Pop Rock

The song “Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel,” which was written by Orbison and Joe Melson, went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on the R&B chart in 1960.

Born in Vernon, Texas, Roy Orbison was known for his emotional ballads and three- or four-octave range. He would perform standing fairly still on stage, wearing black clothes and dark sunglasses. He helped to popularize a blend of pop, country, and rock that was coming out of Nashville at the time. His recognition includes being part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also on the Rolling Stone’s Greatest Artists and 100 Greatest Singers lists.

Here are the lyrics to “Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)” by Roy Orbison:

Dum dum dum, dummy doo wah
Ooh yay, yay, yay, yeah
Oh oh oh, oh oh ah
Only the lonely, only the lonely

Only the lonely
(Dum dum dum, dumby doo wah)
Know the way I feel tonight
(Ooh yay, yay, yay, yeah)
Only the lonely
(Dum dum dum, dumby doo wah)
Know this feeling ain’t right
(Dum dum dum, dumby doo wah)

There goes my baby, there goes my heart
They’re gone forever, so far apart
But only the lonely know why I cry
Only the lonely

Dum dum dum, dumby doo wah
Ooh yay, yay, yay, yeah
Oh oh oh, oh oh ah
Only the lonely, only the lonely

Only the lonely
(Dum dum dum, dumby doo wah)
Know the heartaches I’ve been through
(Ooh yay, yay, yay, yeah)
Only the lonely
(Dum dum dum, dumby doo wah)
Know I cry and cry for you
(Dum dum dum, dummy doo wah)

Maybe tomorrow, a new romance
No more sorrow but that’s the chance
You’ve got to take, if your lonely heart breaks
Only the lonely
(Dum dum dum, dumby doo wah)”

For other songs by Roy Orbison: “Crying” and “Pretty Paper.”

For More Golden Oldies Music                

The Daily Doo Wop Rec Room has daily featured doo wop, rock and roll, R&B, or rockabilly songs that were hits during the first era of rock and roll (that is, from about 1952 until the British invasion in 1964). After a song is featured, it then goes into the juke box. You are welcome to listen to any of the 40+ selections there. Every weekend, there is a Golden Oldies Juke Box Saturday Night, and the juke box is full of song requests from the 1950s and 1960s.

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