3 Raw and Emotional Soul Ballads From the 1960s That Still Give Us Goosebumps

Many great soul ballads exist. But there is a special category of raw and emotional tunes that, no matter how many times we’ve heard them, continue to give us goosebumps. They arrived at just the right time in history, performed in the right voice, and with exquisite production, like these enduring soul ballads from the 1960s.

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“Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers

“Unchained Melody” originated as the theme song for the 1955 prison film, Unchained. Todd Duncan, portraying a prisoner in the film, recorded the lonesome theme, which was written by Alex North and Hy Zaret. It remains one of the most-covered tunes of the 20th century, though the definitive version belongs to The Righteous Brothers, who, in 1965, landed a Top-10 hit with it. Credited to the duo, it’s actually a solo performance by Bobby Hatfield, who apparently won a coin toss to record the song instead of his bandmate, Bill Medley. Distant and yearning, “Unchained Melody” still delivers goosebumps decades later.

Oh, my love, my darling,
I’ve hungered for your touch,
A long, lonely time.
And time goes by so slowly,
And time can do so much,
Are you still mine?

“A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke

Sam Cooke’s civil rights anthem first appeared as the B-side to his posthumous 1964 single, “Shake”. It was partly inspired by Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind”. But Cooke, though moved by the song, also felt shame for not having written something similar. While both recordings represent two very different corridors of American music, Dylan’s folk standard has its origins in the Black spiritual “No More Auction Block For Me”. However, Cooke’s motivation was more immediate. Weeks before writing “A Change Is Gonna Come”, he had been arrested after being denied a room at a segregated Louisiana motel. Two paths and two distinct voices helped put civil rights front and center in popular music.

I go to the movie,
And I go downtown,
And somebody keep telling me, “Don’t hang around.”

“Ain’t No Way” by Aretha Franklin

“Ain’t no way for me to love you / If you won’t let me,” Aretha Franklin sings in a heartfelt ballad written by her sister, Carolyn. Another iconic tune introduced as a B-side, Franklin’s operatic song backed her 1968 single, “(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone”. Both tracks appear on Franklin’s smash LP, Lady Soul, and has an album ever been more perfectly titled? “Chain Of Fools” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” also appear on the chart-topping classic. And check out Cissy Houston’s wailing soprano in the background. Lady Soul, indeed.

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