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The 10 Best Traveling Wilburys Songs of All-Time

Traveling Wilburys

The 1970s may have been the era of the supergroup, but the most super of them all arrived nearly two decades later. Formed by George Harrison , Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan , and Tom Petty in the late ’80s, the Traveling Wilburys bought together some of the best singers and songwriters of the 20th century.

But while they may have been the ultimate supergroup, they were also the antithesis of every supergroup that had come before. There was no self-importance, no egos, and no attempt to be anything other than a bunch of song and dance men trying to introduce a little sunshine into the world – something that, as our pick of the 10 best Traveling Wilburys songs of all time shows, they more than achieved.

10. Congratulations

Kicking off our roundup of the 10 best Traveling Wilburys songs of all time is Congratulations, a slow-burning, emotionally charged number that chronicles the breakdown of a relationship. Despite the heaviness of the subject matter, the song, like the rest of the band’s output, is studded with enough humor and freewheeling whimsy to give it a sense of charming buoyancy.

9. Heading for the Light

Heading for the Light was written primarily by George Harrison, who also takes the lion’s share of the vocals alongside Jeff Lynne. The lyrics, which describe the singer’s journey from a point of doubt and confusion to a place of surety, have been described by author Ian Inglis and various other biographers as Harrison’s “most joyous account to date of the spiritual journey that had saved him from despair.”

An upbeat rocker with an exhilarating melody and a wonderfully ebullient vocal performance from the two leads, it’s one of the most joyously life-affirming records in the band’s catalog. Released as a single in October 1988, it reached number 7 on Billboard’s Album Rock Tracks chart.

8. Nobody’s Child

After George Harrison’s wife, Olivia, asked for the band’s help in raising awareness for the plight of thousands of Romanian orphans left abandoned in state-run orphanages following the fall of communism, Bob Dylan suggested they record Nobody’s Child, an old pop standard from the 1940s.

Harrison subsequently reworked the lyrics to include a new verse about the abandoned children, and the lead vocals were shared out between Dylan, Harrison, Petty and Lynne. It was released as a charity single in June 1990, with all proceeds from the sale going towards the Romanian Angel Appeal Foundation.

There’s some jaw-dropping guitar playing from George Harrison on Rattled, but the stars of the show on this rockabilly showstopper are Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne, whose exquisite vocals add enough body and character to the song for it to get up and walk. A lusty romp rich in humor and good-time vibes, it’s an unmissable highlight from the band’s equally unmissable debut album.

6. She’s My Baby

She’s My Baby, the opening track to The Traveling Wilbury’s final album (and the first following the death of Roy Orbison), Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3, was written by all four remaining members of the band, with each also taking a share of the vocals. Released in November 1990 as the first single from the album, it became one of the band’s biggest hits, spending three weeks at number 2 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks.

5. Last Night

As Classic Rock Review explains , most of the writing of Last Night was taken care of by Tom Petty, with the rest of the group jumping in from time to time with their own contributions. The approach demonstrates one of the key strengths of the band’s attitude to songcraft, with Petty’s straightforward, three-chord folk pattern contrasting beautifully with Orbison’s elaborate, Latin-inspired bridges.

A whimsical tale of romance laced with a vague menace and a big helping of humor, it’s a delight, particularly in respect of how genuinely joyful the band seems to be in each other’s company.

4. Dirty World

The second Dylan-led track from the band’s debut is Dirty World, a loose, buoyant rocker about lasting love. Sung with a lusty relish by Dylan, it’s a gleeful, toe-tapping delight, with a propulsive melody and enough energetic blasts of horn to keep you bopping the whole way through. The final round featuring all four members of the band adds to the freewheeling appeal.

3. Tweeter and the Monkey Man

According to Wikipedia , Tweeter and the Monkey Man is thought to have been written as a playful homage to Bruce Springsteen, someone who at the time was constantly being referred to as the next in a very long line of Bob Dylans.

Considering the number of Springsteen song titles scattered throughout the lyrics, not to mention the seedy, Springsteen-esque story filled with desperate characters and dark goings-on, it could well be. Either way, it’s a delicious slice of rock, with a dark, folky melody and elaborate arrangments that perfectly echo the cinematic quality of the lyrics.

Since its release, it’s been covered by numerous artists, including Canadian rock band Headstone, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and P. Paul Fenech of The Meteors.

