Always loved Roy Orbison's singing, but seeing it on the pitch monitor really drives home how great he was. Shame we lost him at such a young age.

Tom Petty used to tell Orbison that he was the best singer in the world. Orbison always replied, “Yeah.” 😊

A couple of little stories about Roy. In 1961 he had is first #1 hit, Running Scared. The song was almost abandoned when Roy had a problem hitting the high note that ends the song. He was singing it using falsetto and it was being drowned out by the orchestra. Fred Foster, the producer, even tried to make an improptu isolation booth in the studio by surrounding Roy with coat racks, but even that wasn't enough to keep the orchestra from drowning him out. According to Foster, Roy was getting frustrated and then on a take, he abandoned the falsetto and belted out the note (a high A above middle C) in full chest voice. Everyone was stunned and the orchestra stopped playing. Music scholars say that Enrico Caruso and Roy Orbison were the only tenors of the twentieth century capable of hitting the E over high C! Wikipedia says that Foster didn't want him to sing in falsetto, but in the interviews I've read with Foster, dropping the falsetto appears to be Roy's choice, as Foster says he and everyone else were shockeded when he sang that note in chest voice. The other little story is my brother produced a Roy Orbison concert in a city just north of Boston in 1988. I got to meet and talk with Roy quite a bit, not only after he met with fans, but sometimes going outside with him to have a cigarette. I expected him to be shy, but he was not shy at all and seemed to love being with people. He was just very softspoken and one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. The only problem with the concert was shortly after tickets began selling, the date for the final game of the playoff series between the Boston Bruins and the Edmonton Oilers for the Stanley Cup was announced, and it was the same day. Ticket sales for the concert immediately dropped off. When the Bruins are in the Stanley Cup playoffs, it's nearly impossible to get people in the greater Boston area to get people to go anywhere that doesn't have a TV with the game on it! Roy felt bad about the low turnout and told my brother he would come again next year and he would make sure my brother made money. He wouldn't charge a fee or take a portion of the ticket sales. The only costs my brother would have to pay would be his plane fare and hotel. That shows what a sincere, generous and caring person he really was. He gave my brother a couple of numbers to call when he was ready to set it up. Unfortunately, it was several months later when Roy died unexpectedly of a heart attack.

When any of his songs start playing, you know immediately who it is. Incredible talent and vocal ability are off the charts. ❤

The Travelling Wilburys were THE SHEITE, weren't they?? His Bobness, George Ladytone, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty! And Roy??? Best Superband, EVER!

Fil, your smile of delight when you listen to great artists who can perform without auto tune underlines how much you love music. Thankyou for sharing your appreciation and knowledge with us.

Who’d ever thought I’d watch a guy in a sweatshirt sit there, smiling, and bobbing his head to a song, and ENJOY watching him do that?

Thanks for doing this great legend! Roy Orbison had one of the smoothest powerful voices around. He could sing real high falsetto & also low. Elvis Presley loved Roy's voice. Roy had lots of hits in the 60's such as "Only the Lonely", "Crying", "Running Scared", "Pretty Woman", "In Dreams", "Love Hurts", "Blue Bayou" etc. In 1988, he co-founded the Traveling Wilburys (a rock supergroup) with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, & Jeff Lynne. They had a lot of great songs such as "Handle With Care" & "End Of The Line".

No need to use the pitch monitor on Roy. He was perfection. Thanks for this❣️

I just have to say that the look of absolute delight on your face every time you return to Roy's performance is a thing of beauty.

OMG I 💙 Roy Orbison! His lower and upper registers are equally rich and he brings the facets of a classically-trained singer to everything.

Roy Orbison's voice was referred to as operatic!! There has never been anyone with a voice as rich as his!! The Wilbury's said that they wished that they would have used his voice more often. Thank you, Fil

The most impressive thing about Roy's vocal is that it was only recorded as a demo at Tom Kelly's home studio. There is a video here on KZfaq where he discusses Roy's recording. Billy Steinberg sang the original demo and one day Roy came by Tom's house and they simply took Billy's voice off the demo and Roy did two vocal takes of the song. According to Tom at the time of the recording Roy was not signed to a major record label so they simply held onto the recording and after Roy's death they sent the two vocal takes to Roy's widow who in turn sent them to Jeff Lynn who then built the music around the vocal.

I love Roy’s version of this song!! Omg..What a VOICE!!!! That man was just unbelievable!! Love, Love, LOVE, and miss him so much!! Thanks, Fil..❤

Another great deep dive! Slight correction, Cyndi released hers in 1989, which I remember because it was the year I graduated high school and went off to college! 😄 The length and accomplishment of Roy Orbison's career was legendary. And such a unique and soaring voice!

