"Just Once in My Life" is a song written by Gerry Goffin, Carole King and

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

. The song was released by

the Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the Lo ...

in 1965 and reached No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

The Righteous Brothers' original

After the success of the Righteous Brothers' first single with Phil Spector, "

You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin is a song by Phil Spector, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, first recorded in 1964 by the American vocal duo the Righteous Brothers, whose version was also produced by Spector and is cited by some music critics as ...

", the writers of the song Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil then wrote "

(You're My) Soul and Inspiration "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" is a song by American pop duo the Righteous Brothers. It was the group's first hit after leaving their long-time producer Phil Spector. The song was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who also wrote the group ...

" for them. The song however was not completed, and Spector instead asked Carole King to write a song for the duo, which turned out to be "Just Once in My Life". The Righteous Brothers released their version as a single in April 1965 as the follow-up to "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". Their second release on the Philles label, the single was another big hit, making the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, reaching number nine. '' Billboard'' described the song as "exciting, dramatic, emotion filled production performances by the "Lovin' Feeling" boys" which "can't miss."

Charts

The Beach Boys version

The song was covered by the American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

and released on their 1976 album ''

15 Big Ones ''15 Big Ones'' is the 20th studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released July 5, 1976 on Brother/Reprise. It includes a mix of original songs and renditions of rock 'n' roll and R&B standards. The LP was the band's first albu ...

''.

Personnel

Personnel per 2000 liner notes. The Beach Boys * Carl Wilson – lead vocal, percussion * Brian Wilson – lead and backing vocals, piano, organ, Moog synthesizer, ARP String Ensemble *

Al Jardine Alan Charles Jardine (born September 3, 1942) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best known as the band's rhythm guitarist and for occasionally singing lead vocals on singles such as " Help Me, Rh ...

– backing vocals *

Mike Love Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys with his cousins Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson and their friend Al Jardine. Characterized by his nasal tenor and occasional bas ...

– backing vocals *

Dennis Wilson Dennis Carl Wilson (December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. ...

– drums Additional musicians *Ed Carter – guitar *

Ricky Fataar Ricky Fataar (born 5 September 1952) is a South African-English multi-instrumentalist of Cape Malay descent, who has performed as both a drummer and a guitarist. He gained fame as an actor in ''The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash'', a spoof on ...

– percussion * Billy Hinsche – guitar *

Bruce Johnston Bruce Arthur Johnston (born Benjamin Baldwin; June 27, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who is a member of the Beach Boys. Johnston also collaborated on many records with Terry Melcher (his bandmate in Bru ...

– backing vocals

Other recordings

Other artists to release versions include: *The

Alan Price Set Alan Price (born 19 April 1942) is an English musician. He was the original keyboardist for the British band the Animals before he left to form his own band the Alan Price Set. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 as a m ...

The Action The Action were an English band of the 1960s, formed as the Boys in August 1963, in Kentish Town, North West London. They were part of the mod subculture, and played soul music-influenced pop music. Career The band was formed as the Boys in ...

Sources

1965 singles The Righteous Brothers songs Song recordings produced by Phil Spector Songs with lyrics by Gerry Goffin Songs written by Carole King Songs written by Phil Spector The Beach Boys songs 1965 songs Philles Records singles {{1960s-pop-song-stub