2. End of the Line

End of the Line, the closing track from The Traveling Wilburys’ multi-platinum selling 1989 debut, finds the band on familiar territory, singing about spiritual strength and survival with the same sense of warm camaraderie that undercuts the entire album.

Each of the band’s members takes a turn at the mic, creating what All Music describes as a fun, almost hootenanny style. Released in January 1989 as the band’s second single, the song peaked at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and at No. 2 on the Album Rock Tracks chart.

1. Handle with Care

George Harrison and Jeff Lynne had originally intended Handle with Care to serve as a bonus track to one of Harrison’s European singles, but Harrison’s record label recognized its strength and suggested they find a bigger outlet for it… a request that subsequently led to them forming the Wilburys.

Fittingly, the band issued the song as their debut single, with Harrison taking care of the verses, and Orbison and Dylan managing the bridges. With its joyous camaraderie and theme of survival, it was a superb introduction to the group, and remains their most enduringly popular record to this day.

You can also read:

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Thomas Newman

No, do not confuse this Thomas Newman with the composer. But I'm still a music lover nonetheless. You'll catch me mostly writing articles about the artists and bands I love. Maybe some theory. Maybe some analysis. Whatever lands in the world of music is something I'm likely interested in. In particular I'm a huge fan of classic rock and the oldies. Zeppelin are among my favorites and Foghat's "Slowride" is one of my favorite tracks.

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Heading for the Light should be #3, if not higher.

One of many I love ❤️ to dance to. Get rhythm and 💓 💓 beats.

Mindbogglingly good. It does not and can not get better than this.

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THE HISTORY OF THE TRAVELING WILBURYS

Which one do you believe..., by mo ostin.

The birth of the Traveling Wilburys was a happy accident. Warner Bros. Records’ International Department had asked that George Harrison come up with a B-side for “This Is Love,” a single from his Cloud Nine album. At the time it was customary to couple an A-side with a never-before-heard track, giving the single extra sales value.

This was mid-1988. Cloud Nine was just out. George, along with cowriter Jeff Lynne and their friends Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison, had been hanging out in Dylan’s studio. I suppose George figured that as long as his pals were on hand, why not use them to knock off this flipside?

A couple of days later George came by my office to play the new “B-side.” We went next door to A&R head Lenny Waronker’s office so he could hear it too. George played us “Handle With Care.” Our reaction was immediate. This was a song we knew could not be wasted on some B-side. Roy Orbison’s vocal was tremendous. I really loved the beautiful guitar figure that George played. The guys had really nailed it. Lenny and I stumbled over each others’ words, asking, “Can’t we somehow turn this into an album?” (I also had a suspicion that perhaps George had been hungering for another band experience.)

We urged him on. George felt the spontaneity of it, felt its driving force. He always had great instincts. Being as smart as he was he had a remarkable ability to pull people together. Think about The Concert For Bangladesh — only George Harrison could have made that happen.

Once the idea of a full, collaborative album was in front of us, George took over. The five frontmen (Harrison, Lynne, Petty, Dylan, and Orbison) decided not to use their own names. George and Jeff had been calling studio equipment (limiters, equalizers) “wilburys.” So first they named their fivesome The Trembling Wilburys. Jeff suggested “Traveling” instead. Everyone agreed.

The Traveling WIlburys

The group was born: five guys with star stature in their own rights, but it was George who created this Wilbury environment where five stars could enjoy an ego-free collaboration. Everybody sang, everybody wrote, everybody produced — and had great fun doing so.

You can hear George’s humility and good nature reflected in the Wilburys and their music. To my thinking, this was a perfect collaboration. All five were good friends who admired and respected one another. Roy Orbison was somebody they all idolized. Of course, they revered Bob Dylan too. But Bob was closer to being their contemporary, so it was Roy who gave the project that special glow from rock ’n’ roll’s early formative years.

Reflecting on all this, I recall a few years before when my wife Evelyn and I had been in London. George had invited us to his house, Friar Park, to celebrate Evelyn’s birthday. Roy was a houseguest there at the time, so perhaps this could have been an early hint leading to the Wilburys. So, too, might it have been the time Tom, George, and Jeff (Bob wasn’t able to make it, as he’d just injured his hand) came to dinner at our house a year or so before “Handle With Care.” For us, Tom had played a new song, as yet unrecorded, called “Free Fallin’,” backed by his two future Wilbury mates. Lenny and I loved the song so much we asked Tom and the guys to do it at least three times that evening.

