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From the late '50s right up until the British invasion of the mid-60s, Roy Orbison was a musical force to be reckoned with.
Roy released one Great Song after another...from "Only the Lonely" to "Crying" to "Oh Pretty Woman," (just to name name 3). Even his version of Willie Nelson's Christmas Song, "Pretty Paper," was a big hit!
But from 1965 to 1988...he rarely cracked the Top 40...and for several years, couldn't even crack the Hot 100!
In 1988, however, two of Roy's biggest fans from back in the day,
invited him to join a special project they were working on, and the offer was both serendipitous...and too good to pass up!
So Roy joined his fans...George Harrison and Jeff Lynne, along with Bob Dylan and Tom Petty to form The Traveling Willburys!
Of course, Roy's distinctive voice was part of The Wilburys Great Song, 1988's "Handle With Care," but that's a song we'll cover in the future.
Today, we're looking at his 1988 solo single, "You Got It," which was a direct result of his involvement with The Willburys. Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty co-wrote it with Roy, Jeff produced it and played guitar, keyboards and bass on the track, while Tom provided acoustic guitar and background vocals.
But make no mistake, "You Got It" was a Roy Orbison song, not only in style, but vocally. His distinctive voice could NOT be mistaken for anyone else's.
In 1989, it reached #9 on Billboard's Hot 100, #7 on the Country Chart...and it topped the Adult Contemporary Chart.
Roy was back--except he wasn't. :(
In a horrible twist of fate, Roy died of a heart attack in December of '88, before "You Got It" and his new solo album, "Mystery Girl," could be finished up and released.
Some people might say that his return to the charts was sympathy-based. but the reality was--and is--Roy was ALWAYS a force to be reckoned with, and just because he wasn't around to enjoy the accolades, doesn't mean he didn't deserve them.
To quote Jeff Lynne: "He was a beautiful guy, as well as the best singer I’ve ever heard.”
"You Got It" by the Great Roy Orbison: a Great Song of 1989!
Tomorrow: Back to 1974 for a Eurovision Runner up.
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