The week of April 5, 1966, found The Righteous Brothers enjoying their second (and last) #1 hit, ‘(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration.’ Two years earlier, the duo reached the top spot with ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.’
You might have guessed the other #1 was 1965’s ‘Unchained Melody,’ but that classic peaked at #4. The Righteous Brothers’ other two top ten hits were ‘Just Once in My Life’ and ‘Ebb Tide,’ both also released in 1965.
‘(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration’ was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who also penned ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling’ (with an assist from producer Phil Spector). This song was shelved as a follow-up to that one because it was deemed to similar.
Instead, The Righteous Brothers waited a couple of years and recorded the track without Spector as producer. Righteous Brother Bill Medley handled those duties himself, emulating Spector’s Wall of Sound style.
Girl, I can’t let you do this
Let you walk away
Girl, how can I live through this?
When you’re all I wake up for each day, baby
[Chorus]
You’re my soul and my heart’s inspiration
You’re all I got to get me by
You’re my soul and my heart’s inspiration
Without you, baby, what good am I?
[Verse 2]
I never had much going
But at least I had you
How can you walk out knowing
I ain’t got nothing left if you do, baby?
[Chorus]
You’re my soul and my heart’s inspiration
You’re all I got to get me by
You’re my soul and my heart’s inspiration
Without you, baby, what good am I?
Oh, what good am I?
[Bridge]
Baby, I can’t make it without you
And I’m, I’m telling you, honey
You’re my reason for laughing, for crying
For living and for dying
Baby, I can’t make it without you
Please, I’m begging you, baby
If you go, it will kill me, I swear it
Girl, I just can’t bear it
[Chorus]
You’re my soul and my heart’s inspiration
You’re all I got to get me by
You’re my soul and my heart’s inspiration
Without you, baby, what good am I?
What good am I?
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