King of Hearts (Roy Orbison album)

Orbison died on December 6, 1988, aged 52, from a heart attack in the middle of his career revival. In February 1989, his new studio album Mystery Girl, on which Orbison had been working until his death, was released. Several songs on King of Hearts had been recorded during the Mystery Girl sessions, and there was enough material for another album. Some songs on King of Hearts were recorded as demos. Several individuals produced the recordings, including Lynne. They were: Don Was, David Was, Pete Anderson, Robbie Robertson, Will Jennings, David Briggs, Chips Moman, Guy Roche, Albert Hammond and Diane Warren.^[8]

Several songs had been previously released.

• "Wild Hearts Run Out of Time" was from the soundtrack of the 1985 film Insignificance, and under the title "Wild Hearts (...Time)" had been issued as a single in Canada, Australia and Europe that same year.
• "Coming Home" was initially issued on the 1986 collaborative album Class of '55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming, which also featured Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. It was Orbison's only solo lead vocal on that album.
• A duet with k.d. lang of Orbison's 1961 hit single "Crying" was released as part of the soundtrack for the 1987 motion picture Hiding Out. The collaboration won the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. The duet "Crying" was a minor US chart hit for the pair, peaking at No. 42 on the Hot Country Songs chart,^[9] but a more substantial hit in the UK in 1992, reaching No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart.^[10]

"I Drove All Night" was another hit single from the album.^{[citation needed]}

Clarence Clemons performed saxophone on "We'll Take the Night".^{[citation needed]}