Rolling Stone: ELO’s Jeff Lynne: My Life in 15 Songs
Roy Orbison’s “YOU GOT IT” made the short list.
“This is a bittersweet thing because he was such a big hero to me. I used to listen to him for hours and hours as a kid. I produced three tracks on his last album (Mystery Girl) and co-wrote three tracks with him. I wrote “You Got It” with Roy and Tom Petty. For years before this, he’d just been going through the motions of recording and not working with people who were empathetic with him or who had put enough care and love into the music. I reminded him of who he was and how great he was, and that’s why I got a great performance out of him.
It was just dreadful when I heard he had died. I got a call at like six in the morning, and all I heard was “Mr. Orbison has died,” and then they hung up. I still have no idea who called me. I had to get up and listen to the radio to see if it was bullshit or real. It turned out to be real, unfortunately. “You Got It” had just come out when he died of a heart attack at his mother’s house. He was a beautiful guy, as well as the best singer I’ve ever heard.”
