Roy Orbison and Bruce Springsteen in the concert film “Black and White Night.”
“In 1975, when I went into the studio to record ‘Born to Run,’ ” Bruce Springsteen once said, “I wanted to make a record with words like Bob Dylan, that sounded like Phil Spector’s productions, but most of all I wanted to sing like Roy Orbison.”
Springsteen also, of course, mentions “Roy Orbison singing for the lonely” in one of his signature songs, “Thunder Road.
With Springsteen naming the next show in his DJ series, “In Dreams,” after Orbison’s 1963 hit, it seemed like a good time to take a look at what Springsteen/Orbison clips are now available on YouTube.
Here is what I found, in chronological order:
Springsteen talks about Orbison in 1981, in a segment taped for an Orbison pay-per-view special.
Springsteen inducts Orbison into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the two perform “Oh, Pretty Woman” together,” at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York in 1987.
“Oh, Pretty Woman,” sung by Orbison with support from Springsteen and many others, at the “Black and White Night” concert at the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, later in 1987.
“Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream),” with support from Springsteen and many others, at the “Black and White Night” concert.
“Up Town,” with support from Springsteen and many others, at the “Black and White Night” concert.
Backstage footage from “Black and White Night,” with Springsteen and others speaking about Orbison and rehearsing with him.
Orbison attended a Springsteen concert on his birthday in April 1988, and Springsteen led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to him.
Springsteen sings Orbison’s 1988 hit “Crying” at a May 1988 concert at Madison Square Garden.
Springsteen sings “Crying” at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York. Orbison died on Dec. 6, 1988, and this event was on Jan. 18, 1989.
Springsteen talks about Orbison before performing “Oh, Pretty Woman” with John Fogerty and the E Street Band, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2009.
Springsteen talks about Orbison at the 2012 South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas.
Springsteen sings some of “In Dreams” as an acoustic pre-show concert bonus in Belfast in 2013.
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