Mystery Girl is the twenty-secondalbum by American singerRoy Orbison. It was his last album to be recorded during his lifetime, as he completed the album in November 1988, a month before his death at the age of 52, and it was released posthumously byVirgin Records on January 31, 1989.[2] It includes the hit singles "You Got It", which was co-written by Orbison and hisTraveling Wilburys bandmatesJeff Lynne andTom Petty, and "She's a Mystery to Me", written byBono andThe Edge. The album was a critical and commercial success; it peaked at number 5 on theBillboard 200 in the United States, the highest position Orbison had achieved on that chart, and number 2 on theUK Albums Chart.[3]
Mystery Girl was Orbison's first album of all-new material since 1979 and its success posthumously continued the resurgence that his career had undergone since 1986. Among the many other contributors to the album wereMike Campbell and other members ofthe Heartbreakers,T Bone Burnett,George Harrison,Jim Keltner andRick Vito. For the 25th anniversary of its release, the album was reissued with bonus tracks including "The Way Is Love", a song recorded by Orbison on a cassette tape in the 1980s that was subsequently completed by his sons and producerJohn Carter Cash.
Before makingMystery Girl, Roy Orbison's last album of new material had been 1979'sLaminar Flow. This release followed a run of commercial and critical failures in the United States since his years of international stardom in the early 1960s.[4] From 1986,[5] support from admirers such as filmmakerDavid Lynch andBruce Springsteen reversed this trend, rescuing him from relative obscurity in his homeland as Orbison again became a popular concert draw.[6] According toThe Authorized Roy Orbison, recordings forMystery Girl began in July 1987 at Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood with the track "(All I Can Do is) Dream You".[7]Jeff Lynne, another long-time admirer, began writing songs with Orbison in Los Angeles over Christmas 1987. The track "You Got It" was written at this time and was a collaboration between Lynne, Orbison andTom Petty. With Lynne as his producer, Orbison recorded "You Got It" in April 1988 at the garage studio of Petty's bandmate inthe Heartbreakers,Mike Campbell.[8]
Recording for the album continued alongside Orbison's involvement in theTraveling Wilburys, asupergroup project initiated byGeorge Harrison and Lynne[9][10] that also included Petty andBob Dylan.[11] Aside from further Lynne-produced sessions forMystery Girl, to which Petty and Harrison contributed,[12] Orbison recorded some of the songs with Campbell,T Bone Burnett and his wifeBarbara Orbison[5] each in the role of producer.[13] The Heartbreakers played on much of the album,[14] whileElvis Costello contributed the song "The Comedians".[5]
The album was named after the chorus from the track "She's a Mystery to Me", which was written byU2'sBono andThe Edge. In the documentaryIn Dreams: The Roy Orbison Story, Bono says he woke up for a concert soundcheck, following a late night listening to the soundtrack to Lynch'sBlue Velvet, and had the tune of the title song in his head, figuring it was another Orbison song ("In Dreams" was the only Orbison song on that album). During the soundcheck, he performed "She's a Mystery to Me" for the other members of U2, who agreed that it sounded like an Orbison song. Orbison later met the band backstage at one of their concerts and subsequently asked Bono if he would like to write a song either with or for him.
Recording for the album was completed in November 1988. Having maintained a busy schedule of concert performances, Orbison toldJohnny Cash at this time that he was experiencing chest pains and would need to do something about his health.[15] On December 6, two days after performing a show inHighland Heights, Ohio, Orbison died of a heart attack, at the age of 52.[16]
Mystery Girl was Orbison's first significant critical and commercial success as a solo artist since the mid-1960s.[25] It was released on January 31, 1989[2] and followed the Wilburys'Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 into the higher reaches of the US albums chart.[5] On April 8, 1989, Orbison became the first deceased musician sinceElvis Presley to have two albums in the top five positions in the US, with the Traveling Wilburys album at number 4 andMystery Girl at number 5.[26] This was the highest placing he had achieved for an album in the US, and the single, "You Got It", which peaked at number 9, was Orbison's first top 20 hit on theBillboard Hot 100 since "Oh, Pretty Woman" in 1964.[13] In the United Kingdom, on the national chart dated to February 11, 1989,Mystery Girl was listed at number 2 (its peak position there), as the compilationThe Legendary Roy Orbison was at number 3.[27]
In his contemporary review for theChicago Tribune, David Silverman lamented that, given the expectations caused by Orbison's death, "the publicity and fanfare have threatened to cheapen the album, reducing it to novelty status while directing attention away from its rightful distinction as one of Orbison's finest works – a comeback to match his legendary status." Silverman especially admired "Dream You" and said that the only weak track was "The Comedians", where "the openly rancorous story" was unsuitable for such "an unrequited romantic" as Orbison.[28] By contrast,New York Times criticStephen Holden highlighted "The Comedians" as the album's "outstanding song", saying that it was a "witty parody" of Orbison's 1961 hit "Running Scared" that the singer had succeeded in transcending from mere homage due to his expressive vocal. Holden added that, throughoutMystery Girl, "the singing, songwriting and production do a superb job of bringing Orbison up to date without diluting his haunted hyper-romantic fervor."[29] TheDeseret News' reviewer described it as a "great, great album" that sealed Orbison's comeback after the Traveling Wilburys' recent success and reinforced what a true loss his death was to popular music. The reviewer admired Orbison's ability to work effectively with his collaborators and highlighted "You Got It" as an "exceptional single" and "She's a Mystery to Me" as "perhaps the best song on the album".[30]Billboard described the album as "fitting testament to the glory of his voice"[31]
In May 2014,Mystery Girl was reissued in a 25th anniversary edition. It included bonus material such as demos and a new song, "The Way Is Love", which was completed byJohn Carter Cash and Orbison's sons from a cassette demo recorded in around 1986.[32]
^Clayson, Alan (2003).George Harrison. London: Sanctuary. pp. 422–23.ISBN1-86074-489-3.
^abOrbison, Roy Jr. (2017).The authorized Roy Orbison. Orbison, Wesley,, Orbison, Alex,, Slate, Jeff (Second ed.). New York: Center Street. p. 235.ISBN9781478976547.OCLC1017566749.
^Roberts, David (2006).British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 408–409.ISBN1-904994-10-5.
^Lehman, Peter (2010).Roy Orbison: The Invention of an Alternative Rock Masculinity. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. pp. 16, 161.ISBN978-1-439903896.
^Orbison, Roy (2017).The Authorized Roy Orbison. Orbison, Wesley,, Orbison, Alex,, Slate, Jeff,, Orbison, Roy Jr (First ed.). New York: Center Street. p. 208.ISBN9781478976547.OCLC1017566749.
^Van der Kiste, John (2015).Jeff Lynne: The Electric Light Orchestra, Before and After. Stroud, UK: Fonthill Media. p. 116.ISBN978-1-78155-492-0.
^Zimmer, Dave (5 May 1989). "Tom Petty: Once In A Full Moon".BAM. Available atRock's Backpages (subscription required).
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