I’m 73 years old and remember him doing this on the Andy Williams Show in 1965 when I was 15. Bill Medly and Andy are listening in the wings. I can’t think of a more beautiful song than this by the late great Bobby Hatfield RIP. This is the Gold Standard since this has been covered by over 670 artists. No autotune, just pure talent. His vocal range is un-matched. What more can you say about this performance. This is greatness
I'm 72 and having Andy Williams and Bill Medly watching must have been incredible. I consider Andy Williams to be one of the best vocalists of all time. The paring of the Righteous Brothers is one of the best vocal acts of all time as well.
As others have mentioned: 1965. Live performance. No autotune, no sophisticated audio filters, no retakes or dubbing. Just pure, raw, disciplined talent. I wish we had music and singers like this today.
I chuckle when the younger people comment on the quality of the music equipment not realizing that time era represented some of the greatest advances in things such as mics, speakers , amps etc.
There are a few-try Loreena McKennitt or perhaps Ebya, of course, the high notes are easier for them), or Vince Gill-all different styles of music though. I've loved this one since it was first played-I was 15 at the time....
Bobby was the best bar none! He put his vocal copy right all over this song. He had such a beautiful voice that could go in so many directions with almost limitless range! Thanks for your great reaction.
There's a 17 year old Norwegian singer, Angelina Jordan, who was INVITED to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize event in Norway last month (Dec. 2023) where she sang this song backed by KORK, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra. We DO have music and singers like this today! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XxduGSjAJCo.html
I'm 81 years old and I remember when this song came out. I'm amazed at young people today when they hear it. They cannot beleive he does such a wonderful job and his voice is so great. He had an amazing range in it.
@@frankromero5782 The colour is shifted in this. That jacket was pink and the trousers white. There is a colour corrected version out there (by RVBO I think) where Bobby doesn't look like he has a spray-on tan 😊
You're absolutely right, because many artists have covered this song & several of them have done it "justice" while others have flopped...But in my humble opinion and in agreement with you, Bobby Hatfield of The Righteous Brothers "OWNS" this song!!! Mic-Drop!!! 🎤
This was an era where you got it right, no retakes. The artists put feeling into their work. The younger people of today have missed some of the world greatest artist and their singing. Bobby this will be your song till the end of time.
Bobby could have dropped to that last G and this would have been a highlight of his career. Instead he actually went into the stratosphere for the last note making this a God mode performance. Share this video with any tenors you know that are getting too full of themselves, it's an instant dose of humility.
To give you some background... Bobby Hatfield sang tenor/countertenor. On that night he had a bit of a cold, his mom was in the audience, never having heard him sing live before, and he was worried about that top note at the end. Nailed it! 3 minutes of sheer perfection, live, no autotune, just talent. Many have tried this song, but Bobby owns this. IMHO this performance is better than the studio release. This was also featured in the movie, Ghost, with Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, and Whoopi Goldberg. Love your reaction! Even after hearing it so many times I still get tears!
we are blesses that he left us so many, even going back to Shindig, pre Wall of Sound, truly wonderful records and videos. Because his audience included the popular TV show , millions of people were watching and fell in love with him.
As this comment has been said elsewhere, Bobby felt his music and he made sure you felt it too! He always sang his songs with great feeling and soulful emotion that you couldn't help but be moved by his voice.
And his mom was in the audience seeing him perform live on stage for the first time. And this was one of her favorite songs. This clip doesn't include Bobby and Bill talking with Andy Williams before the performance, but you can find it here on RU-vid. In that exchange you can hear in his voice how nervous Bobby was. The very first line he sung was a little tremulous, after that he was in complete control.
It has been said this performance back in (1965) on the "Andy Williams Show" was the greatest (live) television performance by an orchestra and singer ever! The NBC Studio Orchestra's music arrangement of this Alex North composed song with lyrics by Hy Zaret (1955). In my humble opinion this is the best version of this song "Unchained Melody" ever! You add the great Counter Tenor vocals by the late great Bobby Hatfield of the Righteous Brothers, and it becomes an instant classic. Brilliant!
No one has ever come close to equalling this beautiful voice singing, Unchained Melody. You get a touch of what heaveningly voices must sound like, after listening to Bobby Hatfield.
Bobby makes it look so effortless. There's no strain, contortions or extraordinary effort in his face while to hit those high notes. Bobby Hatfield owns this song.
The IMMACULATE arrangement coupled with EXQUISITE vocals create a totality VERY rarely seen in a live concert. A true "once in a lifetime" performance...
Thank you. You are the ONLY !! vocal coach who reacts with musical intelligence and the only one who didn't try to mimic every lick. Your respect for Bobby is evident.
Amazing ... I'd like to see em do like that today .. no auto tune. no re-takes, no gimmicks ..just pure raw talent ..".Blue eyed soul" ,Bobby left us to soon ..The greatest live performance ever!!
This has become the live and best version of this song only since it became available on internet videos. Otherwise people had been listening to studio recorded versions. Thanks RU-vid and video makers..
I grew up on a farm and had many hours of tractor field work where I could try to sing this song aloud without anyone hearing my poor attempts. I imagined myself having the range and the delivery. This was the pinnacle of male vocals for me, and still is at age 76.
He latter said he was nervous that night because his mother was in the audience . I am 75 years old have, heard it many times and I still get goose bumps too !
🥺 Makes me feel old ... I remember the original release of this. Back in the day, The Righteous Brothers were probably the best duo around, "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" is another classic and both Bobby and Bill are in it.
Worse commentary? You can just enjoy the song elsewhere. I have found great value in listening to the analysis of music professionals who are really understand what is happening and how very difficult many of the things Bobby adds to this song are. And yet as many have commented, it all appears effortless. Such mastery and sincerity. As a reactor Nina is right up there with Beth Roars, Elizabeth of The Charismatic Voice, and Fil at Wings of Pegasus. There are a few others with the skill to understand all the nuances as well. For those who do not know this, Bobby was that rarest of male singers - a true counter tenor. His high notes are not falsetto, he had the range to hit those notes right on without an adjustment in technique. Anybody can sway along and proclaim how the song makes them feel, often without knowing a thing about what they are listening to. One should not spurn the offer of deeper understanding.
I'm 76 and saw Bill & Bobby, Righteous Brothers in San Diego at the Community Concourse in 1965 with my high school sweetheart and the love of my life, Sharon. They were all CLASS, tuxedo & small orchestra. There were Black couples there as well. Everyone had a magnificent time. I will NEVER FORGET that Night & yes Sharon still is the love of my life .
It’s one of the most covered songs in music history. This is the definitive version of this superb song. Sadly, most people have only ever heard the record/studio/radio version…used in the movie “Ghost”…which is a pity because this version is far more dynamic and powerful. Bobby was a superb Countertenor.
I read that they played this video at Bobby's funeral. He is an amazing talent and what a perfect way to honor that talent. Still my favorite male singer to this day.
I would never call myself a lead singer, however I've had a fair number of extensive voice lessons and I can say without equivocation that Bobby Hatfield was one of the best of all time. Incredible singer!
His beautiful sound was known in the 60's as "blue-eyed soul". His voice draws out emotions now, almost 60 years later, as much as it did then. Your reaction is priceless!!!
Perfect control made to sound spontaneous -- such brilliant technique. IMO Bobby and Bill were and remain the best duo in history. Nina, your reactions and analysis are among the very best. Thank you.
I have heard some different versions which bobby was singing, they all were great, but this live one was his greatest and he never sang it the same wonderfull way. My opinion. From GER
A different arrangement than the studio version. This one feels more intimate. The beautiful, soaring studio recording, the one used in Ghost 25 years later, he is really letting it rip. The two best versions of the song ever. Still love it, still listen to their music.
Grew up listening to their music.they voices were silk and thunder, together they were damn near perfect.there are over 600 covers of this song.this is the only one that matters.
Hi Nina, One can tell that you are a great vocal coach by the way you broke down this song and by the intricate details you gave in your analysis of this performance by Bobby Hatfield of The Righteous Brothers!!! Well done...
one of the best reaction videos of this amazing singer/song i've seen on youtube. when it first began, i thought, ok here we go, another young lady who will be fawning and swooning and fanning herself breathlessly throughout the performance. this was superb, not simmering, not overdone but in a way that made me look at it with new eyes. great job.
I have heard most of the other versions, but they all sound like funeral dirges. Bobby with his magical voice, lightened it up and now owns it forever. This is the standard by which all others are judged. It is said that his mother was sitting in the front row and it was the first time she had ever heard or see him perform live.
Thank you for the reaction. It is Bobby’s song. His voice is tender, melodious, calm, warm. He encompasses an audience like he’s making love to them. Just a man with an old microphone and he makes magic. What a magnificent performance.
Another great song in which Bobby sings solo is Ebb Tide. Bobby hit some serious high notes in this song. One of the most under rated songs in the Righteous Brothers oeuvre.
Well, it did make it to number 5 on the pop charts, making it the highest charting version of the song. I admit that I like the Platters/Tony Williams version a lot, though. The Righteous Brothers version, however, is the first version to add the big ending. I don't know if that was Phil Spector's or someone else's idea, but a lot of people liked it.
@@CFWhitman Tony was one of the best singers of his era and quite frankly you could put him on the list as one of the greatest singers to ever walk this ball of wonder we call Earth.
Wonderful reaction and so informative. Having the vocal chops to hit the notes still takes a back seat to having the soul to breathe fire into those beautiful lyrics.
It's an all-time classic. It will stay an all-time classic. Just before this came out my mother told me that she thought modern ('60's,) music was just a bunch of screaming, (early Beatles.) This came out shortly after, and I played it for her. She changed her tune. I've watched several ladies do reviews of this tune. I noticed that they tend to start playing with their hair.
Was fortunate enough to catch the guys live in concert. Once in a lifetime event. Bobby sang Unc. Mel course course and Bill sang The time of my life (Dirty Dancing) with his daughter. Had me on my feet. Have all their songs on a thumb drive for road trips. Never gets old.
Great comments, thanks ! Bobby had a way to make his middle register plunges into low notes sound like Elvis’: pitch perfect, resonant, smooth… almost Elio Pinza, but an octave above. And his high notes..wheeew 🙀.
Bobby was pure magic. You not only heard the songs that he sang, you felt them to your soul. Listening to Bobby is addictive, magical, and a pure joy. This will always be Bobby's song and there will never be another like him. He was unique, definitely one of a kind. A few other of his great solos is: My Prayer, Love You For Sentimental Reasons, Ebb Tide, For Your Love, Only You, and another one of my absolute favorites "Stay With Me". For me, Bobby was the voice of the Righteous Brothers. Fun fact: Bobby was being scouted for pro baseball while in college, but chose to do his music instead.
I introduced my older boy to this when he was about 18, and he immediately added it to his playlist. I told him that I was lucky enough to grow up to all the great "60s music, when musical gods walked the earth. P.S. From all the misspellings, I must point out that the group was The Righteous Brothers, Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield!
BOBBY DESERVES A FANTASTIC REACTION LIKE YOU HAVE JUST GIVEN - VERY NOSTALGIC FOR ME, I WAS 16 AT THAT TIME - WILL NEVER FORGET THIS PARTICULAR SONG FROM BOBBY !!!!!!! THANKS NINA - BOER BEN
Yes! I remember seeing Bobby sing this incredible heart tugging song live on the Andy Williams show in 1965. I'll never forget how awestruck I was at his amazing vocal control!! One of the greatest voices in world! music world
Great analysis. It kind of amuses me to think that Bobby said after that he was nervous as hell for this performance because his mother was in the audience haha. Of course, yes! This is the definitive version. It's faultless and respect to all those other versions but this stands alone.
I think this is one of the great all time live performances. You did very well breaking it down and explaining it. Along with that you are an absolute peach with an angelic voice! Easily sub'd within 5 minutes. thanks!
I've seen a lot of reaction videos to this, but so far you're the only one that really has pointed out how he stretches the vowels in the words and stopped at "the cry" to point it out.
Thank you, Bobby for your exciting voice, especially the final segment. The variations are brilliant. Extraordinary. I just love hearing this song, again and again ......... .👏👏👏👏👏👏🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟❤❤ Thank you, Nina. Very knowledgeable. Classy commentary.
As you say. The song he didn't write became the song he lives. To me it's like 'Hurt' by Johnny Cash. No matter how many people (the best singers) sing it again, it will always be about what it was like before he sang it and what it was like after. But no one will be so special.
I was a 9 year old kid growing up in New Jersey USA when this song come out in 1965. Me and my friend would listen to his older brothers 45 RPM record of this over and over. This song was written for a 1955 prison movie called 'Unchained" Hence the song title.
I would be willing to bet Dollars to Donuts, that "Bobby" could sing “Unchained Melody” without music (A cappella) and it would sound just as Spectacular, if not more so! ! ! The “Range” in his voice is Phenomenal! ! ! Imagine a song sung so Beautifully, it rips the heart out of almost all women, something very BEAUTIFUL to watch? ? ? What most people miss is that Bobby isn’t only singing, he’s "Begging and Imploring" his “LOVE” to wait for him! ! !
This film is from The Andy Williams Show Valentines Day Special of '65. If this had been the longer clip we would've seen Andy Williams talking with Bobby & Bill Medley for a couple of minutes just before Bobby sang. All three of them were wearing pink & white. Andy was in a pink pullover with white pants and Bobby & Bill were dressed identically. We would have also noticed that Bobby was huffing & puffing, not quite gasping for air like a sprinter. He was suffering from an upper respiratory infection; a cold, bronchitis? He also suffered from extreme stage fright. Losing his lunch just before going onstage. And, as someone mentioned, his mother was in the audience watching him perform live for the first time and he was very anxious about disappointing her. I think it's safe to say that none of the audience or TV viewers were disappointed that Valentines Night. Someone once mentioned that nine-months later there was a remarkable surge in the number of births under the sign of Scorpio.
Do have to correct you on one probably not important point. It wasn't Valentine's day. I know others have said that, but it actually was October 25 and days before he got married.
Thank you so much for your wonderful technical analysis, along with your pure reaction to Bobby's delivery and voice and amazingly relaxed skill 🥰🥰! I do not believe I have ever heard or watched a more perfectly sung and delivered LIVE (no technical corrections or enhancements) performance than what we were blessed to see here ❤❤. This was the version chosen for the movie Ghost with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze 🤗. Thank you again Nina ❣
I really appreciate that you research the background of the music. It adds so much. So few do. So many of them ask how can it be Righteous Brothers, there is only one.
It's good to hear that young people are starting to listen to the music that I heard when I was young The music that my parents listen to that had me listening to it also it's good to see and hear young people listen to this music again it is so timeless
Nina, for those of us who lived through this particular era of music, this song ranks very high if we had to list our all time favorite hit songs. Nina, when you think about it for a second or two you will realize the originality involved is so unique, to this day I cannot think of anything I've ever heard which can compare to it. And of course the magic ingredient was Bobby Hatfield's stunning performance. So glad you gave this a listen. Nina, please give Angelina a listen when she sings this at 12 years old. "Oh", you say, "That wouldn't be fair." Nina, she chose to sing this song and that should tell you volumes about the end result. Share it with all your devoted followers and enjoy.
![Vocal Coach/Musician Reacts: Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody [Live - Best Quality] (1965)](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