Perhaps even then they all were Wilburys. They just didn’t know their last name yet.

With the huge international success — over five million copies sold — of Traveling Wilburys, Volume 1 , a follow-up was inevitable. George, being George, titled the second album The Traveling Wilburys, Volume 3 . Sadly, by this time Roy had died, but there was still great excitement when we visited the Wilburys, recording in the Wallace Neff-designed house at the top of Coldwater Canyon. Being with those guys, in that setting — truly memorable.

I’m glad that a song that had once been destined for semiobscurity as a B-side became the catalyst for something so lasting and joyful. Rolling Stone magazine named Traveling Wilburys, Volume 1 one of the 100 Best Albums of All Time.

Mo Ostin Chairman Emeritus Warner Bros. Records 2007

By Tiny Hampton

The etymological origins of The Traveling Wilburys have aroused something of a controversy amongst academic circles. Did they, as Professor “Bobby” Sinfield believes, originate from the various Wilbury Fairs which traveled Europe in Medieval times, titillating the populace with contemporary ballads, or were they rather derived from, “YE TRAVELING WILBURYS”, who were popular locksmiths during the Crusades and used to pick or unlock the jammed chastity belts (rather like today’s emergency plumbers.)

Dr. Arthur Noseputty of Cambridge believes they were closely related to the Strangling Dingleberries, which is not a group but a disease. I think this can be discounted, not only because of his silly name but also from his habit of impersonating Ethel Merman during lectures. Some have even gone on to suggest tenuous links with The Pillsburys, the group who invented Flour Power.

Dim Sun, a Chinese academic, argues that they may be related to “THE STROLLING TILBURYS”, Queen Elizabeth the first’s favourite minstrels, and backs this suspicion with the observation that The Traveling Wilburys is an obvious anagram of “V. BURYING WILL’S THEATRE”, clearly a reference to the closing of Shakespeare’s Globe theatre by Villiers during an outbreak of the plague. This would account for the constant traveling. Indeed, many victims of the plague and St.Vitus’ dance literally danced themselves to death, and it is this dancing theme that resurfaces with The Wilbury Twist. Not a cocktail but a dance craze, reminiscent of The Wilbury Quadrille made famous at Bath in 1790 by Beau Diddley, and the Wilbury Waltz, which swept Vienna in the 1890’s.

One thing, however, remains certain. The circumambulatory peregrinations of these itinerant mundivagant peripatetic nomads has already disgorged one collection of popular lyrical cantata, which happily encapsulated their dithyrambic antiphonic contrapuntal threnodies as a satisfactory auricular experience for the hedonistic gratification of the hoi-polloi on a popular epigraphically inscribed gramophonic recording. Now here’s another one.

Professor “TINY” Hampton is currently leading the search for Intelligent Life amongst Rock Journalism at the University of Please Yourself, California.

The Traveling Wilburys

By Hugh Jampton

The original Wilburys were a stationary people who, realizing that their civilization could not stand still forever, began to go for short walks — not the “traveling”, as we now know it, but certainly as far as the corner and back. They must have taken to motion, in much the same way as penguins were at that time taking to ledges, for the next we hear of them they were going out for the day (often taking lunch or a picnic). Later, we don’t as yet know how much later, some intrepid Wilburys began to go away for the weekend, leaving late Friday and coming back Sunday. It was they who evolved simple rhythmic forms to describe their adventures.

A remarkable sophisticated musical culture developed, considering there were no managers or agents, and the further the Wilburys traveled the more adventurous their music became, and the more it was revered by the elders of the tribe who believed it had the power to stave off madness, turn brunettes into blondes and increase the size of their ears.

As the Wilburys began to go further and further in their search for musical inspiration they found themselves the object of interest among many less developed species — nightclub owners, tour operators and recording executives. To the Wilburys, who had only just learnt to cope with wives, roadies and drummers, it was a blow from which many of them never recovered.

A tiny handful survived — the last of the Traveling Wilburys — and the songs gathered here represent the popular laments, the epic and heroic tales, which characterize the apotheosis of the elusive Wilbury sound. The message of the music travels, as indeed they traveled and as I myself must now travel for further treatment. Good listening, good night and let thy Wilbury be done . . .

Hugh Jampton, E.F. Norti-Bitz Reader in Applied Jacket, University of Krakatoa (East of Java)

who wrote the travelling wilburys songs

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With ‘The Traveling Wilburys Vol 1’, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne entered new territory.

