No one who has ever seen the movie Ghost can ever forget the scene at the potter's wheel with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. Part of its emotional impact was due to the Righteous Brothers singing Unchained Melody on the soundtrack. If ev er there was a contender for Best Song of All Time it would be this passionate and haunting ballad, the theme song to many a movie and real life love affair.
The story of the song is almost as romantic as the lyric, although it is somewhat more prosaic than the legends that have grown up around it. Some believe it was written by a life term prisoner longing for his wife, others that it is based on a classical music fragment by a famous composer.
In fact, the soul tearing lyric of Unchained Melody was composed at summer camp in 1936, by a lovesick youngster hoping to win the girl of his dreams.
William Stirrat was just 16 when he fell in love with Cookie, the `prettiest girl in the neighborhood' but was too shy to reveal his feelings. Instead he wrote Unchained Melody, pouring out his love and longing into the timeless poetry of the lyric.
Music was later added by film composer Alex North, who helped trigger one of the legends by using it on the soundtrack of the prison film Unchained, released in 1955. Starring Elroy Hirsch and Barbara Hale, it quickly faded into obscurity, but the song refused to follow it.
Version after version followed the soundtrack recording by Les Baxter, which took the song to Number One on the Billboard charts. Besides the Les Baxter version, the song charted with cover versions by Al Hibbler, Roy Hamilton and June Valli. In Britain, Jimmy Young and flamboyant pianist Liberace also took cover versions to Number One. After 19 years in limbo, Unchained melody was an overnight success.
The following year, rocker Gene Vincent recorded the song, but it was calypso warbler Harry Belafonte that recorded the hit version. It seemed this was not only a song with timeless melody and lyric, it could be adapted to any style of performer.
The 60s spawned many musical styles, but the most pervasive and ear catching was surely the `wall of sound' created by producer Phil Spector. He created richly layered backings for the likes of Ike and Tina Turner and the Ronettes. In 1965 he grabbed the talented duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield, known as the Righteous Brothers, from another record company. The duo's vocals were layered, like his productions, with the tenor warblings of Hatfield set over the deep dark bass tones of Medley.
One of the songs they recorded for Spector was a stunningly orchestrated version of Unchained Melody. It got as far as Number 4 in the Billboard charts, and Number One in the UK charts, once again making Stirrat's lament a big seller.
Four years later, one of the world's greatest singers gave it a new spin when Roy Orbison recorded a version for his `many moods' album.
In fact the only star who seemed to be ignoring it was `the King' but even that was remedied in 1977 when Elvis Presley performed Unchained Melody at what was to be his last concert before his death that year.
Its reputation established, Unchained Melody remained a popular song for albums and concerts. Most notably, country singer Leanne Rimes used it as the title for one of her CDs. But 1990 saw a revival that blew everyone away when Swayze and Moore slathered themselves in clay. The Righteous Brothers recording shot up the Billboard charts again, and suddenly it seemed that it was everywhere again.
Acts as diverse as Barry Manilow and U2 have performed their own versions, while it has become practically a staple on American Idol which may have more to do with judge Simon Cowell admitting it is his favorite song.
Cookie, the girl who inspired the impassioned lyric, never returned Stirrat's love. She married someone else and has now passed on. Stirrat was able to mend his broken heart and fell in love with another girl, who became his wife. He wrote no more songs, and has had to fight for his share of the huge revenue generated by Unchained Melody.
But wherever there is longing, wherever there is unrequited love and the pain of a broken heart Unchained Melody will continue to resonate with lovers everywhere.