Unchained Melody

Composed by Alex North with lyrics by Hy Zaret for the 1955 prison drama Unchained, this track began as a somber theme before transforming into one of the most recorded songs in history. While Todd Duncan sang the original version for the film, the definitive recording arrived nine years later when The Righteous Brothers reimagined it as a soaring romantic ballad on their 1965 album Just Once in My Life. That specific arrangement turned a story about longing in confinement into a universal anthem that audiences interpreted as a love letter.

The song's commercial journey defied standard expectations. The Righteous Brothers' version initially peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the UK Singles Chart in 1965. Its popularity proved remarkably durable, hitting number one in the UK four separate times: first in 1965, then again in 1975 after its inclusion in the film Ghost, and subsequently in 1990 and 2023 due to enduring cultural resonance. With over 10 million copies sold worldwide, it stands as one of the best-selling singles of all time. [edit]