You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'

"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" is a 1964 song by The Righteous Brothers which became a number-one hit single in the United States and the United Kingdom the following year. In 1999, the performing-rights organization Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) ranked the song as having had more radio and television play in the United States than any other song during the 20th century.^[2] Additionally, the song was chosen as one of the Songs of the Century by RIAA and ranked #34 on the list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone.

Writing, recording and public reception

Written by Barry Mann, Phil Spector and Cynthia Weil, the song is one of the foremost examples of producer Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" technique. Recorded in Studio A of the famed Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, it features 'The Wrecking Crew' instrumentally and lead vocals by Bill Medley. Bobby Hatfield reportedly expressed his annoyance to Spector upon learning that he would have to wait until the chorus before joining Medley’s vocals. When Hatfield asked Spector just what he was supposed to do during Medley’s solo, Spector replied: “You can go straight to the fucking bank.”^[3] The strings were arranged by legendary arranger Gene Page. Among the background singers in the song's crescendo is a young Cher.

Cynthia Weil recalled that, "After Phil, Barry and I finished [writing it], we took it over to the Righteous Brothers. Bill Medley, who has the low voice, seemed to like the song."^[4] Even with his interest in the song, however, Medley had his doubts. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, he recalled, "We had no idea if it would be a hit. It was too slow, too long, and right in the middle of The Beatles and the British Invasion." Indeed, the song ran for nearly four minutes when released. This was much too long by contemporary AM standards, but Spector refused to cut it shorter. On the label where the time is indicated, he had "3:05" printed, instead of the track's actual running time of 3:45. He also added a false ending which made the recording more dramatic, and would also trick radio deejays into thinking it was a shorter song. Upon being played the finished record over the phone, co-writer Barry Mann reacted to Medley’s deep baritone by telling Spector, “Phil, you have it on the wrong speed!”^[4]

To Spector's surprise,^[1] "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" topped the Billboard Hot 100 dated 6 February 1965 and remained at #1 the week of 13 February 1965. In addition the song crossed over to the R&B charts peaking at number two.^[5]

In the UK

The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" debuted at #35 on the UK Top 40 chart dated 16 January 1965: on the same chart a rival version by Cilla Black debuted at #28. Black had become a recording star by covering Dionne Warwick's newly released American hit "Anyone Who Had a Heart" for the UK market with a resultant #1 in February 1964; Black's producer Gordon Mills had repeated the strategy that had given Black her first #1 hit by having the songtress cover the Righteous Brothers new American release "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling". (Black's version had an abbreviated bridge which she explained saying: "I don't want people to get bored";^[6] the abridgment also removed the necessity of Black's attempting to match the Righteous Brothers' climactic vocal trade-off.)The 24 January chart saw Black remain in ascendancy at #12 while the Righteous Brothers at #20 but while the 6 February chart saw Black jump to #2 the Righteous Brothers made a larger jump to #3 powered by a full-page ad Andrew Oldham had run in Melody Maker:

"This advert is not for commercial gain, it is taken as something that must be said about the great new PHIL SPECTOR Record, THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS singing "YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELING". Already in the American Top Ten, this is Spector's greatest production, the last word in Tomorrow's sound Today, exposing the overall mediocrity of the Music Industry. Signed,
Andrew Oldham"^[7]

The UK Top 40 dated 20 February saw the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" at #1 - it would remain there 27 February - while Black's version began its descent dropping to #5. Although Black's version of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" would prove to be her highest charting UK single apart from her two #1's: "Anyone Who Had a Heart" and "You're My World", and also reached #2 in Australia - where the Righteous Brothers' version was also a hit at #5 - the eclipse of Black's version by the original did usher in a downtime in Black's recording career: after the followup "I've Been Wrong Before" fell short of the Top Ten at #17 in the spring of 1965 Black spent the remainder of the year concentrating on performing and resumed recording only at the start of 1966 when "Love's Just a Broken Heart" (#5) began the most successful year of her recording career.

Cilla Black remade "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" for her 1985 Surprisingly Cilla album.

The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'" is the only single to enter the UK Top 10 three times, having successful re-releases in 1969 (#10) and 1990 (#3), the last release being to follow-up the re-release of "Unchained Melody", which had hit #1 due to being featured in the film Ghost. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" also reached #42 after a 1977 re-release and in 1988 reached #87.

Nottingham Forest FC fans frequently sing this to taunt away fans after Nottingham Forest score

Hall & Oates' US Top 20 remake of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" in 1980 was a minor UK hit at #55. More successful was Telly Savalas' 1975 version which reached #47; Savalas' single was the follow-up to his novelty #1 "If" and was similarly talked rather than sung.

