Unchained Melody (1955), by Hy Zaret
and Alex North
I've been listening to Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
native Bobby Hatfield's (1940-2003) version,
while he was half of The Righteous Brothers.
The other half of the RB was baritone singer
and producer Bill Medley.
Bobby and his family moved to Anaheim, California, in
1944. After high school, he met Billy and composed,
sang & recorded many albums.
Unchained Melody is a solo with orchestra, with no
vocals, by Alex North, was written for the obscure TV show,
"Unchained". Zaret's Lyrics were added later.
The show's plot was about a convict who debated
if he should escape the prison, or wait out his
prison term, longing to see his woman again.
Hatfield's version of the Unchained Melody was
recorded live in the USA, on TV's Andy Williams
Show in 1965.
It's currently available at Youtube, along with
1st-time reactions by listeners to the video.
Bobby was a contratenor, with an extended
vocal range of G3-G5. He uses all of that, in
the 1965 performance.
I didn't think that I'd live long enough to hear
any vocal performance that I liked, but this
version was a total surprise.
I had heard it in the past, but didn't remember it's
complexity and Hatfield's effortless performance.
Best Regards, Stay Healthy
JB
