"Unchain My Heart" is a song written by Bobby Sharp and recorded by Ray Charles. Sharp, a drug addict at the time, sold the song to Teddy Powell for $50. Powell demanded half the songwriting credit. Sharp later successfully fought for the rights to his song. In 1987, he was also able to renew the copyright for his publishing company, B. Sharp Music.
The song was a hit for Charles when released as a single in late 1961. Accompanied by his Raelettes, Charles sung about wanting to be free from a woman "who won't let (him) go".
It was also accompanied by his longtime saxophonist, David "Fathead" Newman and other members of Charles' band. The song reached the top 10 on the pop singles chart and number one on the R&B singles chart and was the working title of Charles' 2004 biopic Ray.
In 1963, doo-wop band The Rivingtons covered "Unchain My Heart" on their Doin' The Bird LP. The track was further popularised by Joe Cocker when he named his 1987 album after the song. Another a cappella group, The Bobs recorded a version in 1994. Also, the Australian government used the Joe Cocker version - illegally - to promote the introduction of the GST in 2000.
