(Credit: Jack de Nijs for Anefo)
Mon 27 October 2025 19:00, UK
Roy Orbison has a voice and a way with words which is well and truly one of the greatest in music. No matter what themes he sang about, they struck a chord with all who listened.
Music does different things for us. We play some songs because they are upbeat and fun, and therefore, instil feelings of being upbeat and fun. Additionally, though, there are some songs that trigger something more emotional within the listener. They find themselves in a state of longing, listening to sad songs that tap into something much deeper than other songs do. Roy Orbison is an artist who can boast about having written songs which do both of these things.
You hear some of his music, and it makes for a fun listen; you can move and sing along to it without a moment’s notice. One of the best examples that comes to mind is his classic ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’. Those opening lines are some of the most iconic within music, and it’s easy to understand why. They’re catchy, heartfelt, and a lot of fun to listen to.
“I love the song,” said Orbison when talking about his classic, “From the moment that the rhythm started, I could hear the heels clicking on the pavement, click, click, the pretty woman walking down the street, in a yellow skirt and red shoes.”
Orbison knew that he was onto a winner with the song as there was no delay in writing, recording and releasing it. He knew that this was a track people were going to enjoy, and so didn’t want to dilly dally getting it out into the world. “We wrote ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’ on a Friday, the next Friday we recorded it, and the next Friday it was out. It was the fastest thing I ever saw,” he said.
Orbison then also writes songs which feel a lot sadder. A great example of this is his track ‘Blue Bayou’, which is all about a singer being on the road and their subsequent struggles with loneliness. The song is incredibly heartfelt, as it talks of returning home, to somewhere familiar where the singer feels safe.
Despite the fact the song is sad at its heart, Orbison stands by the idea that it is still quite a happy track, the reason being that at least the subject of the song has somewhere to miss. Not everyone gets to miss an area like the singer does the Bayou, and therefore, despite being about loneliness, Orbison attests that the track should still be considered happy.
“Take a song like ‘Blue Bayou’ for instance, that’s simply a song about being on the road. And that is really a happy song. It probably sounds very strange to you for me to say that. The fellow’s bound and determined to get back to where you sleep all day and the catfish play and the sailing boats and the girls and all that stuff. It’s a beautiful thought,” said Orbison, “Now granted that it is a sad song, a lonely song, but it’s a loneliness that precedes happiness. And I’m not sitting here trying to tell you that I don’t sing lonely songs or anything like that.”
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