"You Got It" is a song from American singer Roy Orbison's 22nd studio album, ''

Mystery Girl ''Mystery Girl'' is the twenty-second album by American singer Roy Orbison. It was his last album to be recorded during his lifetime, as he completed the album in November 1988, a month before his death at the age of 52, and it was released post ...

'' (1989). The song was released posthumously on January 3, 1989, after Orbison's death from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

on December 6, 1988. The song was issued with "The Only One" as the B-side and was later released with "

Crying Crying is the dropping of tears (or welling of tears in the eyes) in response to an emotional state, or pain. Emotions that can lead to crying include sadness, anger, and even happiness. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secr ...

" (version with

k.d. lang Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical performances. Hits include the s ...

). The single reached number nine on the US '' Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one on the

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

chart, returning Orbison to the top 10 for the first time in 25 years. "You Got It" also reached number three on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in early 1989. Although it is an Orbison solo single, Orbison's fellow

Traveling Wilburys The Traveling Wilburys were a British-American supergroup consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. Originating from an idea discussed by Harrison and Lynne during the sessions for Harrison's 1987 album ' ...

bandmates,

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the la ...

and

Jeff Lynne Jeffrey Lynne (born 30 December 1947) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder of the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970. As a songwriter, he has cont ...

, co-wrote the song and played instruments on the record. According to ''The Authorized Roy Orbison'', the song was recorded at guitarist Mike Campbell's garage in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, California, and mixed at George Harrison's residence

Friar Park Friar Park is a Victorian neo-Gothic mansion in Henley-on-Thames, England, built in 1889. It was originally owned by eccentric lawyer Sir Frank Crisp and purchased in January 1970 by English rock musician and former Beatle George Harrison. ...

in Henley-on-Thames, England. Orbison gave his only public rendition of the hit at the Diamond Awards Festival in Antwerp,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, on November 19, 1988, just 17 days before his death and before the single was released. This footage was incorporated into the song's

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

. A 2014 version incorporated videos of rehearsal and practice sessions.

Background

"You Got It" was written by Orbison and his

bandmates

and

. Their first songwriting collaboration, it was written during the Christmas season of 1987 and recorded in Mike Campbell's garage in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, in April 1988. Lynne, Petty and Phil Jones provided other instrumentation and background vocals. '' Cash Box'' said that it "showcases Orbison’s distinctive vocal charge—fluid, yet capable of creating excitement" and said "listen for the exotically melodic lift to the chorus."

Personnel

* Roy Orbison – lead vocals and backing vocals, acoustic guitar *

– electric guitar, bass, synthesizer, piano and backing vocals *

– acoustic guitar and backing vocals * Phil Jones – drums and timbals *

Michael Utley Michael Edward Utley is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer for Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band. He is the musical director of the band. Born in Blytheville in Mississippi County, Arkansas, he graduated from the Univer ...

– string arrangement

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Bonnie Raitt version

The song became a hit again in

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

for Bonnie Raitt, who recorded a version for the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...

of the film ''

Boys on the Side '' Boys on the Side '' is a 1995 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross (in his final film as a director). It stars Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Barrymore, and Mary-Louise Parker as three friends on a cross-country road trip. The screenp ...

''. In the United States, it peaked at number 33 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and spent two weeks at number 31 on the '' Cash Box'' Top 100. In Canada, "You Got It" peaked at number 11 and was the 62nd biggest hit of 1995.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

In-depth Song Analysis
at the Jeff Lynne Song Database (jefflynnesongs.com) * {{Authority control 1989 singles 1989 songs 1995 singles Arista Records singles Bonnie Raitt songs Roy Orbison songs Song recordings produced by Don Was Song recordings produced by Jeff Lynne Songs released posthumously Songs written by Jeff Lynne Songs written by Roy Orbison Songs written by Tom Petty Virgin Records singles