In early 1960, Orbison and Joe Melson wrote one more song, "Only the Lonely", which they tried to sell to Elvis Presley and the Everly Brothers, who turned it down. (The song was subtitled "Know The Way I Feel" to avoid confusion with another song called "Only The Lonely", which Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen had written for Frank Sinatra in 1958.) Instead, they recorded Only the Lonely themselves at RCA's Nashville studio, using the string section and doo-wop backing singers that had given "Uptown" such an impressive sound. But this time, sound engineer Bill Porter tried a completely new strategy: building the mix from the top down rather than from the bottom up, beginning with close-miked backing vocals in the foreground, and ending with the rhythm section soft in the background. This combination was to become Orbison's trademark sound.
The recording also featured a falsetto note hit by Orbison that showcased a surprisingly powerful voice. According to biographer Alan Clayson, it "came not from his throat but deeper within". The song differed from the typical verse-chorus form structure of popular music of the time, building and falling to a climax, with emotional expression then rare for masculine performance.
In early 1960, Orbison and Joe Melson wrote one more song, "Only the Lonely", which they tried to sell to Elvis Presley and the Everly Brothers, who turned it down. (The song was subtitled "Know The Way I Feel" to avoid confusion with another song called "Only The Lonely", which Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen had written for Frank Sinatra in 1958.) Instead, they recorded Only the Lonely themselves at RCA's Nashville studio, using the string section and doo-wop backing singers that had given "Uptown" such an impressive sound. But this time, sound engineer Bill Porter tried a completely new strategy: building the mix from the top down rather than from the bottom up, beginning with close-miked backing vocals in the foreground, and ending with the rhythm section soft in the background. This combination was to become Orbison's trademark sound.
The recording also featured a falsetto note hit by Orbison that showcased a surprisingly powerful voice. According to biographer Alan Clayson, it "came not from his throat but deeper within". The song differed from the typical verse-chorus form structure of popular music of the time, building and falling to a climax, with emotional expression then rare for masculine performance.
In early 1960, Orbison and Joe Melson wrote one more song, "Only the Lonely", which they tried to sell to Elvis Presley and the Everly Brothers, who turned it down. (The song was subtitled "Know The Way I Feel" to avoid confusion with another song called "Only The Lonely", which Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen had written for Frank Sinatra in 1958.) Instead, they recorded Only the Lonely themselves at RCA's Nashville studio, using the string section and doo-wop backing singers that had given "Uptown" such an impressive sound. But this time, sound engineer Bill Porter tried a completely new strategy: building the mix from the top down rather than from the bottom up, beginning with close-miked backing vocals in the foreground, and ending with the rhythm section soft in the background. This combination was to become Orbison's trademark sound.
The recording also featured a falsetto note hit by Orbison that showcased a surprisingly powerful voice. According to biographer Alan Clayson, it "came not from his throat but deeper within". The song differed from the typical verse-chorus form structure of popular music of the time, building and falling to a climax, with emotional expression then rare for masculine performance.