“Wrote it specifically”: The Traveling Wilburys line only Roy Orbison could sing
The Traveling Wilburys always treated themselves like a glorified band of brothers. Even if they all didn’t have to sing on every respective song, it was important to have that camaraderie whenever they went into the studio to cut some material. Some were much more suited to them than others, though, and when looking back on one of their signature tunes, there was one line that had to be reserved for Roy Orbison’s voice.
At the same time, was anyone necessarily complaining that there weren’t any good singers in the Wilburys? Almost every member of the band had become a superstar off their songwriting, and when all of them harmonised on tunes like ‘End of the Line’, it was the stuff of magic for anyone who remembered the 1960s and wanted to hear those Crosby, Stills, and Nash-style harmonies without having to worry about anything too heavy.
When looking back at where everything started, it had to come back to George Harrison. The former Beatle had never liked the idea of being a solo artist for the rest of his life, and the first incarnation of The Wilburys was an imaginary band that he had with Jeff Lynne that happened to transform into something more serious once Tom Petty and Orbison got involved.
And looking at the way they wrote songs, it felt more like a committee than a standard songwriting session. Whereas someone would normally start off with an idea and then be up and running on whatever came next, Petty remembered every line getting thrown out one by one, either getting a groan from the rest of the band or having everyone’s ears perk up at the same time.
Once Harrison started work on ‘Handle With Care’, that’s when he realised that there was something more to this than a one-off track. He knew he had magic on his hands once Orbison was secured, and he figured that no one could have done the middle eight justice like that operatic tenor voice could.
While every member worshipped the ground Orbison walked on, Petty remembered that no one was meant to sing the section like the vocal marvel could, saying, “They wrote it specifically for Roy. Because it just turned out that everybody was there that day. Roy had just come on the scene because Jeff was going to do a track with Roy.”
Despite every member having a fantastic delivery, the lyrics about being tired of being lonely are tailor-made for Orbison’s voice. He had already had one of his biggest hits based around how only the lonely knew the way he felt, so hearing him talking to his other half that he still has some love to give her feels less like a lover and closer to an old grandfather talking to his grandchildren after having lived a full life.
While Orbison wasn’t long for this world after the Wilburys album was completed, hearing his voice on this tune is the ultimate reminder of why he should be missed. He could write some decent songs and play guitar perfectly, but no one was going to sing his tunes quite like he could.
