Running Scared (song)

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"Running Scared" 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.

The song also appears on Orbison's 1962 album titled Roy Orbison's Greatest Hits and his 1989 posthumous album A Black & White Night Live from the 1988 HBO television special.

Noted for being a song written without a chorus, the verse builds 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.

The song was covered by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds on the album Kicking Against the Pricks.

John Peel, the famous British BBC Radio DJ who died in 2004, listed "Running Scared" by Roy Orbison as one of the songs to be played at his memorial service.

Preceded by
"Travelin' Man" by Ricky Nelson
Billboard Hot 100 number one single
June 5, 1961
Succeeded by
"Moody River" by Pat Boone