who wrote the travelling wilbury songs

The 10 Best Traveling Wilburys Songs of All-Time

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:

• The 20 Best Allman Brothers Band Songs of All-Time
• The 10 Best Anne Murray Songs of All-Time
• The 10 Best Black Flag Songs of All-Time
• The 10 Best Frank Sinatra Albums of All Time
• The 10 Best Rare Earth Songs of All-Time

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 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!

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 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.

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)

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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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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.”

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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.

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.

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.

William Michael McDonald

June 3, 2024 at 12:42 am

The best superband of all time! (imho)

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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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Jeff Lynne Looks Back On Traveling Wilburys & the 30th Anniversary of ‘Vol. 1’: ‘It Was a Marvelous Time’

On the 30th anniversary of The Traveling Wilburys' 'Vol. 1,' Jeff Lynne looks back on the group's origins and songwriting process, how they kept egos at bay and just what the heck 'Tweeter the Monkey…

By Joel Keller

Joel Keller

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It seems fitting that, when you read about the creation of The Travelling Wilburys in 1988, it’s hard to sort out which stories are true and which are apocryphal. After all, the five megastars who made up the supergroup went by pseudonyms and claimed to be half-brothers: Nelson (George Harrison), Otis (Jeff Lynne), Lefty (Roy Orbison), Charlie T., Jr. (Tom Petty) and Lucky (Bob Dylan). Other legends abound: Did the name “Wilbury” come from Lynne telling George Harrison, during sessions for the former Beatle’s comeback record Cloud Nine , that “we’ll bury mistakes in the mix”? Did the four other members ask Orbison to join the band right before he went on stage? Did George Harrison announce the project for the first time during a radio interview?

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The answers are no, kind of and maybe — at least according to Jeff Lynne, who recalls the group’s formation as quick and simple. While working on Cloud Nine , he and Harrison started throwing out names of people with whom they’d love to be in a band. “Whenever we asked somebody, they would join immediately, so the group was formed in about 15 minutes,” he tells Billboard .

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When their debut album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 , was released thirty years ago today on October 19, 1988, it became an instant hit in an era that was oriented more toward pop groups and hair metal bands than five guys in their 30s, 40s and 50s singing folksy rock songs. It also won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.

'Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1' at 30: Inside the Supergroup to End All Supergroups

But the record did more than prove their staying power — it also rejuvenated the careers of Dylan, Orbison and Petty. Petty went on to release his magnum opus, Full Moon Fever , produced by Lynne, the following year, and Dylan’s Oh Mercy , also released in 1989, became his biggest hit in years. Orbison, sadly, didn’t get to reap the benefits for long; he died of a heart attack in December of 1988, shortly after Vol. 1 and before his own comeback album, Mystery Girl , was released.

Lynne and Dylan are now the last remaining Wilburys following Petty’s shocking death in 2017. Below, Lynne — who’s currently touring with ELO and prepping a new studio album — tells Billboard about the process of getting the Wilburys together, how they kept egos at bay and just what the heck “Tweeter the Monkey Man” is about anyway.

I’ve read a lot of different stories about how the band came together. What’s your recollection?

I’d just started working with George, producing [ Cloud Nine ], and we’d been working on it for a couple of months probably, and George said, “You know what? Me and you should have a group.” And I said to him, “Oh, that’s a great idea.” What a lovely thing to be asked to be in a group by George Harrison. And I said, “Who should we have in it?” I don’t know what I was expecting, but he said, “Bob Dylan.”   And then I said, “Can we have Roy Orbison in it as well?” ‘Cause it was still a fantasy, really, at the time for me. I didn’t realize that this was about to happen. And luckily, we both said “Tom Petty,” because we both loved Tom, and it all came together just like that.

Did it feel like a challenge to get all these people together? Or did you think, “He’s a Beatle, so he knows everybody, and I know a lot of people myself, it won’t be that hard”? 

It seemed like it was doable. I didn’t have to wait too long to find out whether it was doable. They all said yes immediately, so that’s how it started out. It was just on the phone, basically, and then we got together in L.A. at Bob’s house. 

Did George announce that he was forming this group on a radio show? From what I understand, that’s how the public found out about it.

He may well have done, but I don’t know. I didn’t hear the radio show, so I didn’t know about that particularly. What I remember mostly was George had half a song done, and then we all convened at Bob Dylan’s garage, which is kind of wacky in itself. He had a little miniature studio in there, and [the song] was called “Handle With Care,” and that was the first one we did. 

