Elvis Presley worked with countless musicians and songwriters throughout his 20-plus-year career. He admired some, too, but not many were as prestigious as Roy Orbison. Later today at 8:50pm on BBC Two, the BBC’s Roy Orbison will hit TV screens, showcasing the biggest and best performances from the star over the years. Also known as The Big O, Roy was best known for his rockabilly style and distinctive voice, but his song was reportedly not good enough for Elvis.
Orbison wrote the song Only the Lonely in 1960 and began looking for someone to buy it for him.
Of course, Elvis was his first port of call, as he was fast becoming one of the biggest acts in the world.
He reportedly even came to the King of Rock and Roll’s house unannounced and tried to take him away in person. But the goalkeeper of the star did not let him pass.
Eventually, she met Elvis after making a date with him and officially introduced the song. Unfortunately for him, Elvis wasn’t interested.
Elvis turned down Only the Lonely, leaving Orbison distraught.
However, he had no choice but to continue releasing the song elsewhere. He then offered it to The Everly Brothers, but they too turned it down.
After the two biggest music acts in America rejected Roy’s song, he decided to release it himself. Roy released his rendition of Only the Lonely on May 9, 1960.
Within months, on October 20, 1960, the song reached number one in the UK.
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The Lonely alone sold more than half a million copies in the United States by the end of the year.
Although Elvis turned down Roy’s song, the King of Rock and Roll later explained how much he loved the singer’s voice.
Just before taking the stage during one of his Las Vegas residency shows, Elvis and Roy met for the first time in over a decade. The old friends were very excited to see each other again.
That same night, while playing to a sold-out crowd, he announced that Roy was also in the audience. He went on to tell them that Roy was “the best singer in the world.”
Elvis was also extremely respectful of the singer. Throughout his decades-long career, he covered tracks by many artists while performing live, including The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, and many more.
But Elvis refused to cover any of Orbison’s songs. He reportedly felt that he couldn’t “sing any of Roy’s songs better than the original recordings”.
He later commented that Roy had “the most perfect voice”.
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