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Traveling Wilburys Vol 1 album cover web optimised 820

The Traveling Wilburys are one of the few bands to genuinely merit the “rock supergroup” tag , though given the self-assured and humorous nature of the five members, it was probably a label they would have dismissed. The quintet – George Harrison , Bob Dylan , Tom Petty , Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison – were all global stars at the time of recording their first album together , The Traveling Wilburys Vol 1 , the sessions for which were joyous affairs that took place across April and May 1988.

Listen to The Traveling Wilburys Vol.1 on Apple Music and Spotify .

“We would have some coffee and somebody would say, ‘What about this?“ and start on a riff,” recalled guitarist and co-producer Lynne. “Then we’d all join in, and it would turn into something. We’d finish around midnight and just sit for a bit while Roy would tell us fabulous stories about Sun Records or hanging out with Elvis Presley . Then we’d come back the next day to work on another one. That’s why the songs are so good and fresh – because they haven’t been second-guessed and dissected and replaced.”

Multi-instrumentalist Lynne, who had previously been a key member of Electric Light Orchestra, had been working with Harrison as co-producer of his album Cloud Nine , during which time the pair had taken to referring to recording errors with faulty equipment as “Wilburys” (adding the punchline, “We’ll bury “em in the mix”). When the newly formed group were deciding on a name, Harrison suggested The Trembling Wilburys, but Lynne’s variant of “Traveling” went down better with the remaining trio.

The musicians were all assigned names in the new band: Nelson Wilbury (Harrison), Otis Wilbury (Lynne), Lefty Wilbury (Orbison), Charlie T Wilbury, Jr (Petty) and Lucky Wilbury (Dylan), and elaborate backstories were created for the characters. Harrison’s close friend Derek Taylor, former press manager for The Beatles and, later, jazz singer George Melly, even wrote an extensive fictional history of the quintet.

“The only thing I could think of was to make an album”

For The Traveling Wilburys Vol 1 , they persuaded Monty Python’s Michael Palin to write liner notes. Using the pseudonym Hugh Jampton, (EF Norti-Bitz Reader in Applied Jacket, Faculty Of Sleeve Notes, University Of Krakatoa, East of Java), Palin joked: “The original Wilburys were a stationary people who, realising that their civilization could not stand still for ever, began to go for short walks – not the ‘traveling’ as we now know it, but certainly as far as the corner and back.”

Lynne was the common link in the tale of how they really got together. While working with Harrison, he was also co-producing Orbison’s album Mystery Girl , on which Petty sang backing vocals and played acoustic guitar. One night when they were socializing, Harrison suggested that they join him on a track called “Handle With Care.” The song was to be the B-side for the “This Is Love” single he was putting out in Europe, ahead of the release of the Cloud Nine album. They rang Dylan, who agreed to let them record it in his garage studio. On the day it was cut, Dylan, who had been making them a barbecue lunch, decided to join in the musical fun.

The Traveling Wilburys - Handle With Care (Official Video)

As soon as the spontaneous single was laid down, with its catchy melody and knowing undercurrent of world-weariness (“Been stuck in airports, terrorized/Sent to meetings, hypnotized/Overexposed, commercialized”), the musicians knew they had created something special. “I liked the song,” Harrison said, “and the way that it turned out with all these people on it so much that I just carried it around in my pocket for ages thinking, ‘Well what can I do with this thing?’ And the only thing to do I could think of was do another nine. Make an album.”

The executives at Warner Bros loved the single and agreed to a complete record. The five friends, sharing songwriting and singing duties, were an instant and extraordinary superstar collaboration.

“He clearly meant it as praise”

Though The Traveling Wilburys Vol 1 is only 36 minutes long, it is full of terrific moments. “Dirty World,” a mischievous love song, features some great call-and-response vocals and typically classy saxophone work from Jim Horn, whose playing was so widely admired that he had played on albums with artists as diverse as Elvis Presley, Carpenters , Frank Sinatra and Dizzy Gillespie. Other talented session men on the album include percussionist Ray Cooper and Ian Wallace (so dynamic with David Lyndley’s El Rayo-X band), who plays tom-toms on “Handle With Care.”

