Hy Zaret, the writer of one of the most played and recorded songs of the 20th century "Unchained Melody," died on Monday at the age of 99.
The song hit the charts more than once by different artists and musicians. It reached the No. 1 place on the charts with an instrumental version of the song by Les Baxter in 1955. Amazingly, the same year it hit the No. 3 position with a vocal rendition by Al Hibbler.
Most of us remember the song as it performed by the Righteous Brothers in 1965, which surprisingly only reached the No. 4 slot on the Billboard chart. It was revived again in the surprise film hit "Ghost," with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore in 1990.
Zaret wrote a number of commercial jingles and songs. He wrote the 1941 hit for Jimmy Dorsey, "My Sister and I" and the well known theme song for "Your Hit Parade" called "Dedicated to You," among many others.
For writing the words to "Unchainged Melody" for the movie named "Unchained," Zaret and composer Alex North were nominated for an Academy Award for best song.
Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers
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