I've always loved the Cyndi Lauper version of this song. But Roy's voice is so perfect for it. Great analysis Fil.

Love your enthusiasm and facial expressions while doing analysis. Roy was amazing. There is a video of him playing Pretty Woman with a bunch of legendary musicians, and they are all looking at him in awe while playing, and he is apparently singing effortlessly. If you haven’t seen it it’s called Black and White Night or something like that.

Any day is a good day for Roy Orbison! His voice was just the most amazing instrument that nobody else could play. He could climb from the lowest point all the way up off the charts! Thank you for this, great upload!

Thank you for highlighting Roy Orbison. He endured a lot of sadness in his life & some of his songs and the emotion with which he sings still can bring me to tears. Definitely a blessing to have loved his music for so many, many years. I always loved the falsetto. Lou Christie has an awesome falsetto as well, but with a totally different vibe. Love your analyses, Fil. Thanks again!

Another legend! One of kind with his soaring other worldly amazing voice. On this particular song I love the forward motion drum beat, one of my favorites, perfect melody for the words. With Roy its just one great song after the other. Listen up kids this music will cleanse your soul☺

The Caruso of Rock, The Big O, The Voice... easy to understand his nicknames. He was about 50 when this song was released and still had it

Roy Orbison is a music miracle

Roy was a great singer, who had a very nice and strong voice, he was one of the great legends in the 60's. I enjoyed this song and analysis! 😉👍

I like how the percussion and guitar is the sound of tires on a rough highway.

Wow, I forgot what an amazing voice he had. What a phenomenal performance!

Another Roy Orbiison song? I'm all in. Absolutely. You mentioned Cyndi Lauper. I was very dismissive of her as an artist, but then heard "Sally's Pigeons". This would be a perfect addition to your repertoire. A powerful song and a powerful video. Much respect.

Thanks Fil for featuring this tune by Roy. It's easily seen here how he was much more than just the song Pretty Woman. The control He has throughout his incredible vocal range is absolutely amazing He was just a phenomenal talent taken away from us much too soon.

He was a 4 pack a day smoker and had a grueling touring schedule. But he could effortlessly hit those notes all day, everyday! WoW!!

Absolutely one of the best Fil and he was on a big comback with the projects he was involved in. Seriously he had a really ruff go with loss from a serious house fire lost some family, coin ect. But he loved his fans and We will never see a talent like him again! & Fil there isnt one tune he has done that I haven't enjoyed ever! What a voice!😊 WE SURE appreciate the wide spectrum of music you cover. You are a classy fella beyond Fil! We Ty for all you do! Luv&Peace friend & Cheers to a great holiday🎉 season! 💛✌🏼💫

Hi! Fantastic song! What a voice he had, Roy Orbison ⭐ I get nostalgic every time I watch Orbison's official video. It features Jason Priestley and Jennifer Connelly. What a couple they made 💖 I love Cyndi's and Céline Dion's versions, too. Thank you, Fil. Great analysis 🖤🤘🏽

What a voice! Roy reminds me of my mom. Pretty Women and Leah were her favorite songs. 😊🤶🎅🌲👏👏👏

I've been listening to Roy since the 80's and appreciated that he had a unique voice, but when it's isolated, it can be seen how beautiful a voice he had . I must confess that I get emotional every time I watch this particular analysis and that there's a tear (or two) when his voice goes up and up. Was sad to see him go.

Produced by and with musical accompaniment by the great Jeff Lynne.

Had this on my playlist for a long time. He's amazing.

Oh, I love this song! I've not heard this version as much as the Cyndi Lauper version, which I also love. Roy Orbison was such an amazing vocalist.

The great Roy Orbison! What a fabulous voice he had. Look at the Black & White night with Bruce Springsteen (among others…like K.D. Lang and more. It was so great.) Also, the Traveling Wilburys. Roy’s voice was/is “the bomb.” Elvis once said that Roy Orbison was the “greatest singer in the world.” I love this song, Fil. Thanks for the review and your appreciation of Roy’s voice.

Liked the inclusion of sound of R O's isolated vocals, and the visuals of that continuous vibrato thru-out his range.

Fil, I don't think its possible for you to hit on any more detail than you do! Lol The last few videos have been exceptional. You have trained my brain. Thank you, keep up the good work. I m really enjoying!

