The Righteous Brothers was truly a groundbreaking musical duo. They not only did appealed to teens, but also the older mainstream pop audience and the black community.
The video at the end of this article features The Righteous Brothers, Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield, gracing the state with a “blistering” live performance of their classic hit, “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” on an American TV special in 1965, at the height of their fame. Though the picture has become blurry over the years, the audio is rather pristine, showing off their crisp, powerful vocals.
Man, could these guys sing! I didn’t know their level of vocal prowess and bold performance style until I saw this. I was particularly blown away by Bill Medley, the singer on the left who had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand.
Talk to moms about mom stuff. And make money doing it.
Though they may look prim-and-proper in their suits and slicked-back hair, there’s something raw and wild about their performance here that makes the crowd go wild. The song was written by Barry Mann, Phil Spector, and Cynthia Weil and produced by Phil Spector. It was the #1 of 1965, and made another return to the Billboard Charts in 1986 when it was featured in the film Top Gun. It has also been covered by Cilla Black, Dionne Warwick, and Hall & Oates. “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” still stands the test of time, though the older generation of YouTubers can’t help but reminisce. One commenter says, “Issued 50 years ago today and still as fresh and vibrant as it was then. A true Classic. How fabulous this sounded in those days on my little turquoise transistor radio.”
