Only the Lonely

"Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)" is a 1960 song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson. Produced by Fred Foster for Monument Records, it was the first major hit for Orbison, and it established his trademark sound. It was described by The New York Times as expressing "a clenched, driven urgency". Released as a 45 rpm single by Monument Records in May 1960, "Only the Lonely" went to number 2 on the United States Billboard pop music charts on July 25, 1960, and number 14 on the Billboard R&B charts. "Only the Lonely" reached number 1 in the United Kingdom, a position it achieved on October 20, 1960, staying there for two weeks (out of a total of twenty-four weeks spent on the UK singles chart). "Only the Lonely" was the longest charting single of Orbison's career. Personnel on the original recording included Orbison's drummer Larry Parks, plus Nashville A-Team regulars Floyd Cramer on piano, Bob Moore on bass, and Hank Garland and Harold Bradley on guitars, Joe Melson and the Anita Kerr Singers on backing vocals. Drummer Buddy Harman played on the rest of the songs on the session.

In 1999, the 1960 recording of "Only the Lonely" by Roy Orbison on Monument Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.