and time can do so much

I'm fascinated by obituaries-- these mini biographies never fail to turn up some previously unknown and surprising nugget of information.Today, for example. Did you even know that the lyricist of "Unchained Melody" was still alive at age 99? (Well, he was until yesterday.) Per the NY Times:"Mr. Zaret liked to tell about the time the composer Alex North called him to say he had written a song for a movie and needed words. Mr. Zaret replied that he was busy painting his house. But he found time to write the lyrics for "Unchained Melody." The movie itself, "Unchained," a low-budget prison film, turned out to be a lot less memorable than the song."... Mr. Zaret, a habitual contrarian, refused a producer's request to include the word "unchained" in his lyrics, though it was impossible to keep it out of the title." ... None of Mr. Zaret's other songs came close to this success, but many did very well. "One Meat Ball," a novelty song with music by Lou Singer about a poor man with only 15 cents to spend for a meatball, was a hit for the Andrews Sisters in 1945. ... "Dedicated to You," written with Sammy Cahn and Saul Chaplin, is a perennial jazz favorite."And here's the best part: "Although Mr. Zaret appreciated the royalties-- "Unchained Melody" made him financially independent-- he was just as proud of the educational and public service songs he wrote, often with Mr. Singer, for radio, television and schools. He addressed fire prevention with "Never Clean With Gasoline," fought racism with "Brown-Skinned Cow" and satisfied curiosity with "Why Are Bananas Picked Green?" and "How Does a Frog Become a Frog?""Unchained Melody." "One Meat Ball." "Never Clean With Gasoline." Now, that's a résumé.Question: In 1999, [says the Times] Ascap said it was one of the 25 most-performed songs and musical works of the 20th century. In a list released in 2003, Ascap called it the most-performed love song of the 1950s. Anyone have a favorite version that is not by the Righteous brothers? (Note: Mentions of Ghost may be deleted.)