Other versions

Other hit versions

"You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" was the only single released off Soulful, a 1969 release aimed to showcase Dionne Warwick as more of an R&B singer than was evidenced by her work with Burt Bacharach. Co-produced by Warwick and Chips Moman and recorded at American Sound Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, Soulful was one of Warwick's most successful albums with a #11 peak and the single "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. In Australia the Go-Set Top 40 chart ranked Warwick's version of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" with a #34 peak in January 1970.[1] (Warwick's version spells the last word of the title out fully as "feeling" rather than the usual "feelin'".)

Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway's self-titled 1972 album featured a version of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" which was released as the second single after the Top 30 version of "You've Got a Friend". The Flack/Hathaway take on "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" reached #30 R&B with a Billboard Hot 100 peak of #71 (Cash Box Top 100 Singles peak was #57;Record World 100 Pop Chart rank peak was #53). [2][3]

In 1979 Long John Baldry featured "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" on Baldry's Out the Jimmy Horowitz produced disc which was Baldry's first recording in his newly adopted homeland of Canada. This version is performed as a duet with Kathi McDonald who in singing the latter half of the first and second verse inverts the usual order. Released as a single, the mild Canadian chart success (#45) of Baldry's "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" spilled over into the US charts at #89. However the track did reach #2 in Australia in 1980 and Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers has called the Baldry/McDonald version the best remake of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". Baldry had first recorded the song for his 1966 album Looking at Long John.

The 1980 Hall & Oates Voices album featured a remake of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" with a spare arrangement contrasting with the lavish Righteous Brothers version; the second non-original song Hall & Oates had ever recorded, the track was issued as the album's second single after the original "How Does It Feel to Be Back" peaked at a disappointing #30. The November peak of #12 made "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" the first Hall & Oates single to ascend higher than #20 since the #1 hit "Rich Girl" in the spring of 1977. The Hall & Oates comeback which began with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" was strengthened by the follow-up single "Kiss on My List" which inaugurated the duo's 80s superstardom attaining a #1 chart position and refocusing attention on Hall & Oates' original material.

In 1986 a remake of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by Grant & Forsyth (formerly of Guys 'n' Dolls) reached #48 in the Netherlands, where the song was a #57 chart item in 2002 for André Hazes & Johnny Logan.

Günther Neefs reached #31 on the Belgian charts (Flemish region) with his 1996 recording "You've Lost That Loving Feeling".

"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" charted C&W at #41 for Barbara Fairchild in 1975 while in 1988 Carroll Baker took the song to #8 on the C&W chart in Canada.

Other notable versions

Barry Mann has twice recorded his composition "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", the first time on his 1971 album Lay It All Out and on Soul and Inspiration a 2000 Atlantic release comprising Mann's own renditions of his classic songs.

Clyde Goobler and Ray Ray Studebaker (The Sangin' Cowboys - a comedy/spoof singing duo) teamed up with Charley Brown and Erin Matheny of Contraption Films to record a version in 2011. It quickly gained popularity on YouTube, and was declared by many to be the "most awesome" rendition of the song ever produced.

Bill Medley recorded a version of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" for his 1971 A Song For You album.

Glen Campbell who was the rhythm guitarist along with 'The Wrecking Crew' members, on the Righteous Brothers' version of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" cut his own version of the song; it first appeared on the 1999 album My Hits and Love Songs.

The concert movie The Big T.N.T. Show filmed at the Moulin Rouge in Los Angeles 29 November 1965 features Joan Baez singing "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" to the piano accompaniment of Phil Spector.

Elvis Presley covered the song with Zane Ashton's (aka Bill Aken) unique arrangement on his 1970 live album & concert film That's the Way It Is. Presley's version was reprised for his 1972 album Elvis: As Recorded at Madison Square Garden.

Phil Collins performed "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" at the Princes Trust Rock Gala in 1987.

Paul Shane's performance of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" on Pebble Mill at One in 1996 was voted the 72nd Funniest Moment on British Television in a poll on Channel 4 in 2004. [4]

During the Main Event Tour of Australia in 1998, the headliners John Farnham, Olivia Newton-John and Anthony Warlow joined vocal forces on "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"; the performance was included on the 1999 album release Highlights from The Main Event.

Reggae versions of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" have been cut by Lorna Bennett, the Blackstones, Dennis Brown, Ray Darwin, the Heptones and Sugar Minott.

Instrumental versions have been recorded by Acker Bilk, Paul Brett, Fania All-Stars, Floyd Cramer, Sonny Criss, King Curtis, Johnny Harris, James Last, Lincoln Mayorga, Junior Mance, Bill Pursell, Boots Randolph, John Schroeder, and Kai Winding.

Other versions (table)

References