In his lifetime and long afterwards, Roy Orbison was one of the few rock musicians to fully explore and reflect the inner fears and concerns of his male listeners. The emotional and mental lives of men are not often as respected as they should be, and certainly not always truly present in the lyrical content of popular music. What he possessed was a stunning emotional clarity, coupled with the neo-operatic quality of his voice, that put something on display amongst men that is rarely explored in music- their vulnerability.
One of my proudest moments was when my son's first-grade class were asked "Do you have a favorite singer?". When it was his turn, he answered "Roy Orbison". Roy remains, for me, the greatest male vocalist I've ever heard outside an opera hall. Re. unconventional song structures: "In Dreams" broke all the rules too. Instead of something like ABABCAB, it just went ABCDEF. Nothing repeated. More like a classical concerto in six movements. Thank you for posting this article!
Fantastic piece, Robert. Roy Orbison and George Jones have always occupied a similar space in my universe — both phenomenally talented singers (though Roy obviously had the more impressive vocal range) who were reliably excellent on rockers, absolutely otherworldly on more emotional songs, and always capable of elevating even the most mediocre material.
What a great review of the rise of a magnificent singer. Those songs were an essential part of my college life. They filled the void left by the tragic loss of Buddy Holly in early 1958. Roy was such a great influence on the other artists who joined him as part of the Traveling Wilburys. I also enjoy the iconic “Black and White Night” concert.
Robert, excellent post as always. I had not heard "Blue Angel" in light years! I was just a young kid when I first heard it while living at home in Rhode Island. So many memories welled up. Orbison's voice and phrasing were well ahead of the curve. Dylan's quote in the Wiki article on Orbison is telling.
What a great quote - for me, if I am in right frame of mind, I can listen to 'Running Scared' and be shaken up for hours afterwards. There are a few recordings that can do what that recording does and it's almost 65 years old now - wow!
In his lifetime and long afterwards, Roy Orbison was one of the few rock musicians to fully explore and reflect the inner fears and concerns of his male listeners. The emotional and mental lives of men are not often as respected as they should be, and certainly not always truly present in the lyrical content of popular music. What he possessed was a stunning emotional clarity, coupled with the neo-operatic quality of his voice, that put something on display amongst men that is rarely explored in music- their vulnerability.
Very well said here, David. Del Shannon was a kindred spirit in this respect and influenced, for sure, by Orbison.
Shannon definitely was influenced in Orbison, in voice if not in content as well. And he had that weird-ass keyboard on his records besides.
He also covered some of Orbison's biggest hits.
This is such a good point. You don't really get a male singer exploring his mental and emotional life again until Morrissey.
One of my proudest moments was when my son's first-grade class were asked "Do you have a favorite singer?". When it was his turn, he answered "Roy Orbison". Roy remains, for me, the greatest male vocalist I've ever heard outside an opera hall. Re. unconventional song structures: "In Dreams" broke all the rules too. Instead of something like ABABCAB, it just went ABCDEF. Nothing repeated. More like a classical concerto in six movements. Thank you for posting this article!
Very cool! I figured the structure of 'In Dreams' was as you said. Very unorthodox and works perfectly.
Fantastic piece, Robert. Roy Orbison and George Jones have always occupied a similar space in my universe — both phenomenally talented singers (though Roy obviously had the more impressive vocal range) who were reliably excellent on rockers, absolutely otherworldly on more emotional songs, and always capable of elevating even the most mediocre material.
Thank you, Dan. I need to better know George Jones' music - one of many things of my music to-do list.
What a great review of the rise of a magnificent singer. Those songs were an essential part of my college life. They filled the void left by the tragic loss of Buddy Holly in early 1958. Roy was such a great influence on the other artists who joined him as part of the Traveling Wilburys. I also enjoy the iconic “Black and White Night” concert.
Thanks, Richard - I appreciate the kind word very much.
Robert, excellent post as always. I had not heard "Blue Angel" in light years! I was just a young kid when I first heard it while living at home in Rhode Island. So many memories welled up. Orbison's voice and phrasing were well ahead of the curve. Dylan's quote in the Wiki article on Orbison is telling.
What a great quote - for me, if I am in right frame of mind, I can listen to 'Running Scared' and be shaken up for hours afterwards. There are a few recordings that can do what that recording does and it's almost 65 years old now - wow!
Timeless artistry and the ability to transmit felt emotion in song. It is a great gift. He had it.