"Now there's no welcome look in your eyes when I reach for you."

#35 You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ – The Righteous Brothers

[186] Writers: Phil Spector, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil. Producer: Phil Spector.
14 Jan 65 – 10 weeks – #1 for 2 weeks from 04 Feb 65 (34 weeks on chart in total, in four runs)

This US male vocal duo definitely weren’t brothers, but they may have been righteous. I don’t know. Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield were both born in 1940, that much is clear, but Bobby’s exact date of birth is unclear, as I discovered last night, after setting yesterday’s teaser, when it all seemed so clearcut. The britishhitsingles website yesterday said it was his birthday, which is why I set the question. I later discovered that his DOB in the Guinness Book of 500 Number One Singles is shown as 10th of APRIL 1940, not October. But it gets even more confusing; in the current Guinness Book of Hit Singles, his DOB is shown as 19th SEPTEMBER 1940. So, three different sources have three different dates, and I have no idea which is correct, but yesterday’s question was set in good faith. Let’s move on.

You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ was the subject of a major chart battle with Cilla Black in 1965, as she entered the chart with her version on the very same day. In fact, she led the way over the Righteous Brothers’ version for three weeks, peaking at #2 with the boys behind her at #3. She then lost out as they leapfrogged her and she slid down the chart, disappearing after 9 weeks, one fewer than Bill and Bobby.

It made the top 10 again in 1969, and grazed #42 in 1977 too. Then in 1986, the song was immortalised (and crucified) in the ‘drunken singalong in the bar’ scene Top Gun, and instantly became a karaoke classic. This ensured that when it was re-released much later (1990), it would fly high (geddit?) to #3, backed with Ebb Tide (previously their #48 third hit in 1966). That was following up the #1 success of the re-released Unchained Melody, when they became the second act (after Jimmy Young) to take it to #1 (Simon Cowell's acts Robson & Jerome and Gareth Gates later became the third and fourth to turn the trick.) By 2000, it had become the only song to receive more than 8 million plays on US radio.

‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’’ was Telly Savalas’s ‘other’ hit after his #1 with ‘If’ and Daryl Hall & John Oates have also charted with it. As mentioned above, it was the Righteous Brothers’ only number one until October 1990, when Unchained Melody became their second, after a gap of a mere 25 and 259 days, due to its use in the film ‘Ghost’. That was the biggest seller of 1990 too. This was also the longest gap between two versions of the same song making #1, after Jimmy Young hit the top with Unchained Melody back in 1955.

A long time after his Righteous Brothers incarnation, Bill Medley hit #6 in 1987 and #8 in 1990 with Jennifer Warnes and ‘(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life’. Bobby Hatfield had no further hits.

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