“Last Night” is a melodic love song, while “Heading For The Light” is a spiritual quest that is vintage Harrison. One of the standout songs is “Tweeter And The Monkey Man,” which started when Dylan – years ahead of social media, obviously – said he wanted to write a song about a man called Tweeter, set in New Jersey. Petty, who joined in writing the song, said Harrison bowed out of lyric duties on a track he thought was “just too American” for him to meaningfully contribute to. “Bob was like, ‘Yeah, we could use references to Bruce Springsteen titles.’ He clearly meant it as praise,” said Petty. The references to Springsteen songs such as “Mansion On The Hill,” “Thunder Road” and “Highway 99” are littered throughout an evocative track.

The Traveling Wilburys - End Of The Line (Official Video)

Tragically, Orbison died of a heart attack just six weeks after the album’s release, on October 17, 1988. But on the sweet ballad “Not Alone Any More,” the 52-year-old showed in his lead vocals that he had lost none of the vocal mastery that had made him a rock’n’roll legend.

The closing track was the vibrant “End Of The Line,” on which the group chirpily sing, “Well it’s all right/Even if you’re old and gray/Well it’s all right/You’ve still got something to say.” With so many magnificent individual albums behind them, and a collective age of 222, these five wonderful Traveling Wilburys proved they had something wonderful to say together.

The Traveling Wilburys Vol 1 can be bought here .

October 17, 2018 at 11:24 am

“…the pair had taken to calling studio equipment “Wilburys”.”

No, it had nothing to do with the equipment. When they had an instrumental or vocal flub, or a variant recording they didn’t like, they would say “we’ll bury it in the mix.” Those unwanted bits because known as “Wilburys,” as in “we’ll bury.”

Terry Hughes

January 21, 2021 at 6:30 am

The group as whole put out some serious music they are and always will be super stars in the music industry it’s a sad a story like there’s was cut off so short

Jason Draper

October 17, 2018 at 4:19 pm

Thanks for the clarification MrG800 – we have corrected that textual Wilbury…

October 17, 2018 at 8:19 pm

The big O’s death and the album release were in 1988 not 1998 as mentioned in the article

November 10, 2021 at 8:32 pm

Thank you Outby10! We’ve corrected that now.

Innocent III

October 18, 2020 at 4:44 pm

Truly amazing how well it all holds up. Can’t play the record without breaking into a smile.

October 19, 2021 at 10:41 pm

The record was made in L.A.(Dylan´s place)not in England

November 10, 2021 at 8:30 pm

Thanks for the eagle eye, Jose! We’ve amended the text now to correct that mistake.

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The Traveling Wilburys

The Traveling Wilburys

Perhaps the biggest supergroup of all time, a roots combo formed by George Harrison with hired guns Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison.

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The traveling wilburys: who sings what.

The Traveling Wilburys: Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison & George Harrison

I have been asked a couple of times already who sings exactly what on the two volumes that The Traveling Wilburys were to issue during their stint together. Some (younger) people just aren’t accustomed to the singers’ voices on their own, and that is aggravated by the fact Petty sounds just like Dylan more than sporadically (“End Of The Line”, “7 Deadly Sins”). That is the reason why I decided to put this list together.

To begin with, their pseudonyms for each album:

The Traveling Wilburys Vol 1

Nelson Wilbury – George Harrison Otis Wilbury – Jeff Lynne Lefty Wilbury – Roy Orbison Charlie T. Wilbury Jr. – Tom Petty Lucky Wilbury – Bob Dylan

The Traveling Wilburys Vol 3

Spike Wilbury – George Harrison Clayton Wilbury – Jeff Lynne Muddy Wilbury – Tom Petty Boo Wilbury – Bob Dylan

Now, who sings what:

Handle With Care – Harrison Dirty World – Dylan Rattled – Lynne Last Night – Petty Not Alone Anymore – Orbison Congratulations – Dylan Heading for the Light – Harrison Margarita – Dylan Tweeter and the Monkey Man- Dylan End of the Line- Petty (with Harrison, Lynne and Orbison singing a verse or two each) The Traveling Wilburys Vol 3

She’s My Baby – Petty (Dylan and Harrison also sing several parts) Inside Out – Dylan (with parts by Petty and Harrison) She Belongs To Me – Dylan The Devil’s Been Busy – Petty with Dylan and Lynne 7 Deadly Sins – Dylan Poor House – Petty Where Were You Last Night? – Dylan, Harrison Cool Dry Place – Petty New Blue Moon – Lynne, Harrison and Petty harmonizing together You Took My Breath Away – Petty, Lynne Wilbury Twist – Petty

There, I hope that helped!

