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.
Unchained Melody
The Righteous Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love
I need your love
Lonely rivers flow
To the sea, to the sea
To the open arms of the sea, yeah
Lonely rivers sigh
"Wait for me, wait for me"
I'll be coming home, wait for me
Woah, my love, my darling
I've hungered, hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
In The Righteous Brother's song, "Unchained Melody," we hear a love song that longs for reconnection. The opening lyrics, "Woah, my love, my darling, I've hungered for your touch, a long, lonely time" immediately conveys the depth of the singer's emotions. He's been away from his love for a while and he can feel the time passing by slowly. He's pining for her love and reassurance that she's still his. The repetition of "I need your love, I need your love" emphasizes how intense his desire for her really is.
The chorus contains some metaphoric language as the singer speaks of "lonely rivers flowing to the sea" which represents the separation between the two lovers. But there's hope as the "open arms of the sea" represents the reunion and the homecoming that's expected. The line "wait for me" has a double meaning here, not only is it a plea for the singer's love to wait for him to return, but it's also a promise that he will be back.
Line by Line Meaning
Woah, my love, my darling
The singer expresses deep love and affection for their partner.
I've hungered for your touch
The singer has been longing for physical and emotional connection with their partner.
A long, lonely time
The singer has been alone for a prolonged period of time and missed their partner's presence.
And time goes by so slowly
The singer feels time is passing too slowly because they are not with their partner.
And time can do so much
The singer recognizes that time can bring about significant changes and affect relationships.
Are you still mine?
The singer questions if their partner still loves and belongs to them.
I need your love
The singer acknowledges their need for love and affection from their partner.
God speed your love to me
The singer is expressing a prayer-like sentiment for their partner's love to reach them quickly.
Lonely rivers flow
The singer describes the emotional state of feeling lonely like a river that flows endlessly and aimlessly.
To the sea, to the sea
The river flows in the direction of the sea, which symbolizes a place of refuge and comfort.
To the open arms of the sea, yeah
The singer envisions the sea as a loving entity with open arms awaiting their arrival.
Lonely rivers sigh
The river produces a sound similar to sighing, reflecting the singer's melancholic state.
"Wait for me, wait for me"
The singer is pleading to their partner to wait for them to come back home.
I'll be coming home, wait for me
The singer is promising to return home to their partner.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, UNCHAINED MELODY PUB LLC
Written by: Alex North, Hyman Zaret
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@brookeevelyn4557
Woah, my love, my darling
I've hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
Lonely rivers flow
To the sea, to the sea
To the open arms of the sea, yeah
Lonely rivers sigh
"Wait for me, wait for me"
I'll be coming home, wait for me
Woah, my love, my darling
I've hungered, hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
@raymondtimberlake515
Lyrics:
Woah, my love, my darling
I've hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
Lonely rivers flow
To the sea, to the sea
To the open arms of the sea, yeah
Lonely rivers sigh
"Wait for me, wait for me"
I'll be coming home, wait for me
Woah, my love, my darling
I've hungered, hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
@bobbobing4299
Lyrics for those who searched:
Woah, my love, my darling
I've hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
Lonely rivers flow
To the sea, to the sea
To the open arms of the sea, yeah
Lonely rivers sigh
"Wait for me, wait for me"
I'll be coming home, wait for me
Woah, my love, my darling
I've hungered, hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time
And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
@johnbrady6276
The song is from a 1950s movie, Unchained, and tells about a convict closer to the end of his sentence than the beginning. He's pining for his wife so much that he's debating breaking out of prison even though getting caught means even longer not seeing her.
There are many beautiful performances of this song, including Elvis', some bass baritones, tenors, and. sopranos. You can hear a sample on another internet video named "History of Unchained Melody" or something like that.
Although this songs sounds wonderful sung in a lower register as well as by sopranos, this is my second favorite version.
My favorite performance of it was also by Bobby Hatfield. The Righteous Brothers made an appearance on the Andy Williams show in the mid-60. Bobby sung this song before a live audience with a live orchestra. The version is almost the same as on his hit single and in Ghost except he sang it with even more emotion and with a continuing rising falsetto at the end. His parents were in the audience and he must have been pumped to go all out in the performance.
There are multiple clips of that performance on You Tube. Look for Bobby wearing a light sport coat in the thumbnail. The complete clip has an introduction with Andy Williams asking Bill Medley why they didn't sing this as a duet. Bill jokes that he didn't think it would be a hit. But I suspect that Bobby's solo was so spectacular, they didn't think they could improve on it as a duet. Bill had his own moments in the spotlight as lead on some of their big hits, like "You've Lost that Loving Feeling." According to some comments, Bill was produce on this song. Phil Spector passed on producing it because it didn't fit his "Wall of Sound" motif.
@thehunterduo8492
“You said it yourself, flowers from 1970 couldn’t survive that long”
@ffxschl1335
IM SOBBING
@swag2653
i just finished reading the story for the first time and i am HEARTBROKEN
@gacha_kira1322
:(
@hi-lj8uu
screams
@user-rf6ph2vf8g
What’s story?
@qw1fy
i love it how everyone is like, "STOP IT IM CRYING" YOU came here to cry , and this is what YOU get.
@qw1fy
@maya I already have, 10 times 😫😆
@qw1fy
@maya no
@qw1fy
@princess I think I'm not sure if it's the real one, I've read it on Wattpad