Top 10 Roy Orbison Songs

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Our top 10 Roy Orbison songs list looks at one of the most celebrated songwriters and singers in classic rock history. Listing only 10 Roy Orbison songs is challenging, since he composed and recorded so much brilliant material. Roy Orbison was both a songwriter and a song interpreter. Some of his biggest hits were composed by himself, while many other songs he performed were written by others. Either way, his signature sound was defined by that commencing divine voice that penetrated the lives of so many.

Roy Orbison released his first vinyl single in 1956. The song was entitled “Trying To Get To You.” Roy Orbison was only twenty years old at the time. That same year, Roy Orbison signed with Sun Records and enjoyed his first charting single, entitled “Ooby Dooby.” The song hit number fifty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100. The musical career of Roy Orbison had been launched. Roy Orbison continued to release singles for Sun Records and even had a stint with RCA Records towards the end of the decade. In 1960, Roy Orbison signed a record deal with Monument Records and released his first album, entitled Lonely and Blue. The album would feature three big hit singles, including one of the biggest in his career titled “Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel).”

Roy Orbison followed up his debut album the following year, in 1961, with Crying. The album turned Roy Orbison into a household name, yielding two massive hit singles. The first single release, titled “Running Scared,” became Roy Orbison’s first number one single of his career in the United States. The follow-up single, entitled “Crying,” did almost just as well, reaching the number two position on the Billboard Hot 100.

From 1960 to 1966, Roy Orbison enjoyed multiple hit singles and huge hit albums, cementing his legacy as one of the all-time greats. Roy Orbison would continue to release albums throughout the 70s and early 1980s but never achieve the success he had from 1960 to 1966. However, in 1988, Roy Orbison became a founding member of one of the greatest supergroups of all time, including Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, and Tom Petty, called The Traveling Wilburys. The group had multiple hit singles, and a new generation of fans discovered Roy Orbison’s music.

During his time as a Wilbury, Roy Orbison recorded his last solo album, produced by bandmate Jeff Lynne. Sadly, Roy Orbison would pass away at the young age of 52 before the album was released. It was an excellent record, one of the strongest Roy Orbison ever released.

While Roy Orbison’s career was marked by many hit singles and astonishing performances, his legacy was not defined solely by his commercial success. So many artists’ careers were inspired by Roy Orbison’s craftsmanship and artistry. Bruce Springsteen often referred to Roy Orbison as one of his biggest influences. Tom Waits, Tom Petty, and many others made similar remarks about Roy Orbison throughout their careers.

Our Top 10 Roy Orbison songs list aims to cover various periods of his career without omitting any of his massive hits. It was not an easy feat. We hope this Roy Orbison songs list serves as a starting point to discover the wonderful career of one of classic rock history’s true legends.

# 10 – You Got It

We open up this top 10 Roy Orbison songs list with this big hit from the first solo album he ever released. The song “You Got It” was written by Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne, and Tom Petty, making it sound very much like a Traveling Wilburys song. One can hear Jeff Lynne’s production techniques in this great song. The album was completed and released in 1988. The song was a top 10 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. Wonderfully, the song hit number one on the US Adult Contemporary.

# 9 – Ooby Dooby

Continuing with our list of top 10 Roy Orbison songs, we turn back the clock all the way to 1956. The song “Ooby Dooby” would be the first single Roy Orbison ever released to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

# 8 – She’s A Mystery To Me

Before we begin featuring many of Roy Orbison’s mega 1960s hit singles that we can’t ignore, we turn one more time to his final album, entitled Mystery Girl. Side two of the record opened up with the sensational song “She’s a Mystery to Me.”U2’s Bono and The Edge wrote the song. Bono performed the song with Roy Orbiso,n along with Benmont Tench, Howie Epstein, and Jim Keltner. It’s simply the most stunning song Roy Orbison has recorded since the 1960s period.

# 7 – Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)

We now enter Roy Orbison’s glory years of the 1960s with the iconic song “Dream Baby.” The song was released in 1962. It was released as a stand-alone single and later appeared on Roy Orbison’s Greatest Hits LP. The song proved very successful for Roy Orbison, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100.

# 6 – Blue Bayou

The great Roy Orbison song “Blue Bayou” was released in 1963. Roy Orbison and Joe Melson wrote the song. The song became a top 40 hit for Roy Orbison, peaking at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1977, Linda Ronstadt recorded a dynamic cover of the song, which became a top 10 hit.

# 5 – In Dreams

The Roy Orbison song “In Dreams” also served as the title track for his 1963 album of the Same Name. The record also featured the previous song on this list, “Blue Bayou.” The song “In Dreams” was the first single from the album. The song became another top 10 hit for Roy Orbison, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.

# 4 – Running Scared

Roy Orbison had two number-one singles during his Hall of Fame career. “Running Scared” was the first of the two. The song “Running Scared” was released in 1961. It was issued on Roy Orbison’s second solo album, entitled Crying. The song “Running Scared” was written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melton.

# 3 – Crying

And speaking of the album, Crying. This classic Roy Orbison song was released on the album of the same name in 1961. It was issued as the second single from the record and just barely missed hitting number one, peaking at number two. However, Mr. American Pie, Don McLean, would have a number-one hit in the UK with his cover of the song almost twenty years later, in 1980.

# 2 – Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)

Now, come on, you know this one. This beautiful song, “Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel),” was released in 1960. It was recorded for Roy Orbison’s first album, Sings Lonely and Blue. The song missed the number one spot, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960.

# 1 – Oh, Pretty Woman

Was there any doubt that this classic song would take the crowning spot on our top 10 Roy Orbison songs list? “Oh, Pretty Woman” would become Roy Orbison’s second number one hit and the biggest and most popular song of his career. Van Halen would record a raucous version of the song that would reach number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Charts in 1982. And, of course, we all remember the movie starring Julia Roberts that used the song’s title.