Who knew whom at the time?   I didn’t know Tom that well. I’d met him a couple of times, I’d met Bob a couple of times. I’d never met Roy, but that was my dream, to meet Roy Orbison — and to be in a group with him was just ridiculous. I couldn’t possibly believe that. We weren’t close pals, but it was meant to be, because when we did all meet up together, we got on great.

Is it true that some of the group went to one of Roy Orbison’s shows, and right before he got on stage, you asked and he said yes?

We went down to a show in Orange Country somewhere — I think it may have been Anaheim — and we actually watched his show first, because we got there a little bit late. Then afterwards, we were in his dressing room and asked him to join the group, and he [said] yes. There was never any long, big thought about it. Everybody thought it was a good idea.

Restringing ELO: Jeff Lynne Puts the Orchestra Back in Electric Light Orchestra With Symphonic Gigs…

What was the biggest hurdle you faced in getting everyone together?

Believe it or not, there wasn’t one. Because we had the studio, we just planned for ten days, to write ten songs for the album. Which is what we did: getting together around lunchtime, strumming five acoustic guitars. We’d all share chords, ideas for the chord changes, just to get the backing track, and then we’d lay those down. Sometimes we’d double-track those five acoustics, so it’d become ten acoustics. It was rather extravagant, but the rest of it was very, very simple. We would then have dinner and write the words at the same time we’re having dinner. We’d be sitting there at the table, throwing out lines. 

Bob got a lot of the lines, just because he’s such a great writer of lyrics. And it was just fascinating, really — the whole thing was done at dinner time. We’d then go back in the studio and sing them. We’d sort out which parts would suit everybody, and then me and George produced it. It was a marvelous time. 

When we’d done the ten songs, they were just basic tracks, really — acoustic [guitars], bass, a couple of drum beats, and then we took it home to to England to really finish it off. Tom came over to play, and Roy came over to finish them off — to make them into what you’d call proper records, rather than demos.

On Vol. 1 it does feel like some of the songs sound like Bob Dylan songs, some sound like George Harrison songs, some like Tom Petty songs, Orbison songs, Jeff Lynne songs. How did that process happen?

Usually the guy who had the most to do with the lyrics would sing most of it. And other people would get choruses or a bridge to sing. We’d do different parts that would suit their voices. It was just a matter of trial and error, really. 

Getting Roy Orbison in the studio, it was just magic to me. As well as doing the Wilburys at that time, I was doing three tracks for his own album [ Mystery Girl ]. I was just producing him, and I was knocking these tracks out between the Wilburys sessions. If there were a few hours left in the day from the end of a Wilburys session, I’d go back to work on the Roy Orbison songs. I got the privilege of recording his voice, which to me, has always been the greatest thing ever.

Was there any concern at all that egos would get in the way during the sessions? 

It never did get in the way. I never thought that it would. I mean, we had met up before we all started thinking about doing the work, and [it was just] a bunch of guys having fun. 

Tom came up with loads and loads of words for the songs as well, and Tom… [his death] really knocked us about, that one. Three of them gone now — I can’t believe it still. It’s one of those things: “No, it can’t be true.” 

Where do you think that lack of ego came from?

I think it just came naturally, because George was a bit of a name on his own. I think that they were all totally in tune with this idea that George had originally. Everybody saw what everybody did, and I was mainly the producer of it, trying to get it all as good as it could be. They all knew that everything was covered. Nobody thought that they were better than anybody else, really. I actually made up the name Traveling Wilburys. I don’t think Bob was that keen — he wanted to call it Roy and the Boys.

There’s a story out there that George called the mistakes during the recording of Cloud Nine “Wilburys,” because you said, “we’ll bury them in the mix.”

That’s totally a fabrication. Somebody invented that just to make it sound good, but no there was nothing subtle at all about The Wilburys. What you saw [was] what you got. That was it.

What was it like to collaborate on producing with George on that album? That partnership must have laid the foundation for the Wilburys.

George wanted to be sure we would get on, because we didn’t know each other, but he liked my ELO records. I’d just been working with Dave Edmunds on a song, and [George] asked Dave to ask me if I’d like to work on his new album. I said “Of course!” So I went around to his house, and there he was, on the boat on the lake. We had a few beers and a laugh, and after a couple of days of just talking about me producing him, he asked me if I’d like to go on holiday to Australia.

