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 StatesBillboardpop music charts on July 25, 1960, and number 14 on the Billboard R&B charts.