Mystery Girl

For the Nickelodeon television movie, see Mystery Girl (TV movie).

Mystery Girl
Studio album by Roy Orbison
Released	February 7, 1989
Recorded	October - November 1988
Genre	Country rock, pop, baroque pop
Length	38:17
Label	Virgin
Producer	Roy Orbison, Mike Campbell, Jeff Lynne, T-Bone Burnett, Barbara Orbison, Bono
Roy Orbison chronology
In Dreams: The Greatest Hits (1987) Mystery Girl (1989) A Black & White Night Live (1989)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Chicago Tribune	(Positive)
Deseret News	(Positive)
Houston Chronicle
Los Angeles Times
The New York Times	(Favorable)
Robert Christgau	(B)
Rolling Stone
Q	[citation needed]

Mystery Girl is the last album recorded by Roy Orbison, posthumously released on the Virgin label in 1989. The album became a hit worldwide, reaching #5 on the US Billboard 200, and #2 on the UK Albums Chart.

History

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 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 as part of the supergroup, Traveling Wilburys. The dual success means that Roy Orbison joins Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson as the only singers to simultaneously have two Top 5 albums on the Billboard chart posthumously.

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"You Got It"	Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty	Jeff Lynne	3:30
2.	"In the Real World"	Richard Kerr, Will Jennings	Roy Orbison, Mike Campbell, Barbara Orbison	3:44
3.	"(All I Can Do Is) Dream You"	Billy Burnette, David Malloy	T-Bone Burnett	3:39
4.	"A Love So Beautiful"	Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne	Jeff Lynne	3:33
5.	"California Blue"	Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty	Jeff Lynne	3:57

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
6.	"She's a Mystery to Me"	Bono, The Edge	Bono	4:16
7.	"The Comedians"	Elvis Costello	T-Bone Burnett	3:26
8.	"The Only One"	Wesley Orbison, Craig Wiseman	Roy Orbison, Mike Campbell	3:55
9.	"Windsurfer"	Roy Orbison, Bill Dees	Roy Orbison, Mike Campbell	4:01
10.	"Careless Heart"	Roy Orbison, Diane Warren, Albert Hammond	Roy Orbison, Mike Campbell	4:08

Bonus track (2007 reissue)
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
11.	"You May Feel Me Crying"	Richard Kerr, Will Jennings	Brian Eno	4:14

Personnel

Core

• Roy Orbison – vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, guitar
• Jeff Lynne – guitars on 1 5, acoustic guitar on 4, keyboards on 1 4 5, piano on 1, bass on 1 4 5, backing vocals on 1 4 5 9
• Tom Petty – acoustic guitar on 1 5, backing vocals on 1 2 5
• Mike Campbell – bass on 2 10, guitar on 2 10, acoustic guitar on 5 9 10, mandolin on 5
• Jim Keltner – drums on 2 6 7 8 9 10
• Howie Epstein – bass on 6 8 9, backing vocals on 2 8 9 10
• Benmont Tench – piano on 6 8 9 10, organ on 8, cheap strings on 6

Additional personnel

• Rick Vito – electric guitar on 3, slide guitar on 9, backing vocals on 3
• Tom "T-Bone" Wolk – bass on 3
• Buell Neidlinger – bass on 3 7
• Billy Burnette – acoustic guitar on 3, backing vocals on 3
• Phil Jones (drummer) – drums on 1, percussion on 1
• Mickey Curry – drums on 3
• Ray Cooper – drums on 4
• Ian Wallace – drums on 5, percussion on 5
• Barbara Orbison – backing vocals on 2
• Roy Kelton Orbison – backing vocals on 2
• George Harrison – acoustic guitar on 4
• Al Kooper – organ on 2
• Michael Utley – string arrangements on 1 2 7 9
• Louis Clark – strings on 4 5
• Bono – guitars on 6
• David Rhodes – guitar on 7
• T-Bone Burnett – guitar on 7
• Mitchell Froom – piano on 7
• Jerry Scheff – string bass on 7
• David Miner – string bass on 7
• Gary Coleman – percussion on 7
• Steve Cropper – guitar on 8
• Memphis Horns – arranged by Steve Cropper on 8; horns by Jim Horn

Accolades

Grammy Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
1990	"You Got It"	Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male	Nominated

Chart positions

Chart positions

Chart (1989)	Position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart	1
Austrian Albums Chart	4
Dutch Mega Albums Chart	1
German Media Control Albums Chart	4
Japanese Oricon Albums Chart	89
New Zealand Albums Chart	7
Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart	1
Swedish Albums Chart	1
Swiss Albums Chart	3
UK Albums Chart	2
United States Billboard 200	5

Year-end charts

Chart (1989)	Position
Australian Albums Chart	9
Austrian Albums Chart	29
Canadian Albums Chart	8
Swiss Albums Chart	26
UK Albums Chart	51
U.S. Billboard Year-end	42

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)	3× Platinum	300,000^
Germany (BVMI)	Gold	250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)	Platinum	100,000^
Sweden (GLF)	Platinum	100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)	Gold	25,000x
United Kingdom (BPI)	Platinum	300,000^
United States (RIAA)	Platinum	1,000,000^
^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Chart procession and succession

Preceded by Look Sharp! by Roxette	Swedish Chart number-one album February 8 - March 22, 1989	Succeeded by Like a Prayer by Madonna
Preceded by Anything for You by Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine	Dutch Mega Chart number-one album February 18, 1989	Succeeded by Anything for You by Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
Preceded by Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 by Traveling Wilburys	ARIA Charts number-one album February 27 - March 26, 1989	Succeeded by Hits of '89 Volume 1 by Various artists
Preceded by Ancient Heart by Tanita Tikaram	Norwegian VG-lista number-one album 07 - 09/1989	Succeeded by Solregn by Åge Aleksandersen