Roy Orbison - She's a Mystery to Me

By the end of the 80s, Orbison was in high demand for concerts and interviews once again, and was seemingly ecstatic about it. He began writing songs and collaborating with many musicians from his past and newer fans, to develop a solo album, Mystery Girl.  It proved to be his final album.

Mystery Girl was co-produced by Jeff Lynne, whom Orbison considered the best producer he had ever collaborated with.

Elvis Costello, Orbison's son Wesley and others offered their songs to himand in the end many songs are not his compositions even though he sings them.  The biggest hit from the album was "You Got It", for example, written with Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty. It posthumously rose to No. 9 in the U.S. and No. 3 in the U.K.  But She's a Mystery to Me was also on the album.

"She's a Mystery to Me" was written by Bono and the Edge of U2, it was recorded as the title track on Mystery Girl, and released as the album's third single. The song was received ‘very positively by music critics, who generally deemed the song the highlight of the album’.

In 2014, a demo of Orbison's "The Way Is Love" was released as part of the 25th anniversary deluxe edition of Mystery Girl. The song was originally recorded on a stereo cassette player around 1986. Orbison's sons contributed instrumentation on the track along with Roy's vocals; it was produced by John Carter Cash.  It is interesting to compare the two.

Roy Orbison - The Way Is Love

If I could be the one to write the rules
I'd write the whole wide world to come back to the school
Where you learn who to lay the law
Without listening to the fools.

Who would break just to break
And take just to take
But together we can find another way
Like i feel for you.
A feeling that is true.
The Way Is Love.

Life is so much better
When the way is love
And every song's a good song
And everyone can sing along
The Way Is Love
An always understood song.

The Way Is Love
It's in the air tonight.
The Way Is Love makes everything alright
And the way is love.
The Way Is Love.

I Believe that you and me
We can see the way is love tonight.
And who knows maybe the truth can be learned by everyone with what we do can right the wrong because
Hearts listen become a part of every loving vision
The Way Is Love [x2].
The way of love tonight
The Way of love makes everything alright.
And you and I are part of
The way of love