A to-and-fro between the depthlessly woeful Orbison and his soothing backing singers, “Only The Lonely” is almost scotched by the fashionable pizzicatos of the string arrangement, which taunt Roy while everything else in the song hugs him. Thankfully they don’t get too much eartime, and Orbison’s progress towards a kind of salvation (“Maybe another romance? It’s the chance you have to take… if you’re lonely.”) continues. Just as well since by that time you’re rooting for the big softy.
Score: 6
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