abstract
| - %22Running Scared%22 is a 1961 American pop song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson and sung by Orbison. An operatic rock ballad, the song was released as a 45rpm single by Monument Records in March 1961 and went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. %22Running Scared%22 also reached #9 in the UK chart. The song was included on Roy's 1962 album %22Crying%22 as the final track on the album.Noted for being a song written without a chorus, the song builds in the lyrics, the arrangement and vocals to a climax that, without vibrato, demonstrates the power of Orbison's clear, full voice. It is written in the bolero style; Orbison is credited with bringing this to the rock genre.While %22Running Scared%22 was an international hit, the B-side %22Love Hurts%22 also picked up significant airplay in Australia. Consequently, chart figures for Australia show %22Running Scared%22/%22Love Hurts%22 as a double A-side, both sides peaking at number five. This makes Orbison's recording of %22Love Hurts%22 the first version to be a hit. %22Love Hurts%22 later became better known in a version by rock band Nazareth, who had an international hit with it in 1975.
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