed this. And now I have a new Guilty Pleasure ... Thanks, I think ___

Sandy Koufax said...

If I hear this song on K-EARTH one more time I am going to cut my throat. One of the most over played oldies of all time.