12 June 1964
I’m still finding it weird to see Roy Orbison on these early-’60s record covers as smiling, avuncular uncle Roy. In particular, I’m finding it weird just to see his eyes through clear glasses, and them being bright, happy eyes rather than bloodshot pools of febrile heartbreak. Anyway, I’ll soldier on.
‘It’s Over’ doesn’t really work for me. Yes, his pained climactic howl of the title lyric is a nugget of classic Roy for the highlights reel. Otherwise, the no-expense-spared over-production, plus the entire song being in the second person, break the Orbison spell. “You won’t be seeing rainbows any more” sounds needlessly brutal and faintly menacing, as if I’m about to be thrown down a well. I think we all agree that the inconsolable heartache stuff sounds better when it happens to Roy instead of me.