  • classic rock
  • George Harrison
  • The Beatles
  • The Traveling Wilburys

4 Songs You Didn’t Know George Harrison Wrote for the Traveling Wilburys

by Jacob Uitti October 29, 2023, 7:30 am

George Harrison was the lead guitar player in perhaps the most well-known band of all time. That’s The Beatles , of course. But many music fans may not know that Harrison was also the big-name principal co-founder of another formidable supergroup. That’s the Traveling Wilburys .

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That band featured the likes of Harrison, Roy Orbison , Bob Dylan , Tom Petty , and Jeff Lynne. Together, the all-star collection of artists wrote songs, sang together, and recorded two LPs, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 and Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 .

[RELATED: 3 Songs You Didn’t Know Cody Johnson Wrote for Other Artists]

1. “You Took My Breath Away”

Written by Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne

From the Traveling Wilburys’ second album, the strangely named 1990 LP, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 (indeed, where is Vol. 2?), this song, like all when it comes to the supergroup, features writing credits from each and every member. And while Petty sings the lead vocals for the track, it’s easy to hear the former Beatle’s influence on the track, both in the chorus and the verse and the acoustic guitar underneath it all.

You took my breath away I want it back again Look at the mess I’m in I don’t know what to say I don’t know how to feel You don’t care anyway All I can do is wait You took my breath away

2. “Not Alone Any More”

Written by Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne

This song comes from the band’s 1988 debut LP, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 . The song features lead vocals from perhaps the greatest singer ever, Orbison, and the lead writer was Lynne, who had Orbison in mind when he composed it. All members of the group earned writing credit for the acoustic-driven track. The song includes doo-wop-esque backing vocals from the band.

You always said that I’d be back again That I’d come running to you in the end I thought that you were on your own And now I find you’re not alone I’ll see you through the rain Through the heartache and pain It hurts like never before You’re not alone any more

3. “Rattled”

This song from the band’s 1988 debut LP features Lynne as the primary vocalist, but it also includes Harrison, Petty, and Orbison on backing vocals. With a driving drum beat like a locomotive over train tracks, this song really pushes and propels.

Well baby, baby, baby won’t you save one night for me? Baby, baby, baby is there something wrong with you? Baby, baby, baby this is outta my control It looks like nothing’s wrong, but deep down in my soul

I’m twisted Shaken Rattled I get rattled baby, over you

Rattled baby, over you

4. “New Blue Moon”

From the 1990 album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 , this song includes Harrison singing lead along with Lynne and Petty with the mercurial Dylan singing on the song’s bridge. The acoustic-driven song has a bit of an island vibe and a proto-1950s rock sense, imbued with harmonies, lots of percussion, and lilting vocal deliveries.

I don’t want nothing Nothing but you Am I waiting Looking for a new blue moon

I’m so tired waiting Waiting for you Am I waiting Looking for a new blue moon

So many moons have come and gone And none of them were blue Too many times the sun came up, but It came up without you, you, ya yoo hoo-ooh

(Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

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who wrote the travelling wilburys songs

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The Traveling Wilburys

The traveling wilburys song list.

  • Dirty World (1988)
  • End Of The Line (1988)
  • Handle With Care (1988)
  • Last Night (1988)
  • Not Alone Any More (1988)
  • She's My Baby (1990)
  • Tweeter And The Monkey Man (1988)

More Songfacts:

Memphis Bleek

The One Memphis Bleek

Rapper Memphis Bleek's 2005 album track "The One" is notable for featuring a then-unknown Rihanna on the hook. It was the Barbadian singer's first-ever major-label appearance.

Billy Joel

Uptown Girl Billy Joel

Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" is about Christie Brinkley, who he married, but it started as a song about Elle McPherson, who he also went out with.

Aerosmith

I Don't Want To Miss A Thing Aerosmith

Diane Warren originally wrote Aerosmith's hit tune "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" for Celine Dion.

Doris Day

Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) Doris Day

"Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" was written for Doris Day to sing in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Man Who Knew Too Much.

Dido

White Flag Dido

Dido helped shut down a Neo-Nazi Web site after learning it was using "White Flag" to promote its hateful messages. Owners of the site had misinterpreted the track as racist and thought they represented their white supremacy views.

Death Cab for Cutie

You Are A Tourist Death Cab for Cutie

The music video for "You Are A Tourist" by Death Cab For Cutie was done live on the internet, becoming the first live, scripted, single-take music video recorded that way.