I said, “Oh, I’d love to,” and so we did. We went through Hawaii and then to Australia to watch the Grand Prix in Adelaide — that’s where it was in those days — and we became really great friends and had really good fun. I even co-wrote one of the songs with George — “When We Was Fab” — off Cloud Nine . It was just a wonderful opportunity to use some really good sounds, some nice, ’60s kind of sounds.

Was there a desire on some of these guys’ parts to just be someone in a band for a while?

I think so. Tom loved not having to be the big front guy. But he always looked great anyway — he looked like the front guy. Roy Orbison — what a lovely man, one of the nicest guys I’ve ever known, just a real sweetheart. He’d come to the session, and in his car he’d have a bunch of cakes, which he wasn’t supposed to have anyway, because he had a bad heart. He’d call me Jeffery and say, “I’ve got some really nice cakes in the back, come and have a look.” So he’d invite me down to the back of his car, show me them and say, “You can have first pick.” I thought that was so sweet.

What was Dylan like in this sessions? Did anything about him surprise you? 

Obviously I knew all his work, but what struck me really was how he did it the same way we all do it, but only … better words? I don’t know how to explain it, but he’d get right to the point, right to the “What’s this about?” [conversation]. We’d have to say, “What’s this about, then?” after we got lines in. 

Hearing you say that makes me think of “Tweeter and the Monkey Man.” I’m still not 100 percent sure what it’s about.

I think it’s about some visions that Bob Dylan had that night. Who knows? Tom helped a lot on that one, too. It’s all over the dinner table, don’t forget, so we’re just talking and saying sentences, and sometimes they fit perfectly, and sometimes they don’t, so you move them down a bit so it fits in the next verse.

There was no premeditated thinking about it. It was not what you’d normally do on an album: You’d keep going over it, time after time after time after time, to edit the song to make it as good as it can be. But Bob very much [felt] the first take is the one, and that’s it — you don’t touch it. The first take is Bob’s favorite, usually.

Many people think that song is a hat tip to Bruce Springsteen, given the imagery of New Jersey, a factory and other references. Is that the case, or was it just a coincidence?

I think he liked talking about Bruce. You should ask him about that, really, because I know they sound [like] little bits of “Thunder Road.” We all loved Bruce Springsteen, obviously; you could say it was an homage to Bruce. 

When you guys are record a song like “End of the Line,” where no one is really sing lead and you’re going back and forth, what’s the atmosphere like? Is it as fun as it sounds on the recording?

Oh, absolutely, because we knew we’d got a great tune there, and everybody loved singing it. Everybody loved to have a part, because it was such a catchy and sentimental song, and when Roy comes in, he just blows my mind. Of course, Roy died just when we finished it and the record was coming out, which was the most sickening thing to me. I was devastated for ages because of that. Me and Roy had had plans to do much more together, and his voice was in really good shape. It was just so sad for that to happen.

Where did the idea of giving yourselves different Wilbury names and saying you’re half brothers come from?

Oh, that was George’s idea.

Was the idea, “Yes, we’re five huge names, but we’re just part of a band”?

Of course everybody knew who it was, but that was the idea — making it more like a real group that’s been together for years.

What is your fondest memory of doing Vol. 1 ? 

I think my fondest memory is Roy Orbison singing on the [tracks]. When he’s laying it down, and I’m egging him on a little bit as the producer, just going, “Oh yeah, just like that!” He was such a brilliant singer, and a lovely guy. I had all the time in the world for Roy. My favorite thing of all was being pals with Roy Orbison.

Were you surprised at the success of the album? Or did the success of Cloud Nine give you a little bit of an idea that the Wilburys album might be successful?

The main thing is that [Warner Bros.] thought it would be successful, so they put a lot of faith in it. And it was very popular. I still do one song onstage on the new tour: “Handle With Care,” just to remind you of the Wilburys and show them a little bit of the Wilburys footage on the screen in the back. The crowds always love that. They love to hear that one.

You’re in the middle of your ELO tour right. How’s that going?

It’s been fantastic. It’s unbelievable. Absolutely outrageous. They’re all sold out to the roof, so it’s shocking and fantastic.

Shocking how?

Well, I haven’t been on the road ever since the Wilburys. 

Is it interesting to you that songs that are forty years old are getting such a positive reception? They hold up very well.

I’m shocked. I’ve got a really good band now, and I can finally reproduce on stage what I couldn’t do before with the old group. The new group has 13 including me, and we can finally cover all the string parts, the harmony parts. I get a copy of the show afterwards, just to check how it’s going, so I’m just thrilled with the way it sounds, and the audiences are too. I don’t mean to sound like a big head, but they go mad for it. 

What’s the status of the new ELO album?

I’m already halfway through it, really. So when I finish the rest of this tour, then I’ll be back in my studio.

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Complete List Of Traveling Wilburys Albums And Songs

Feature Photo: Sterling Munksgard / Shutterstock.com

This Complete List Of Traveling Wilburys Albums And Songs presents the full discography of Traveling Wilburys studio albums. This complete Traveling Wilburys discography also includes the Traveling Wilburys compilation album. All these unbelievable  Traveling Wilburys albums have been presented below in chronological order. We have also included all original release dates with each Traveling Wilburys album as well as all original album covers. Every album listed below showcases the entire album tracklisting.

TRAVELING WILBURYS STUDIO ALBUMS

Traveling wilburys vol. 1.

Released October 17, 1988. The group’s first album was a once in a lifetime meeting of true rock superstars forming what possibly may be the greatest superstar group of all time. The Traveling Wilburys consisted of an ex-Beatle George Harrison , the voice of a generation and one of the greatest songwriters of all time in Bob Dylan , the incredible artistry of legendary Roy Orbison , and 70s and 80s super rock stars, Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra and of course the much loved Tom Petty .

CD Track Listings:

• “Handle with Care” – 3:20
• “Dirty World” – 3:30
• “Rattled” – 3:00
• “Last Night” – 3:48
• “Not Alone Any More” – 3:24
• “ Congratulations” – 3:30
• “Heading for the Light” – 3:37
• “Margarita” – 3:15
• “Tweeter and the Monkey Man” – 5:30
• “End of the Line” – 3:30

Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3

Released October 29, 1990. The group’s second and final studio album was released two years after the first album. The album saw the return of George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, and Tom Petty reprising their roles as Nelson/Spike Wilbury (George Harrison), Clayton/Otis Wilbury (Jeff Lynne), Charlie/Muddy Wilbury (Tom Petty) and Lucky/Boo Wilbury (Bob Dylan). Sadly Roy Orbison whose name in the band was Lefty Wilbury passed away before the group recorded their second album.

• “She’s My Baby” – 3:14
• “Inside Out” – 3:36
• “If You Belonged To Me” – 3:13
• “Devil’s Been Busy” – 3:18
• “7 Deadly Sins” – 3:18
• “Poor House” – 3:17
• “Where Were You Last Night? ” – 3:03
• “Cool Dry Place” – 3:37
• “New Blue Moon” – 3:21
• “You Took My Breath Away” – 3:18
• “Wilbury Twist” – 2:56

TRAVELING WILBURYS COMPILATION ALBUMS

The traveling wilburys collection.

Released June 11, 2007. The final Traveling Wilburys release was a box set that contained both original albums and a DVD that was filled with the group’s music videos and a short 24-minute documentary. Additionally, there were four bonus tracks released on the box set that were split between the two CDs of the original albums.

Disc One: CD

• “Congratulations” – 3:30
• “Maxine” – box set bonus track
•  “Like A Ship” – box set bonus track

Disc Two: DVD

• The True History of the Traveling Wilburys documentary
• “Handle with Care”  – Music video
• “End of the Line” – Music video
• “She’s My Baby” – Music video
• “Inside Out” – Music video
• “Wilbury Twist” – Music video

Disc Three: CD

• “Where Were You Last Night?” – 3:03
• “Nobody’s Child” – box set bonus track
• “Runaway” – box set bonus track

Complete List Of Traveling Wilburys Albums And Songsarticle published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022

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End Of The Line by The Traveling Wilburys

Songfacts®:

