Classic Guitar Experience: Only the Lonely Roy Orboson tab/chords

.Only the Lonely
Roy Orboson

"Only the Lonely"

by Roy Orboson-Joe Melson

Dum-dum-dum-dumdy-doo-wah

Ooh-yay-yay-yay-yeah

Bb C7

Oh-oh-oh-oh-wah

F C7

Only the lonely

Only the lonely (dum-dum-dum-dumdy-doo-wah)

Know the way I feel tonight (ooh-yay-yay-yay-yeah)

Only the lonely (dum-dum-dum-dumdy-doo-wah)

Bb F

Know this feelin ain't right (dum-dum-dum-dumdy-doo-wah)

There goes my baby

There goes my heart

They're gone forever

G7 C7

So far apart

But only the lonely

Know why

I cry

Only the lonely

Dum-dum-dum-dumdy-doo-wah

Ooh-yay-yay-yay-yeah

Bb C7

Oh-oh-oh-oh-wah

F C7

Only the lonely

Know the heartaches I've been through

Only the lonely

Bb F

Know I cried and cried for you

Maybe tomorrow

A new romance

No more sorrow

G7 C7

But that's the chance - you gotta take

Bb C7

If your lonely heart breaks

Only the lonely

Dum-dum-dum-dumdy-doo-wah

* Alternate:

Capo III

F chord = D chord

Gm chord = Em chord

Bb chord = G chord

C7 chord = A7 chord

G7 chord = E7 chord

Biography

Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988), nicknamed the Big O, was an American singer-songwriter and musician, known for his distinctive, impassioned voice, complex compositions and dark emotional ballads. The combination led many critics to describe his music as operatic, giving him the sobriquet "the Caruso of Rock". Between 1960 and 1964, 22 of his songs placed on the Billboard Top 40, including "Only the Lonely" (1960), "Crying" (1961), and "Oh, Pretty Woman" (1964).

Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly and country and western band in high school. He was signed by Sun Records in 1956, but his greatest success came with Monument Records in the early 1960s. His career stagnated in the 1970s, but was revived by several cover versions of his songs and the use of "In Dreams" in David Lynch's film Blue Velvet (1986). In 1988, he was a member of the Traveling Wilburys super-group, along with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne. He recorded his last solo album, Mystery Girl, the same year but died of a heart attack shortly thereafter.

While most male rock and roll performers in the 1950s and 1960s projected a defiant masculinity, many of Orbison's songs instead conveyed a quiet, almost desperate, vulnerability. His voice ranged from baritone to tenor, and music scholars have suggested that he had a three- or four-octave range. During performances, he was known for standing still and solitary, and for wearing black clothes and dark sunglasses, which lent an air of mystery to his persona.

His honors include inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in the same year, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989. Rolling Stone placed him at number 37 on their list of the "Greatest Artists of All Time" and number 13 on their list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time'. In 2002, Billboard magazine listed Orbison at number 74 in the Top 600 recording artists. (WIKI)

The Story Behind the Song

While this is one of the sadder songs ever recorded, projecting the misery onto Orbison would be a mistake. In 1980, he explained to the NME that many of his most painful songs were written in happier times. Said Roy: "I've always been very content when I wrote all those songs. By this I'm saying that a lot of people think you have to live through something before you can write it, and that's true in some cases, but I remember the times that I was unhappy or discontent, and I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't communicate, and I certainly couldn't write a song, no way. All the songs I wrote that were successful were written when I was in a contented state of mind."

Roy Orbison wrote this with his songwriting partner Joe Melson, but intended to offer the song to either Elvis Presley or the Everly Brothers (who had already recorded Orbison's song "Claudette"). The Everly Brothers persuaded Orbison that he should cut it himself.

This was one of the first songs Roy Orbison and Joe Melson wrote together. The inspiration for the lyrics came from Melson, who as a teenager fell in love with a girl who left him brokenhearted. Melson says that she took off in a Cadillac and the words to this song came to him naturally. Melson also says that the song was his proudest moment as a songwriter, as it was his first hit with Orbison. The pair would write many more hits for Orbison, including "Running Scared," "Crying" and "Blue Bayou." (Song Facts)

Roy Orbison - Only The Lonely

The song was subtitled "Know The Way I Feel" to avoid confusion with another song called "Only The Lonely," which Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen had written for Frank Sinatra in 1958.

This quickly became Orbison's biggest hit and one of the songs that exemplified his poignant lyrics and soulful vocal delivery as he sings about what it's like to be lonely.

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---------------------------------------PLEASE NOTE----------------------------------------
This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the
song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research.
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