They adopted their name in 1962 while performing together around Los Angeles, USA as part of a five-member group called The Paramours, which featured John Wimber (who was much later one of the founders of the Vineyard Movement) on keyboards.
Hatfield and Medley both possessed exceptional vocal talent, with range, control, and tone that helped them create a strong and distinct duet sound (and perform as soloists). Medley sang the low parts with his deep, soulful baritone, with Hatfield taking the higher register vocals with his soaring tenor. They gained their name when an African-American Marine shouted out "That was righteous, brothers" at the end of a show. John Wimber, one of the founding leaders of the Vineyard Movement, played the keyboard in the band.
Their first major hit single was "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" in 1965. Produced by Phil Spector, the record is often cited as one of the peak expressions of Spector's Wall of Sound production techniques. It was one of the most successful pop singles of its time, despite exceeding the standard length for radio play. Indeed, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" remains the most played song in radio history, estimated to have been broadcast over 8 million times to date. A little known fact about this song was that Spector utilized Sonny and Cher as back-up singers.
They had several other Spector-produced hit singles during the 1960s, including "Ebb Tide" and "Unchained Melody" in 1965 and "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" in 1966.
Soul and Inspiration was produced by Bill Medley for Verve Records. Phil Spector was not involved with this recording in any way, shape or form. Also, although it is credited to Phil Spector, Bill Medley produced "Unchained Melody". Medley produced the B-Side for the singles and Spector handled the production work on the A-Side. The A-Side for "Unchained Melody" was the single "Hung on You" produced by Phil Spector although it was the B-Side that ended up being the hit.
A Man Without A Dream
The Righteous Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I feel like I'm growing old much too soon,
My love for you, I just couldn't convey,
And the keys to my happiness, I let slip away.
Now I'm a man without a dream,
I've got a heart that has no hope,
All my senses are numb,
Losing you, I've become,
Instead of striving to reach my goals and my aims
I got distracted with meaningless games,
For just an illusion, I traded love that was real,
Now my eyes cannot see and my heart cannot feel.
Now I'm a man without a dream,
I've got a heart that has no hope,
All my senses are numb,
Losing you, I've become,
A man (I'm just a man) without a dream.
Sometimes I think I'm a prisoner of fate,
Doomed to find out things a little too late,
And so I must play this broken man's role,
Unless you come home, girl, and bring back my soul.
'Cause I'm a man without a dream,
I've got a heart that has no hope,
All my senses are numb,
Losing you, I've become,
A man (I'm just a man) without a dream,
Without a dream,
Without a dream.
The Righteous Brothers's song A Man Without A Dream expresses a feeling of emptiness, despair and hopelessness. The singer feels that he's lost his way in life and lacks direction. He compares his life to the music that's out of tune, and he sees himself prematurely aging because of it. The lyrics further reveal that the singer has lost the love of his life, and he admits to never having conveyed his true feelings for her. He realizes that he's traded real love for an illusion and now feels numb, as if all his senses have shut down. He's become a man without a dream, a man who's lost all hope.
The singer recognizes that he's allowed himself to be distracted by meaningless games instead of striving to reach his goals and aims. It seems that in the pursuit of his dreams, he's become sidetracked and has forgotten what truly matters. The fear of being caught in fate's merciless grip and learning things a little too late haunts him. He knows he's playing the role of a broken man, a man without a dream, and only the return of his love can bring him back to himself.
Line by Line Meaning
With the music of life, my soul is out of tune,
I feel disconnected and off-balance with the rhythm of life, and it's affecting my inner self.
And I feel like I'm growing old much too soon,
The weight of my disappointments and failures is making me feel older and more disillusioned than I should be.
My love for you, I just couldn't convey,
I failed to express my love and affection for you in a meaningful way, and now I regret it deeply.
And the keys to my happiness, I let slip away.
I lost the things that made me truly happy, and now I'm left with a sense of emptiness and regret.
Now I'm a man without a dream,
I feel like I've lost my sense of purpose and direction in life, and I don't know where to go from here.
I've got a heart that has no hope,
I'm feeling hopeless and defeated, with no optimism or positivity left in my heart.
All my senses are numb,
I'm disconnected from my emotions and senses, and I'm struggling to feel anything at all.
Losing you, I've become,
My relationship with you was a vital part of my life, and losing you has left me feeling lost and broken.
A man (I'm just a man) without a dream.
I'm just an ordinary man, struggling to find meaning and purpose in a world that feels hollow and empty.
Instead of striving to reach my goals and my aims
Rather than pursuing my dreams and ambitions, I got sidetracked by pointless distractions and lost sight of what truly mattered.
I got distracted with meaningless games,
I wasted my time and energy on things that didn't matter, and now I'm left with nothing to show for it.
For just an illusion, I traded love that was real,
I gave up something valuable and genuine for the sake of something that was merely an illusion or a temporary distraction.
Now my eyes cannot see and my heart cannot feel.
I'm so lost and disconnected that I can't even see or feel the world around me, let alone find my way forward.
Sometimes I think I'm a prisoner of fate,
I feel like the course of my life is predetermined, and no matter what I do, I'm destined to fail and suffer.
Doomed to find out things a little too late,
I often realize the true value of things only after they're gone, and by then, it's too late to do anything about it.
And so I must play this broken man's role,
I'm stuck in a state of sadness and despair, and I feel like I have no choice but to keep playing this role of a broken, defeated man.
Unless you come home, girl, and bring back my soul.
I'm holding onto the hope that you'll come back and save me from this darkness, and bring back the part of me that I've lost.
'Cause I'm a man without a dream,
Once again, I'm emphasizing the fact that I feel lost and aimless, with no goals or desires to guide me forward.
Without a dream,
Without something to work towards and strive for, I'm left feeling empty and numb, like a shadow of my former self.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAROLE KING, GERRY GOFFIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind