Unchained Melody

by Righteous Brothers
album Greatest Hits

oldhollywood:

The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody (Summer 1965,  Les Baxter version: Summer 1955)

“During the 40 years since rock-and-roll first altered the course of pop music, a soulful summer tradition has emerged. Each year, one song separates itself from the pack, exercising a deep, calling-out power over anyone who falls in love between June and September. If you came of age in the summer of ‘56, the Platters’ worshipful “My Prayer” was the Great Summer Love Song. In 1963, it was the Beach Boys’ “Surfer Girl”; two years later, Otis Redding’s achingly bittersweet “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now).

What becomes a Summer Love Song most? That is a tricky question, for like love itself, the song cannot always be measured by traditional means; both science and intuition play a role in its creation. But there are certain patterns:

For instance, the song is usually a ballad and addressed to a universal lover, so that any teenager can fill in its “I love you” sentiment afresh, like a blank Valentine card. The song will become a hit, of course, but not necessarily the biggest hit of the summer. It will be neither a dance track (too impersonal) nor a novelty song (too goofy) nor a song with a message (too earnest). If it is a country song or a rap song, it must transcend its genre, because the Summer Love Song turns up at high-school proms and weddings in every kind of American neighborhood. Crucially, the song will feature at its core something indescribably sublime - a bone-deep groove or a lover’s moan - that helps it survive over time. For the Summer Love Song’s true role is to carry the moment into the future, not as history, but as a madeleine of pleasure and heartbreak.”

-Stephan Talty, The No. 1 Summer Song of Love

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