Spinner

The 25 Most Exquisitely Sad Songs in the Whole World: No. 10

'In the Real World'
Roy Orbison (1989)

The Breakdown: The master of pop-opera misery ('Crying,' 'It's Over') outdid himself with this quavering answer to his own 'In Dreams.' Posthumously released.

The Waterworks: "I love you and you love me/But sometimes we must let it be."

Casualty Count: All dreams.

All Sad Songs

Listen to 'In the Real World'

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Travis

Sadder than "Cryin'"?

April 13 2010 at 4:14 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Rick

The entire "Mystery Girl" album is full of great stuff. But for great and sad, you must hear the big O's "Danny Boy". It beats all other versions of the song.

November 24 2009 at 11:00 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ed Chapman

True Roy great vocal great message, sad, we miss him and his songs

October 12 2009 at 10:12 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Ed Chapman's comment
persephone

What a singular talent. Kind of makes me wonder, though, if somebody like Roy would be given a shot today- god help you if you aren't 18 with a rockin' bod, which are really the cornerstone of music stardom in these days of auto-tuning!

October 24 2010 at 1:45 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
grandpic00

i love this song because i love to dream and block out the real cruel world.Roy Orbison was a great singer.

July 21 2009 at 1:09 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Diggem the Frog

To Mike Rasmussen:

Are you serious about "Operator" by Jim Croce? That's one of the two funniest songs I've ever heard -- tied pretty much neck-and-neck with "Paperback Writer" by the Beatles. They're both narrated by idiots. Listen again: "Operator, can you help me place this call?/I can't read the number that you just gave me." I could go over the whole song, but I'll let you discover the rest of the humor for yourself.

July 04 2007 at 5:14 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Pat

Don't forget "I Drove All Night." Celiene couldn't touch Orbison's version!

June 18 2007 at 11:41 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
kevin

This kind of sadness can only come from an artist who has lived with the pain and loss Orbison experienced. Roy, the other man in black, is the king of melancholy. I'd rather feel a thousand arrows piercing me than listen to Roy wail "it's over, it's over, it's over." Somehow the arrows seem easier to take than admitting to oneself that the love you had is over.

June 12 2007 at 11:47 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
JEAN

HOW CAN YOU LEAVE OUT FOR THE GOOD TIMES.
WAS IT EDDIE ARNOLD WHO SANG IT?????

June 05 2007 at 11:44 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Kay

Crying has this one beat a thousand times.

June 05 2007 at 1:12 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
p curley

to Fred Marshall, #11. I remember "Angelica". I didn't know Gene Pitney did it. I remember it was done by Barry Mann, who wrote it, and also by the Sandpipers from their "Guantanemera" album, in 1966. It is high on my "Looking for it" list. Great song.

"The shadow had been cast, to many springs had padssed, for Angelica, my Angelica".

June 04 2007 at 9:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply