King of Hearts (Roy Orbison album) explained

King of Hearts
Type:	studio
Artist:	Roy Orbison
Cover:	Roy orbison - king of hearts.jpg
Released:	October 20, 1992^[1]
Recorded:	1985 ("Coming Home"), 1987–1992
Genre:	Rock, soft rock, country
Length:	41:21
Label:	Virgin
Producer:	Various
Prev Title:	A Black & White Night Live
Prev Year:	1989
Next Title:	One of the Lonely Ones
Next Year:	2015

King of Hearts is a posthumous album of Roy Orbison songs put together from master sessions and demos by Jeff Lynne for Virgin Records, and Orbison's 23rd album overall. According to the authorized Roy Orbison biography,^[2] the collection was originally released in October 1992 on CD, music cassette, and LP.

History

Roy Orbison died on December 6, 1988, aged 52, from a heart attack in the middle of his career revival. After Orbison's death, Mystery Girl was released. Several songs had been recorded during the sessions, and there was enough material for a new album. Some songs on this album were recorded as demos. Several individuals produced the recordings, including Lynne. They were: Don Was, David Was, Pete Anderson, Robbie Robertson, Will Jennings, David Briggs, Chips Moman, Guy Roche, Albert Hammond and Diane Warren.

Several songs had been previously released.

• "Wild Hearts Run Out of Time" was from the soundtrack of the 1985 film Insignificance, and under the title "Wild Hearts (...Time)" had been issued as a single in Canada, Australia and Europe that same year.
• "Coming Home" was initially issued on the 1986 collaborative album , which also featured Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. It was Orbison's only solo lead vocal on that album.
• A duet with k.d. lang of Orbison's 1961 hit single "Crying" was released as part of the soundtrack for the 1987 motion picture Hiding Out. The collaboration won the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. The duet "Crying" was a minor US chart hit for the pair, peaking at No. 42 on the Hot Country Songs chart,^[3] but a more substantial hit in the UK in 1992, reaching No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart.

"I Drove All Night" was another hit single from the album.

Clarence Clemons performed saxophone on "We'll Take the Night".

Notes and References

1. Web site: King of Hearts - Roy Orbison | Releases | AllMusic. AllMusic.
2. Book: Orbison, Roy Jr.. The Authorized Roy Orbison. Center Street. Orbison, Wesley,, Orbison, Alex,, Slate, Jeff. 2017. 9781478976547. First. New York. 248. 1017566749.
3. Book: Whitburn, Joel. Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. 2008. 305. 978-0-89820-177-2.