On July 31st, 1961, the legendary Roy Orbison released the hit song ‘Crying.’ From 1960 through 1966, Roy had twenty two singles reach the Billboard Top fourty. His hits included ‘Only the Lonely’ and ‘In Dreams.’ Do you remember Roy’s unbelievable look?
Roy’s band is on stage in front of a studio crowd. He sings and plays the guitar with the band wearing matching black suits. Roy’s guitar strap has his name etched on it.
Roy sings the emotionally-charged lyrics, ‘I was alright for a while, I could smile for a while. Then I saw you last night. You held my hand so tight. When you stopped to say hello. You wished me well. You couldn’t tell that I’d been crying over you.’
Roy would typically perform standing motionless while wearing black clothes that matched his dyed black hair. He topped off the outfit with his signature dark sunglasses. He had to deal with stage fright his whole career, and it was believed that the glasses helped him stay calm.
Crying’ was written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson for Roy’s third studio album of the same name. It became a number two hit in the U.S. and was covered in 1980 by Don McLean.
Roy was famous as ‘The Caruso of Rock’ and ‘The Big O’ due to his operatic singing style. He conveyed vulnerability in his lyrics with his emotional ballads.
Roy is most associated with his signature song ‘Oh, Pretty Woman,’ which spent 3 weeks at number one in 1964. ‘Crying’ was ranked 69th on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of ‘The five hundred Greatest Songs of All Time.’ Roy’s different style and stage persona made him a legend in American music.