Editor's Picks

"Stairway To Heaven" Lawsuit: A Timeline

"Stairway To Heaven" Lawsuit: A Timeline Song Writing

Untangling the events that led to the "Stairway To Heaven" lawsuit.

Actors With Hit Songs

Actors With Hit Songs Music Quiz

Many actors have attempted music, but only a few have managed a hit. Do you know which of these thespians charted?

Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath Fact or Fiction

Dwarfs on stage with an oversize Stonehenge set? Dabbling in Satanism? Find out which Spinal Tap-moments were true for Black Sabbath.

Bass Player Scott Edwards

Bass Player Scott Edwards Song Writing

Scott was Stevie Wonder's bass player before becoming a top session player. Hits he played on include "I Will Survive," "Being With You" and "Sara Smile."

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs Songwriter Interviews

Psychedelic Furs lead singer Richard Butler talks about their first album since 1991 and explains what's really going on in "Pretty In Pink."

90s Metal

90s Metal Fact or Fiction

Test your metal - Priest, Maiden, and Beavis and Butt-head show up in this one.

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A monthly update on our latest interviews, stories and added songs

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IMAGES

  1. ‎The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 3 (Remastered)

    who wrote the travelling wilburys songs

  2. In Tom Petty's memory: 5 essential Traveling Wilburys songs to hear

    who wrote the travelling wilburys songs

  3. The Traveling Wilburys // Handle With Care (1988)

    who wrote the travelling wilburys songs

  4. Traveling Wilburys Albums Ranked

    who wrote the travelling wilburys songs

  5. The Traveling Wilburys

    who wrote the travelling wilburys songs

  6. Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1, The Traveling Wilburys

    who wrote the travelling wilburys songs

VIDEO

  1. "Traveling Wilburys: The Supergroup That Rocked Music History"

  2. Traveling Wilburys

  3. Top 10 Traveling Wilburys Songs

  4. The Traveling Wilburys Albums AND Songs Ranked

  5. Travelling Wilburys

  6. The Travelling Wilburys Volume 1 Album

COMMENTS

  1. Traveling Wilburys

    Traveling Wilburys were a British-American supergroup active from 1988 to 1991 consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.They were a roots rock band and described as "perhaps the biggest supergroup of all time".. Originating from an idea discussed by Harrison and Lynne during the sessions for Harrison's 1987 album Cloud Nine, the band formed in April 1988 ...

  2. 3 Songs You Didn't Know Bob Dylan Wrote for the Traveling Wilburys

    Written by Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne. From Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, this song was spearheaded by George Harrison, the group's de facto leader. Dylan ...

  3. Traveling Wilburys Lyrics, Songs, and Albums

    The group released two albums, Vol. 1 and Vol. 3. Vol. 1 netted them a Grammy award for the Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group and two international hits with "Handle With Care" and ...

  4. The 10 Best Traveling Wilburys Songs of All-Time

    6. She's My Baby. She's My Baby, the opening track to The Traveling Wilbury's final album (and the first following the death of Roy Orbison), Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3, was written by all four remaining members of the band, with each also taking a share of the vocals. Released in November 1990 as the first single from the album, it became ...

  5. The Meaning Behind The Song: End Of The Line by The Traveling Wilburys

    The lyrics of "End of the Line" are deceptively simple but contain a deep and poignant message. The song starts with the following stanza: Well, it's all right, riding around in the breeze. Well, it's all right, if you live the life you please. Well, it's all right, doing the best you can. Well, it's all right, as long as you lend a ...

  6. Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1

    The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 is the debut studio album by the English-American supergroup Traveling Wilburys, comprising George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty.It was released in October 1988 to commercial success and critical acclaim. Although Harrison had long planned to start such a band, the project came about through happenstance.

  7. History

    Everybody sang, everybody wrote, everybody produced — and had great fun doing so. ... A tiny handful survived — the last of the Traveling Wilburys — and the songs gathered here represent the popular laments, the epic and heroic tales, which characterize the apotheosis of the elusive Wilbury sound. The message of the music travels, as ...

  8. End of the Line (Traveling Wilburys song)

    End of the Line (Traveling Wilburys song) " End of the Line " is a song by the British-American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. It was the final track on their debut album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, released in October 1988. It was also issued in January 1989 as the band's second single. The recording features all the Wilburys except Bob ...

