8
(pronounced chee – no). The truth is that it’s an assortment of convicts who were
“unchained,”
not
some star-struck lovers in the moonlight.
Almost An Award Winner
There’s more to this unusual tale. The film ‘Unchained’ may be less than compelling, but
that memorable title song we present here in multiple versions was nominated for an Academy
Award. Admittedly, it lost to a big Hollywood extravaganza you’ve probably heard of, called
Love Is A Many Splendored Thing.
Now
that’s
the kind of production we think of when we
think of an Academy Award winner. It isn’t that
Unchained Melody
wasn’t up to a ‘Best Song’
consideration. It’s that the version that appears in the movie was hardly the stuff that gets
anyone thinking about a nomination. Listen for yourself. We’ve included this rarity by Todd
Duncan. As far as we can tell, Duncan’s version has never been released before, and this
collection would not have been complete without it.
Credit Where It’s Due
The lyrics to
Unchained Melody
were written by Hy Zaret (real name Hyman Zaritsky). Zaret
came from Brooklyn, NY and despite holding a law degree, Zaret found success as a lyricist.
His work included the pop standard
Dedicated To You,
co-written with Sammy Cahn.
