Roy Orbison's "Bye Bye Love"

I actually listened to Roy Orbison's "Bye Bye Love" a few days ago, but I got thinking about it again this morning.  I'd forgotten that his melody is slightly different compared to the Everly Brothers' version (which is the well-known version).  Orbison's version is from 1960, and the Everly Brothers' is from 1957, so theirs pre-dates Orbison's, but I think the way Orbison changed the melody improves the song.

In the Everly Brothers' version, "Bye bye, happiness" and "Hello, loneliness" are sung to the same D, D, C#, B, A phrase, but Orbison has a different melody for each.  He sings "Bye bye, happiness" to that same D, D, C#, B, A phrase, but he sings "Hello, loneliness" to the phrase D, D, C#, A, F#.  Not only does it make the song a bit more interesting (because there's a new phrase, not just the same one repeated), but it also outlines an F# minor chord (F#, A, C#) and since the song is in A major (for which F# minor is the relative minor), that outline emphasizes the sadness described in the lyrics.

The Everly Brothers' "Roving Gambler"

I’m listening to a compilation album of the Everly Brothers titled Bye Bye Love.  (I actually have two compilation albums of the Everly Brothers titled Bye Bye Love.)  In any case, this album includes their version of “Roving Gambler.”  The other musical group I associate with “Roving Gambler” is Simon & Garfunkel.  It’s a bonus track on their Sounds of Silence album.

I’d always attributed Paul Simon’s interest in English folk music to his having been in England.  But I think the Everly Brothers may have had something to do with it too.  Simon & Garfunkel were greatly influenced by them (they even included “Bye Bye Love” on Bridge over Troubled Water), and since the Everly Brothers’ repertoire includes some other folk songs, it’s possible that that is what affected Paul Simon (or was at least a partial cause for his interest).  For instance, both also recorded versions of “Barbara Allen,” although the Simon & Garfunkel version (also found in the bonus tracks on Sounds of Silence) is titled “Barbriallen.”