DJ Allyn – The Soundtrack for my Life

Handle With Care ~ Traveling Wilburys  

Traveling Wilburys were a 1980s supergroup consisting of George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan.  The band recorded two albums during the two years they were together.

“Wilburys” was a slang term coined by Harrison and Lynne during the recording of Cloud Nine as a pet name for various types of equipment in the recording studio.  The term was used again when the entire group was together. Harrison suggested “The Trembling Wilburys” as the group’s name; instead, Lynne suggested “Traveling”, which was agreed on by the group.

The story goes that Roy Orbison, George Harrison, and Jeff Lynne got together at Bob Dylan’s studio in Santa Monica to record an additional track as a “B-side” single release of Harrison’s “This is Love”.  Tom Petty’s involvement was by chance as Harrison had left his guitar at Petty’s house.When the record company heard the song, they realized that it was way too good to be a single filler song.  That song was Handle with Care.

They enjoyed working together, so they decided to record an album.  In a ten-day period in May 1988,  they wrote and recorded their first album, Traveling Wilburys Vol 1, which was released in October of that year.

Roy Orbison died in December of 1988, just before the band could record the video for “End of the Line”.  In the scene where the verse is sung by Orbison, the viewer is shown Orbison’s guitar in a rocking chair followed by a photo of the late artist.

Handle With Care

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Audio from the 1988 album, The Traveling Wilburys – Vol. 1:

Other Songs Posted for this Artist

• December 29, 2009 -- End of the Line – Traveling Wilburys