“We better write another”: The 1988 Traveling Wilburys song they initially said wasn’t good enough
The Traveling Wilburys nearly abandoned “Not Alone Anymore” because the group felt it lacked the punch of the other songs on their 1988 debut album. Jeff Lynne reworked it instead, turning it into a favourite of Tom Petty’s and showing how the band could reshape a song around Roy Orbison’s voice.
Petty recalled that Lynne rebuilt the track overnight, adding a new lead vocal and drums; Lynne later described changing the chord pattern and stripping away the original backing. Orbison’s existing vocal stayed in place, but the new arrangement gave it a different emotional feel. The episode also reflects Lynne’s close musical partnership with Orbison, including their work on Orbison’s album *Mystery Girl*.
In short
- The Wilburys considered dropping “Not Alone Anymore”.
- Jeff Lynne reworked it around Orbison’s existing vocal.
- Tom Petty later called it one of his favourites.
Explained simply
The Traveling Wilburys were a British-American rock group formed in the late 1980s. Its members included singer-songwriters Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, who also produced the band’s records.
Orbison was known for his distinctive, powerful voice, while Lynne was a songwriter and producer who often shaped recordings in the studio. Their musical partnership extended beyond the Wilburys to Orbison’s album Mystery Girl, released in 1989. The story offers a glimpse of how the group’s members worked together to find an arrangement that suited a song and its singer.
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