No. 030 - Roy Orbison’s “You Got It” changed my life
No. 030 - Roy Orbison’s “You Got It” changed my life
Culinary creative Erin Barnhart finally finds her perfect karaoke song
🏆 A top-read essay
This Song Changed My Life is an independent music publication featuring essays from people all around the world about the songs that mean the most to them. Created by Grace Lilly, supported by readers.
• 4 min read •
“You Got It” was written before I was born, yet I only began to appreciate it over the past decade.
I think I first heard it on a soft rock radio station when I was a kid, but when I reheard it around 2015, I heard it with a newfound clarity. It was my entrée into true karaoke fandom, a light hobby that grew into something more.
Around this time, karaoke became an outlet for creative expression for me, and this song became a private little anthem to myself about abundance and self love.
But before I delve deeper… *cue my introduction to karaoke!* (Top hat cymbal!)
My college roommate Erika and I frequented karaoke night at The Go Bar in Athens, Georgia. I just never really… found my song. While Erika could perfectly (hilariously) mimic Cher’s “Believe” or Gladys Knight’s “Midnight Train to Georgia,” I just couldn’t find my groove. I sang with equal gusto, but it never felt quite right.
As I’ve learned, just because you like a song does not mean it’s good for karaoke.
Back then, I would sing tunes like Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” (hard rhythm!), Prince’s “Dirty Mind” (I can’t do a falsetto harmony!), and Backstreet Boys’ “Want You Back” (ok, this one’s actually really easy and fun for the crowd, but I didn’t really feel it). It was a real Goldilocks-ing kind of period — none of them felt “just right.”
A few years later, I was reading a lot about creativity. My sibling gave me a copy of the book The Artist’s Way, and I began to write a lot too. As a food stylist I’ve always been paid to execute someone else’s creative vision. However, I was beginning to sense a blossoming of my own ideas and expressions within, and I was leaning into it.
Then, “You Got It” entered my orbit.
I was watching a documentary about Tom Petty, and incidentally learning about the origin of the Traveling Wilburys.
If you don’t know, like I didn’t know, the Traveling Wilburys were a supergroup made up of Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne (Electric Light Orchestra), George Harrison (The Beatles), Roy Orbison, and Bob Dylan.
In the documentary, Petty talks about the Traveling Wilburys’ creative and writing process, and there’s an amazing behind-the-scenes look at the recording of “You Got It.”
The “making of” element really got me, and suddenly I heard Roy Orbison’s voice in a whole new way.
The “You Got It” melody is so dang catchy, and (most importantly for karaoke) it happens to be in my vocal range.
If you’ve heard my speaking voice, my singing voice isn’t far off. And if you’ve never heard my speaking voice… A quick text to my sibling to ask for descriptors yielded “Ronnie Spector,” “screamed too much at summer camp,” “Bart Simpson in college,” “Miley Cyrus,” and my personal favorite, “Natasha Lyonne sucked helium.” So, as you might imagine, the Roy Orbison range really fits — and while I could never match him, I can confidently carry this tune.
Anything you want, you got it
Anything you need, you got it
The lyrics kind of hit the nail on the head as an empowering song for myself, about the type of person I want to be. The words echo the abundance mindset I had been reading about, and to this day they help me tap into that feeling that everything you want, you already possess.
I live my life to be with you, no one can do the things you do
I also find it incredibly moving that Orbison wrote the song in 1987 (with Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty) and recorded it in 1988 (with the Traveling Wilburys), but it wasn’t actually released until 1989, after he died.
I suppose the timeline gives me a very “live every day like it’s your last,” “carpe diem” kind of feeling, and the song itself gives me a sense of freedom and confidence that helps my creativity and self-expression flow freely.
For all of these reasons, as soon as I rediscovered “You Got It,” it shot straight to the top of my karaoke repertoire.
To me, it just feels good to sing this song.
It feels like eating a big, delicious turkey sandwich on lightly toasted She Wolf Bakery bread with lots of mayonnaise, very spicy mustard, and shredded lettuce, with plain Kettle chips and a Claussen dill pickle on the side. It feels like laying on the beach in the sunshine with my partner, after swimming in the ocean for so long it makes my fingers pruney. It feels like hanging in my backyard around dusk in the summer with no shoes on, so my feet are dirty and my hair smells like charcoal because I’ve been grilling all afternoon.
It just feels good. ◆
About Erin
Erin Barnhart is based in Brooklyn, New York, where she cooks for work and cooks for fun. She spends most of her free time working on her intergalactic culinary adventure project, Fungus Amongus Studio.
Instagram @heyyallitserin
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You are hitting me right where I live. Roy and the Traveling Wilbury's will always be very very special to me. And it always touched me that he went out on top. After years of not being recognized he died with the #1 record on the charts and then this gorgeous song came out. I love this song. I always will