  9. The Traveling Wilburys Artistfacts

    The Traveling Wilburys Artistfacts. Based on the accomplishments of their members, Traveling Wilburys were the most super of supergroups. The lineup was Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne of ELO, all future members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Harrison was the leader of the group.

  10. End Of The Line by The Traveling Wilburys

    The Traveling Wilburys were a supergroup made up of Jeff Lynne (ELO), Tom Petty, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan. This song contains the folksy wisdom that comes from their experiences. It has a railroad theme, as the "end of the line" represents the train's last stop. Fittingly, it was the last song on their debut album, Volume One. >>

  11. 'The Traveling Wilburys Vol 1': The Start Of A Beautiful Journey

    With 'The Traveling Wilburys Vol 1', Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne entered new territory. The Traveling Wilburys are one of the few bands to genuinely ...

  12. The Traveling Wilburys Songs, Albums, Reviews,...

    The Traveling Wilburys. Perhaps the biggest supergroup of all time, a roots combo formed by George Harrison with hired guns Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison. Read Full Biography.

  13. 4 Songs Tom Petty Wrote for the Traveling Wilburys

    Below, we dive into the band's catalog and check out four of the songs that Petty helped pen. 1. "Handle With Care". Written by Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne ...

  14. The Traveling Wilburys: Who Sings What

    Lefty Wilbury - Roy Orbison. Charlie T. Wilbury Jr. - Tom Petty. Lucky Wilbury - Bob Dylan. The Traveling Wilburys Vol 3. Spike Wilbury - George Harrison. Clayton Wilbury - Jeff Lynne. Muddy Wilbury - Tom Petty. Boo Wilbury - Bob Dylan. Now, who sings what:

  15. The Traveling Wilburys

    Music video by The Traveling Wilburys performing End Of The Line. (C) 2007 T. Wilbury Limited. Exclusively Licensed to Concord Music Group, Inc. #TheTravelin...

  16. The Meaning Behind The Song: Margarita by Traveling Wilburys

    The name "Margarita" in the song serves as a symbol of escape, fun, and indulgence. It represents a carefree attitude and the pursuit of pleasure. The repeated chant of "Margarita, ah, ah" amplifies the feeling of liberation and adds to the overall enjoyment of the song. 5. How did Traveling Wilburys come up with the idea for Margarita ...

  17. Not Alone Any More

    "Not Alone Any More" is a song by the British-American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys from their 1988 album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. It was sung by Roy Orbison and serves as his main contribution to the album. The song was written mainly by Jeff Lynne, although all five members of the Wilburys are credited as songwriters.. A longtime admirer of Orbison, Lynne wrote "Not Alone Any More ...

  18. Handle With Care by The Traveling Wilburys

    Songfacts®: This was the first single from The Traveling Wilburys, a supergroup created by George Harrison and Jeff Lynne. Initially an informal grouping with Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, they got together at Bob Dylan's Santa Monica, California, studio to quickly record an additional track as a B-side for the single release of Harrison's song ...

  19. The Meaning Behind "Tweeter and the Monkey Man" by Traveling Wilburys

    Traveling Wilburys featured some of the finest musicians of the '60s and '70s getting together to form an '80s supergroup. But it was a fellow legend not in the band who was indirectly ...

  20. Handle with Care (song)

    "Handle with Care" is a song by the British-American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. It was released in October 1988 as their debut single and as the opening track of their album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1.The song was the first recording made by the group, although it was originally intended as a bonus track on a European single by George Harrison.

  21. Traveling Wilburys

    "End of the Line" is a song by the British-American supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. Released in October 1988, it was the final track on their debut album,...

  22. 4 Songs You Didn't Know George Harrison Wrote for Traveling Wilburys

    Rattled. I get rattled baby, over you. Rattled baby, over you. 4. "New Blue Moon". Written by Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne. From the 1990 album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 ...

  23. Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3

    Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 is the second and final studio album by the Traveling Wilburys, a group consisting of George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty.It was released on October 29, 1990, as the follow-up to their 1988 debut, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1.The band members again adopted pseudonyms for their contributions, using new names from the fictitious Wilbury brothers.

  24. List of songs by The Traveling Wilburys

    The Traveling Wilburys Song list. Dirty World (1988) End Of The Line (1988) Handle With Care (1988) Last Night (1988) Not Alone Any More (1988) She's My Baby (1990) Tweeter And The Monkey Man (1988) ... Bruce Springsteen wrote "Blinded By The Light," which was a #1 hit for Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The "Madman Drummers" line is a reference to ...