This is a hidden gem. It's amazing he was able to pull off a performance like this a year before his death. I love Jeff Lynne's production. This track sounds a little like ELO and even more like the Killers, which is not surprising, with Brandon Flowers being the closest thing to Roy Orbison alive today. Thanks for posting this.

I love his collaboration with Bono in Mystery Girl

Just great. Song, Roy and the analysis.

Having said that... Roy is spot on... unbeleivable.

Thanks Fil! One of my favorite Roy Orbison songs. It's a masterpiece. Incredible vocal!

This is such an exciting song, and I adore both performances - Roy’s and Cyndi’s! 💜🎶🎤

One of the greatest vocalists of all time.

Brilliant. Love Roy. You have a lot of good things about you. One is that you are a nice guy, you have such a diverse taste in music, and you are so knowledgeable, despite being Young. I really enjoy your video's.

Great info on the "Gallop" I've played guitar since I was 8 years old (75 now) and I had never heard that term. I feel smarter since I started watching your videos. Thanks for what you do.

Great song. Great singer. And great video. Thank you Fil.

A legend Indeed! Roy had a very unique voice that just brings a smile to your face. I can tell you really enjoy your work! Great analysis sweet Fil!!! 💜

Hi Fil, What a wonderful analysis and wonderful song. Roy Orbison was just crazy talented! The build up of the song to where the high note happens is incredible. Like how you specifically pointed out his breath control and not breaking up phrases. And even when he did take a breath, you almost hardly didn’t even notice it… now that is just great breath control. You really had to look for it and listen out for it. Have always loved his voice especially his song Crying, one of his classics. It never gets old listening to him! OK and I totally heard Iron Maiden on that galloping guitar demo… LOL… like you said so much to take in from this song. Awesome analysis… thank you so much…Debbie☮️

Wow thank you for doing this performance. Loved the breakdown and listening to the song. His version is my favorite. Thanks!

Fantastic voice . Excellent analysis.

hi fil, hope your weekend was nice! love from canada!

I always thought there was something very beautiful but slightly tragic about this song.

I really enjoyed this analysis. Roy Orbison sure had some powerful vocals. Great song and always nice listening to your guitar demonstrations. 😊🎸🎵

He had a one of a kind voice & I don't need to see it on a graph to know it. Loved Cryin' Over You. Great analysis as always.❤

Cyndi's version came out in 1989 actually and it reached #6 on the Billboard charts, Roy's version was released in 1992, it's true the songwriters had intended Roy to sing it but I guess he died so couldn't release it so the songwriters then gave it to Cyndi, Cyndi did say she chose not to listen to Roy's Demo bc she didn't want to be influenced by it, I consider both of them (Cyndi and Roys) to be original bc neither covered the other, BTW Cyndi Lauper also had a 4 Octave range.

He was amazing to listen to, very unique voice & fun songs. The cigarettes aged him though, I thought he was in his 70's when he died. Thanks Fil😎🌜⭐️🎙🎶🎼🎸

Good to see Fil smiling with appreciation for a fine song and an even finer vocal performance. The Big O would have been gratified to receive such a positive technical analysis.

Today, I've fallen in love again with Roy Orbison 🥰🥰🥰! Thank you so much, Fil 🤩! Aloha from Berlin ❤🧡💛💚💙💜

Roy Orbison's hidden gem from that time is the song California Blue written by himself and Lynne/Petty

Cyndi Lauper's version was a hit in the late spring-early summer of 1989. Roy's version appeared on the various artists album "Nintendo White Knuckle Scorin'" and was a minor hit in the late spring-early summer of 1992, several months before it appeared on his album "King of Hearts."

Roy Orbison had one of those amazing voices that once you hear it, you will instantly recognize it whenever you hear it again, no matter what the song is.

Wow! What a surprise; my absolutely favourite Orbison song! This piece never stops giving me the chills and not just because I love it but, believe it or not, because I've lived it! It was a 14-15 hour run to see my lady love with one brief stop for petrol at the halfway mark. It would have been a lot easier with dexedrine as my travelling companion but all I had was cold air and a blasting stereo. Your analysis is as detailed as it always is but with this performance I don't need an oscilloscope to tell me that I'm listening to perfection.…! 😎🎸🔥(I can't express my happiness!)

This song is presently being used in a Jeep commercial with Derek Jeter that is on TV frequently. It is sung by a group called Highdive. The song was also recorded by Celine Dion.

Great analysis, Fil ! I have heard of Roy Orbison, but this is the first time I've heard him sing ! Once again, you have opened my eyes to another voice I would have never heard ! He certainly had a great voice and vibrato!

