(You're My) Soul and Inspiration

"(You're My) Soul And Inspiration" was the first and only major hit for American popgroup The Righteous Brothers after parting ways with their longtime producer, Phil Spector, as well as the title track to the album.^[1] The single peaked at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian CHUM Charts as well as reaching #15 on the UK Singles Chart.

After leaving Spector's Philles Records in late 1965, citing personal difficulties with the producer ^[2], the duo made the jump to the mostly jazz-oriented Verve label and teamed up with Songwriters Hall of Famers, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who were then part of the legendary Brill Building pop machine in New York City^[3]. Mann and Weil had already co-written the group's previous #1, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"^[3][4] with Spector, and were familiar with their style and capabilities. The production, by group baritone Bill Medley, with reverbing pop-orchestra and soaring female back-up choir, is highly imitative of Spector's "Wall of Sound" and doesn't contrast the sound of the group's early hits.

This would, however, mark the end of the group's peak in popularity. Although they would chart again with their next single, the religiously-oriented "He" (#18 US), before briefly splitting in 1968, they would not break the top-10 again until reuniting in 1974 with "Rock and Roll Heaven", an ode to fallen musical comrades^[1].

Cover versions

In 1972, reggae artist Paddy Corea covered the tune instrumentally for UK-label, Trojan Records'. The song is currently available on the 1995 cover-compilation Keep on Running.^[5]

Donny & Marie Osmond released a version for their 1977 album A Winning Combination.

In 1990, country music group The Oak Ridge Boys recorded a cover version for the soundtrack to the film My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys. Their version peaked at #31 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts.

References