Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers' Version

The Righteous Brothers' Version

The best known version of "Unchained Melody" was recorded by The Righteous Brothers. This song was produced by Phil Spector in 1965, credited to The Righteous Brothers, but performed as a solo by Bobby Hatfield, who later recorded versions credited solely to him. This recording climbed to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1965. It reached #14 in the UK in 1965.

"Unchained Melody" reappeared on the Billboard charts in 1990 after The Righteous Brothers' recording was used in the box office blockbuster film Ghost. Two versions charted in the US that year. There was the reissue of the 1965 original Righteous Brothers single which received a lot of airplay, but sales were minimal since it was only available as a 45 RPM single. This version peaked at #13. There was also a 1990 re-recording of the song which was available only as a cassette single. The re-recorded version saw minimal airplay, but excellent sales. It peaked at #19. For eight weeks, both versions were on the Hot 100 simultaneously. This re-release of the song topped the U.S. adult contemporary chart for two weeks in 1990. It reached #1 for the fifth time in the UK, becoming the UK's top selling single of 1990, and has since sold 1.04 million copies. It also later reached #1 in Australia, staying at number-one for seven weeks through November 1990 and into January 1991.