Background
In 1956, Roy Orbison was signed to Sun Records that launched rockabilly legends such as Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins. Orbison's first releases reflected the style in "Ooby Dooby", "Go! Go! Go!", and a song he wrote for the Everly Brothers about his future wife, "Claudette". Orbison found marginal success at Sun Records, but felt that his talents were not being employed appropriately because he was made to sing twelve-bar rock standards with heavy guitars and drums.
In 1960, Orbison's style changed when he moved to Monument Records to what he would become known for the rest of his career. With "Only the Lonely", co-written with Joe Melson, Orbison's songs turned to introspective and plaintive ballads, and they fully employed his powerful three-octave vocal range backed by more orchestral accompaniment. A recurring musical theme in many of Orbison's songs is a climax in a story that is represented by a raw, emotionally vulnerable confession sung in an "eerily high falsetto", according to author Peter Lehman.
Orbison was a rare performer; when many rock and roll concerts were accompanied with frenetic performances onstage, Orbison rarely moved. His voice was what got the attention of listeners. k.d. lang, who sang "Crying" with him in a duet, later wrote, "It wasn't like Elvis: It wasn't like your loins were on fire or anything like that. It's more like Roy was a private place to go — a solace or a refuge." Monument Records founder Fred Foster said of him, "He used such intricate, beautiful melodies. He brought a kind of baroque, classical style to pop music."
Read more about this topic: In Dreams (song)
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