• 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 . >> Suggestion credit : Alan - Singapore, Singapore
• The song is credited to all five group members, but George Harrison came up with the idea, including the main chord sequence - it certainly bears resemblance to his Beatles and solo output. Harrison takes the first verse, followed by Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison. Tom Petty gets the lead on the chorus.
• Nine of the 10 songs on the Volume One album, including "End Of The Line," were recorded in a 10-day span when the group had to write and record almost a song a day. Dave Stewart of Eurythmics let them use his Los Angeles house and attached studio for these sessions, which were extremely productive and a lot of fun. The song they didn't record there is " Handle With Care ," which they made about a month earlier at Bob Dylan's home studio for George Harrison to release as a B-side. That song was so good, and the experience so pleasant, that they decided to form a band. "Handle With Care" was the first single, with "End Of The Line" released next. Both songs got a lot of airplay on a variety of formats and helped the album sell over 3 million copies in America.
• "End Of The Line" became a eulogy of sorts for Roy Orbison, who died on December 6, 1988, just six weeks after the album was released. His work in the Traveling Wilburys brought him back to the fore after many years of obscurity. Orbison was one of the biggest stars of the '60s, but his '70s albums had little impact, and by the '80s he was struggling to fill small theaters. Before his death, he completed a comeback album with his fellow Wilburys called Mystery Girl , which was released on January 31, 1989, just as "End Of The Line" was climbing the charts. The album did very well, selling over a million copies in America and a lot more worldwide. The single " You Got It " landed at #9 in the US in April 1989, giving him his first Top 10 hit since " (Oh) Pretty Woman " in 1964.
• The music video was directed by Willy Smax, who had previously worked with George Harrison on his " Got My Mind Set On You " video. It takes place, fittingly, on a train where the band is performing in a boxcar. Roy Orbison died before the video was made, so when his verse comes we see his photo and his guitar on a rocking chair. It was kind of amazing that Harrison, Petty, Lynne and Dylan were able to get together for a music video months after the album was released. They were all busy with other projects but really enjoyed each other's company, so when the album exceeded expectations, they made time to make another video. The drummer on the train is Jim Keltner, the stalwart session player they used on the album. He's credited as "Buster Sidebury."
• More songs from The Traveling Wilburys
• More songs about traveling
• More songs from 1988
• Lyrics to End Of The Line
• The Traveling Wilburys Artistfacts

Comments: 10

• Mafunzalo from Colorado I listen to it over and over. Every time I do, pickup something new.
• Jim Bob from Austin, Tx I’m 72 and my two best friends recently died. They came to the end of the line. The song gave me solace and a sense of how to live the rest of my life. I have listened to it over and over.
• Danno from Illinois Where was the album art pic taken? Looks like the train station in Lincoln illinois
• Anonymous Well, which one of em wrote the song! Tom took all the verses my guts he did really wanna know who wrote what’s maybe the best song ever made.
• Paul Hightower from Albany, Oregon Could this song be about the artists know they are older and on their way to their death or end of the line?
• Bobby Todaro from Holbrook, Ny I always looked upon 'End Of The Line' not as a railroad terminus, but as a metaphor for Life. Not everybody rides a train, but we all eventually reach the 'end of the line,' so live your life the best you can!
• Neel from India Purple Haze? Hendrix reference?
• Joe from Grants Pass, Or Why does no one mention Ringo or Jeff Lynne on drums ??
• Ken from Louisville, Ky The drummer, seen in the video, is Jim Keltner, a well known 70's and 80's drummer who worked with George, John and Ringo (and many many others). He's listed as a Wilbury "cousin".
• Jfv from Philadelphia, Pa Every member except Dylan shares lead vocals on the song. Chorus 1 = Harrison, all 3 verses = Petty, Chorus 2 = Lynne, Chorus 3 = Orbison, Chorus 4 = Harrison, Chorus 5 = Lynne. The fade out has the various members shouting and clowning. It's refreshing to hear 4 different lead voices on a song, all of which are distinctly recognizable.

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• Traveling Wilburys

The Story Behind “Handle with Care” by the Traveling Wilburys and How It Was Inspired by a Box in Bob Dylan’s Garage

by Jay McDowell April 11, 2024, 7:00 pm

While George Harrison was recording Cloud Nine with Jeff Lynne, they discussed creating a band to record a song as a bonus track for his next European single. The resulting supergroup took on pseudonyms as half-brothers from the traveling Wilbury family. Based more on “who would you rather hang out with” than musical ability, they brought in Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and Roy Orbison to fill out the group. They each shared a love of ’50s music as well as the comedy of Monty Python. As the song was recorded, everyone agreed it was too good for the limited exposure it would receive as a bonus track on a European single. They instead recorded an entire album and used the song as the lead single. Let’s take a look at the story behind “Handle with Care” by the Traveling Wilburys .

