4 Hits That Thrived Thanks to the Influence of Roy Orbison

Roy Orbison left an indelible imprint on the pop music world, both while he was with us and in the wake of his passing. His towering vocals brought operatic grandeur to AM radio, ratcheting the emotional stakes up to the stratosphere.

Orbison also developed a distinct sound on his records that influenced many. Here are four examples of songs by others that might not have happened were it not for Orbison’s staggering legacy.

“Please Please Me” by The Beatles

Many people have likely listened to “Please Please Me” dozens of times without ever realizing that Roy Orbison heavily influenced the track. The Beatles knew well of Orbison, who met them in England before they became famous themselves. When John Lennon started writing “Please Please Me”, he did so with the sauntering rhythm that Orbison used on songs like “Running Scared”. This was how the song sounded when the band first played it for George Martin. Martin didn’t like it in that guise, so the band sped up the tempo. But you can still hear how the song was indebted to Orbison in the way that the vocals shoot up into the falsetto range in the refrain.

“Without You” by Harry Nilsson

If you’re going to dare to do a song that woke up the echoes of Roy Orbison, you better possess the vocal ability to hang in the same ballpark. Harry Nilsson was one of the few guys who could make that kind of claim. He could deploy his voice in a number of ways, sometimes coming on sweet and cuddly, other times manic and raw. On “Without You”, which had first been performed by Badfinger and was written by their band members Pete Ham and Tom Evans, Nilsson went for the gusto with an octave jump the second time he sang the refrain. It was the kind of bold vocal move that Orbison perfected on songs like “Crying”. Nilsson rose to that occasion and walked away with a No. 1 hit because of it.

“You’re Only Lonely” by JD Souther

Again, here you have a vocalist who could tackle vocal gambits that were like what Orbison could handle. JD Souther also managed to use the tactic to help him get his elusive first pop hit. Up until he released “You’re Only Lonely” in 1979, Souther had been one of those guys whose name you’d see in the credits of hit records. He co-wrote several Eagles hits and sang, played, and wrote for Linda Ronstadt as well. His solo work didn’t get the same kind of recognition, possibly because he was giving away his best tunes. On “You’re Only Lonely”, he not only borrowed Orbison’s vocal stylings but also used a title similar to one of Roy’s biggest hits (“Only The Lonely”).

“Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak

The filmmaker David Lynch found something unsettling in Orbison’s “In Dreams”, utilizing the song to great effect in his freaky masterpiece Blue Velvet. A few years later, Lynch was back at it on Wild At Heart. Instead of using an Orbison song, he found something of a more modern vintage that still possessed a timeless, haunting quality. Chris Isaak had released “Wicked Game” as a single in 1989 to little impact. When it appeared in Lynch’s film, radio stations started playing it. A sultry video only added to the song’s momentum. Isaak managed to combine Orbison-style vocal runs with something moody and mysterious, creating something new out of the familiar template for the biggest hit of his career.

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