THROWBACK THURSDAY: CELEBRATING ROY ORBISON
Honoring the timeless musician’s 79th birthday
Roy Orbison was a pioneer of American rock music, but his life was marred by a series of tragic incidents that were reflected in his melancholic musical style and vulnerable, emotionally driven lyrics.
The Texas-born musician rejected the notion that rock should be driven by conventional song structure, backbeat, and macho Presley-esque themes, and instead allowed for his voice and earnest delivery to dictate his legacy as a musician. When he released “Only the Lonely” in 1960, fellow artists and fans finally got on board, acknowledging the timeless nature of the track as well as the contradictory sound — simultaneously graceful and unsettling.
The Texas-born musician rejected the notion that rock should be driven by conventional song structure, backbeat, and macho Presley-esque themes, and instead allowed for his voice and earnest delivery to dictate his legacy as a musician. When he released “Only the Lonely” in 1960, fellow artists and fans finally got on board, acknowledging the timeless nature of the track as well as the contradictory sound — simultaneously graceful and unsettling.