The Golden Voice of the Big O !

Fil, Your voice is lovely. When can we expect an album of ballads and lullabies for grownups? (Not rocky, but I think there's a market for bedtime music for adults.) ❤

The brilliant ring in Roy's voice on the high A#, which allows his voice to carry without singing any louder is called squillo. It's a technique that is mastered by the very top opera singers. Roy Orbison could have been a legit operatic tenor.

A very good song, he had a great voice.

Roy was always spot on , absolutely unique .

I was told that Orbison had a four octave range. I can believe it when hearing a song like this!

This is my new favorite version! Celine Dion sang this song too.

The most gifted pop/rock singer ever.

Thanks bunches for putting on Roy Orbison. One of a kind from way back in the 60's. As a young boy then hearing those songs just on a radio was amazing. Guys would try to sing like that and just couldn't do it. Everyone would laugh, and it was just great times for those lucky enough to live it back then. Do a review on Only The Lonely. An even bigger major hit song.

this really shows the power of roy orbison's voice

I love this song, LOVE ROY, and Lauper AND Celine Dion's version too!!! Great song. Sooooooo romantic.

There were many covers, but this is still the best version. Mystery Girl album released after his untimely death.

We really appreciate your analysis efforts Fil, not just for this song but for all of your commentaries...I just wish you could do this for all of Jimi's stuff (at 72 I grew up listening to Jimi)

I was always such a huge Roy fan it didn't register with me that Cyndi did a cover of this song.

It’s beautiful. Have loved Roy forever. The tune is mindful of Running Scared. Very familiar Orbinson sound. Good selection, Fil. Always love your presentations.

What a great analysis of a great performer, I love the way you look at and explain songs and singers, Roy was a true great, and was excellent live, we saw him live at the Bridlington Spa way back when! Total legend! Cheers Fil!

Bought the CD when it came out. The whole album is fantastic!

I love Roy , His music , His testimony, everything

That voice... it breaks my heart every time without fail. And thanks for another terrific analysis and your sweet smile, these videos are such a heartwarmer for me at the moment during a nasty bout of COVID. Thanks man.

That video was so much fun to watch - thank you:) Love Roy Orbison's voice, utterly unique and that was a great song for him!:)

One of the best voices in the world...❤❤❤❤

I just listened to the Roy Orbison version for the first time. It gave me chills just as much as the Cyndi Lauper version. This does not happen very often but I actually like both versions equally.

I've always loved Roy Orbison; his voice is so full of emotion; but for some reason, I'd never heard this song. Fil, you are spot on; what breath control and range...just wonderous. No matter what or with whom he sings, it's always superb. Besides all of his fantastic hits, I'm particularly fond of his time with the Traveling Wilburys. It just goes to show, when there is mastery of voice, there is no need for auto tune and pitch correction.

She’s a mystery to me…..greatest song ever!!!!

Not familiar with this song from Roy. Great backround info. Roy had such a great vibrato. Another great legend, who left us to soon. Thanks for your terrific analysis Fil.

Roy is a unique voice in music. Good one Fil

Great song. My thoughts: Such a smooth Singer(and almost operatic). The song itself is romantic and describes what the U.S. is like; the expanse of the U.S. is enormous. A man driving miles(cross country) to be with his true love and a caveat: It must be alright because he drove all night (for Christ sake!). Edgy and smooth, much like the singer(was?). I love a great song "story." Thanks for sharing. Now I have to look for the Cindy Lauper version. I can't imagine that she could top that version. That song's melody seems to suit your voice. I hope you consider doing more rock ballads (is that what that is?)

Roy Orbison is my favourite singer!

On a romantic note. In the early 60s dancing with future hubby, it was always Roy’s songs that he used to sing to me.

Roy really could just make a song his own, couldn’t he? My goodness. If I had to have a favorite I would have to pick Roy’s version from his 1992 posthumous album first, Cyndi’s 1989 version a CLOSE second and Celine’s version third (which I heard first).

Roy Orbison - Recorded in 1987, Released posthumously in 1992 - 'King of Hearts' album Cyndi Lauper - Released 1989 #6 Billboard Top 100 - 'A Night to Remember' album Celine Dion - Released 2003 #45 Billboard Top 100 - 'One Heart' album

The vibrato🤠👏👏

Could be one of the best songs ever written.

I’ve always loved this song! It really drives. I’m really enjoying your breakdown of these songs, just shows how much is going on! Much appreciated 👍