Mystery Girl

History

Roy Orbison had not released an album of new material since 1979 when he released Laminar Flow. All the tracks were recorded in late 1988, and it was finalized for release in the weeks following Orbison's death through the collaborative efforts of several artists who were all friends and admirers. The album was named after the chorus from the track "She's a Mystery to Me", written for Orbison by U2's Bono and The Edge.

In the documentary In Dreams: The Roy Orbison Story, Bono tells how he woke up for a concert's sound check, following a late night listening to the soundtrack to David Lynch's Blue Velvet, and had the tune of title song in his head, figuring it was another Orbison song ("In Dreams" was the only Orbison song on that album). During the sound check he performed it for the other members of U2, who agreed that the track sounded like an Orbison song. A short while later, Orbison met the band backstage at one of their concerts and subsequently asked Bono if he would like to write a song with/for him.

The album was released posthumously in 1989 and would join another Orbison album on the Billboard chart. Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 was recorded in mid 1988, with Orbison as part of the supergroup, Traveling Wilburys. The dual success means that Orbison joins Jim Croce, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson as the only singers to simultaneously have two Top 5 albums on the Billboard chart posthumously.

In May 2014, this album was re-issued to celebrate its 25th anniversary. It included bonus material including demos, and a new song "The Way Is Love", which was put together by John Carter Cash and Orbison's sons from a demo recorded on a cassette around 1986.

Core

Additional personnel