ONLY
THE LONELY
ROY ORBISON
SONGWRITERS: JOE
MELSON & ROY ORBISON
WHERE: LIVE ON AUSTIN
CITY 1982
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: LONELY AND BLUE
LABEL: MONUMENT RECORDS
GENRE: ROCK AND ROLL
YEAR: 1960
"Only the Lonely
(Know the Way I Feel)" is a 1960 song written by Roy Orbison and Joe
Melson. Orbison's recording of the song, produced by Fred Foster for Monument
Records, was the first major hit for the singer. It was described by The New
York Times as expressing "a clenched, driven urgency". Released as a 45
rpm single by Monument Records in May 1960, "Only the Lonely" went to
No. 2 on the United States Billboard pop music charts on 25 July 1960 (blocked
by Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry") and No. 14 on the Billboard R&B
charts. "Only the Lonely" reached Number One in the United Kingdom, a
position it achieved on 20 October 1960, staying there for two weeks (out of a
total of 24 weeks spent on the UK singles chart from 28 July 1960). The
personnel on the original recording included Orbison's session regulars Buddy
Harman on drums, Floyd Cramer on piano, Bob Moore on bass, and Hank Garland and
Harold Bradley on guitar.
Roy Kelton Orbison (April
23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter and musician
known for his distinctive, impassioned voice, complex song structures, and dark
emotional ballads. The combination led many critics to describe his music as operatic,
nicknaming him "the Caruso of Rock" and "the Big O". While
most male rock-and-roll performers in the 1950s and 1960s projected a defiant
masculinity, many of Orbison's songs instead conveyed vulnerability. His voice
ranged from baritone to tenor, and music scholars have suggested that he had a
three- or four-octave range. During performances, he was known for standing
still and solitary, and for wearing black clothes, to match his dyed jet black
hair and dark sunglasses, which lent an air of mystery to his persona.
(Dum, dum, dum, dumdy-do, ah)
(Whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah-yaa)
(Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa-oow, ah-ah)
(Only the lonely)
(Only the lonely)
Only the lonely
(Dum, dum, dum, dumdy-do, ah)
Know the way I feel tonight
(Whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah-yaa)
Only the lonely
(Dum, dum, dum, dumdy-do, ah)
Know this feeling ain't right
(Dum, dum, dum, dumdy-do, ah)
There goes my baby
There goes my heart
They've gone forever
So far apart
But only the lonely
Know why I cry
Only the lonely
(Dum, dum, dum, dumdy-do, ah)
(Whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah-yaa)
(Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa-oow, ah-ah)
(Only the lonely)
(Only the lonely)
Only the lonely
Know the heartaches I've been through
Only the lonely know I cry and cry for you
May be tomorrow
A new romance
No more sorrow
But that's the chance
You've gotta take
If you're lonely heartbreak
Only the lonely.