Thanks. Hy Zaret's "Unchained Melody" is one those stories behind the song that I find fascinating.
>>Far and away his biggest success, though, was "Unchained Melody," a song he co-wrote with underrated film composer Alex North for the 1955 prison film Unchained (hence the title). No less than three versions of the song — by Les Baxter, Al Hibbler, and Roy Hamilton — hit the Top Ten that year, with Hibbler's version ranking as the best-known for the next ten years.<<
allmusic.com
Unfortunately the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) still has not corrected a bio crediting a man who all of the links below say was an imposter claiming credit for the real Hy Zaret's work. Supposedly, others have tried unsuccessfully to get IMDb to correct it.
imdb.com
and
imdb.com
I will submit a request for correction based on the NYTimes obituary. Zakrosian was right on when he said, "I learn so much thru obituaries."
"Unchained Melody" is one of the 25 most recorded songs but I did not know that it was written for an obscure 1955 movie.
>>But most baby boomers remember the song from the Righteous Brothers' version. The record, produced by Phil Spector, reached No. 4 on the Billboard chart in 1965, and was a hit again 25 years later when it was used on the soundtrack of the film Ghost.
In all, it was recorded more than 300 times, according to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, which listed it in 1999 as one of the 25 most-performed musical works of the 20th century.<<
usatoday.com
>>“He had some big, big hits,” said Jim Steinblatt, assistant vice president for special projects at Ascap. Indeed, “So Long, for a While,” for which he wrote the lyrics, was the closing theme song for “Your Hit Parade,” a show that for many years played the week’s top songs, on radio and later on television.
Although Mr. Zaret appreciated the royalties — “Unchained Melody” made him financially independent — he was just as proud of the educational and public service songs he wrote, often with Mr. Singer, for radio, television and schools. He addressed fire prevention with “Never Clean With Gasoline,” fought racism with “Brown-Skinned Cow” and satisfied curiosity with “Why Are Bananas Picked Green?” and “How Does a Frog Become a Frog?”
Hyman Harry Zaritsky was born in Manhattan on Aug. 21, 1907, the son of Max Zaritsky and the former Dora Shiffman, who had emigrated from Russia in the 1890s. Max was a clothing manufacturer. Hyman Zaritsky legally shortened his last name in 1934.
Mr. Zaret’s name would become an issue again years later when William Stirrat, an electrical engineer, claimed he had written “Unchained Melody” as a romantic teenager under the pen name Hy Zaret. Several articles on Mr. Stirrat’s claims to authorship were printed. Legal proceedings ensued, but both Mr. Zaret’s son and Mr. Steinblatt said the dispute was resolved completely in favor of Mr. Zaret, who continued to receive all royalties.
Mr. Stirrat, who Mr. Steinblatt said had legally changed his name to Hy Zaret, died in 2004.<<
nytimes.com
IMHO, The Righteous Brothers version produced by Phil Spector stands far above any of several other versions of "Unchined Melody" I have heard. I have not heard the original.
Other links:
en.wikipedia.org |
