Roy Orbison "She's a Mystery to Me"

She was no mystery to me. I used to speak her language. I understood every decision whether it be ill-advised or not. Nothing truly surprised me about her. Even if she did something that caught me off-guard, I'd reflect on it, shrug and nod my head once her motive crystallized. I felt privileged and special because I *got* her in every sense of the word.

One day, I lost her. In reality, we lost each other. Our time had expired. We drove carelessly in a car purposed with four bald tires and the low-fuel light illuminated en route to a destination neither desired. When it was done, cleansing was painful. With every scrub, the abrasive pain radiated. Within minutes, all was lost. Physical memories, mementos and proof of what was once real...was now gone.

Like any athlete or musician who once excelled at something, I've lost knowledge of our vocabulary. It no longer comes easy to me. I ask for definitions, for spellings, for help when I can't translate. Even then, it doesn't make sense. I suppose it's not a bad thing, but rather is a mystery.

Roy Orbison & k.d. lang "Crying"

The duet between Roy Orbison and k.d. lang recorded for the 1987 movie, Hiding Out, resurfaced as an Adult Contemporary hit in 1993. The song was one of a handful of song released on King of Hearts, an Orbison album posthumously. Orbison originally hit #1 with the song in 1961.

Cyndi Lauper "I Drove All Night"

Roy Orbison originally recorded "I Drove All Night" in 1987, but the song didn't get released until 1992 (post-humously for Orbison).  Credit Cyndi Lauper for making the song a hit in 1989.  Several years later, Chrysler paid Celine Dion $14 million to endorse their cars.  As part of the ad campaign, Dion re-made "I Drove All Night" and turned it into a Top 10 hit on the Adult Contemporary Chart in 2003.

Bonnie Raitt "You Got It"

Adult Contemporary radio programmers love remakes and they didn't shy from spinning Bonnie Raitt's remake of Roy Orbison's "You Got It".  Just six years after the original, Raitt recorded a version for the Boys on the Side soundtrack and it immediately became a Top 10 hit on AC radio.  

Roy Orbison - "You Got It"

Do yourself a favor and watch Roy Orbison & Friends: A Black and White Night.  The Los Angeles concert was filmed in one take for a Cinemax special in 1987 and features a who's who of rock 'n roll artists accompanying (and cheering on) Roy.  If you've already seen it, you should watch it again.  It's that good.  A year after the concert, Orbison died of a heart attack.  Released posthumously, "You Got It" was Orbison's final solo effort and, in 1989, reached the #1 spot on the Adult Contemporary Chart.