Running Scared

June 1961

On the surface, Roy Orbison's singing voice sounds kinda like Elvis. It has a similarly confident vibrato, as well as the remarkable ability to sound "deep" even when firmly in the tenor range. His early material sits comfortably in this model, riding on the coattails of Presley's success – indeed, he was signed to Sun Records, the same label as not only Elvis but Carl Perkins as well. His minor early hit "Ooby Dooby" from 1956 is a competent, if not terribly exciting exercise in the genre. Throughout the rest of the 50s, he produced a number of these songs, finally scoring another minor hit in 1959 with "Uptown." It's in a similar boogie-woogie type vein. Understandably, history has mostly forgotten these early singles.

But what Orbison had in store was something entirely different. In his 1960 breakthrough hit, "Only the Lonely," he easily distinguishes himself from the competition by taking his rich, full voice to brave new heights. It's so much more than just a verse-chorus-verse pop song; backed by a string section, it's an elaborate mini-epic, punctuated by orchestra hits and soaring high notes. In the midst of so many banal popular songs of the day, it was purely sensational. Orbison is listed as co-author, along with songwriter Joe Melson – the team would produce a number of his most well-known songs. The songs were finally robust enough to support the full range of Orbison's singing voice.

But wait – this isn't about "Only the Lonely," because that peaked at a mere #2 on the charts. His next two lesser hits were "Blue Angel" and "I'm Hurtin'," which are in a similar vein as his breakthrough, but not quite as strong. Still, they are worth a listen – it's the sound of a struggling artist finally coming into his own.

And then, in 1961, he made it to #1 with "Running Scared," another Melson collaboration. The song is a complete singularity in early 60s popular music, unlike anything else that existed at the time. For one thing, it's flat-out undanceable – the drum beat doesn't even enter until three fourths of the way into the track. Instead, it's a song that tells a complete (albeit short) story. In just over two minutes, we identify with the protagonist, learn about the characters' history, and it all comes rushing together in a brilliant climax. I love when a pop song is brave enough to break all the rules, and yet it still becomes successful against all the odds – and this is a perfect example. It's a fine and dignified first #1 for Roy Orbison, but the story doesn't end here, because he's got another one coming up in a few years.

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