Thursday, 3 July 2025

Cover Charge #29 - U2 to Roy Orbison

Cover Charge is simple: A covers B, B covers C, C covers D and so on, until I loop back to where I started, Ouroboros-style.

Last time: Patti Smith to U2

Slightly unusual one today. Here's U2 in 2004 performing a live cover of Roy Orbison's She's A Mystery To Me.

What makes this unusual? Well, Bono and The Edge wrote it for Roy, and gifted it to him for what turned out to be the last original album of his life, 1989's Mystery Girl. Bono even produced the recording. But it's Roy's song, as evidenced by his far superior rendition, below - what a voice! Roy-fact: he was only 52 when he died - don't know about you but I thought him older than that.

Next time: Elvis enters the building...

The Cover Charge "chain" to date.

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