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Been beat up and battered ’round Been sent up, and I’ve been shot down You’re the best thing that I’ve ever found Handle me with care

The Band’s Formation

As Harrison worked on Cloud Nine , producer Lynne was also working on Roy Orbison’s Mystery Girl . Although the studio was booked, Harrison invited Orbison to join him for the session. He called Dylan, who agreed to let them use his Malibu studio. Harrison went to Petty’s house to retrieve a guitar and asked the singer to join them in the studio.

Reputations changeable Situations tolerable Baby, you’re adorable Handle me with care

It Came from a Box

When the band recorded the basic tracks, they used Dylan’s Ampex recorder in his Malibu garage. There was a box there marked “Handle with Care,” which inspired the lyrics. The track started with acoustic and electric six- and 12-string guitars and a drum machine.

I’m so tired of being lonely I still have some love to give Won’t you show me that you really care?

A Great Picture Emerges

All five band members shared writing credit on “Handle with Care,” but Petty talked about writing a song with Dylan. In 2010, he told Mojo magazine, “There’s nobody I’ve ever met who knows more about the craft of how to put a song together than he does. I learned so much from just watching him work. He has an artist’s mind and can find in a line the key word, and think how to embellish it to bring the line out. I had never written more words than I needed, but he tended to write lots and lots of verses, then he’ll say, this verse is better than that, or this line. Slowly, this great picture emerges. He was very good in The Traveling Wilburys. When someone had a line, he could make it a lot better in big ways.”

Everybody’s got somebody to lean on Put your body next to mine and dream on

“I’m playing the guitar in front of a Beatle!”

They originally asked Mike Campbell, who is part of Petty’s backup band The Heartbreakers, to play the guitar. He told Uncut magazine, “They didn’t have the slide intro. I set up my amp, and Tom, Jeff, and George are there. I’m trying my best, but I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m playing the guitar in front of a Beatle!’ I played pretty good, but I said, ‘I really think George would be better on this. His fill would be much sweeter.’ So, he used my amp, and I handed him my guitar. He came up with that beautiful guitar part.”

I’ve been fobbed off, and I’ve been fooled I’ve been robbed and ridiculed In daycare centers and night schools Handle me with care

The Recording

Harrison added the electric slide guitar part on a Rickenbacker 12-string, and Dylan played harmonica. Drummer Ian Wallace and Lynne overdubbed percussion. The Wilburys wanted Jim Keltner to be involved, and he also added some percussion to the drum machine track at Quincy Jones’ Los Angeles studio.

Been stuck in airports, terrorized Sent to meetings, hypnotized Overexposed, commercialized Handle me with care

“The Big O”

The “Handle with Care” music video was shot in October 1988 at an abandoned brewery in Los Angeles. David Leland directed the video after recently completing Harrison’s HandMade Films production Checking Out . The Wilburys performed the song around a single microphone. It was the last video to feature Orbison, who died of a heart attack two months later. “The Big O” had entertained the rest of the band by reciting entire Monty Python sketches. In 2015, Lynne told author John Van der Kiste, “He’s got this enormous and most infectious giggle you’ve ever heard, and we’d all be giggling like schoolgirls after a minute or two and all fall about!”

A Guitar on a Chair

The remaining members of the band carried on and made another video for “End of the Line.” When Orbison’s lines came up, shots of a guitar on a chair were shown to represent the departed singer. Funnily enough, a second album was also made, entitled Volume 3 .

The Song’s Afterlife

In 2002, Petty, Lynne, and The Heartbreakers performed the song at the Concert for George , a tribute to Harrison, who died in 2001. In 2004, they performed “Handle with Care” with Harrison’s son Dhani at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. In 2006, Jenny Lewis covered the song on her debut solo album Rabbit Fur Coat . In 2014, Lynne performed the song in London’s Hyde Park for the BBC Radio 2 Festival in a Day . In 2019, Dhani Harrison was the featured guest during Jeff Lynne and ELO’s tour of the U.S. He included the song in his sets.

I’ve been uptight and made a mess But I’ll clean it up myself, I guess Oh, the sweet smell of success Handle me with care

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The Mega-Hit Song George Jones Almost Refused to Record

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