I Drove All Night: Lauper vs. Orbison

Celine's version: junk
Orbison's version: recorded in 1987, it has the advantage of coming first, but then again it wasn't actually released until 1992 after I'd already listened to Lauper's version 30 million times. Also, it has that dumb Jeff Lynne sound and Orbison's ad libs are all over the place.
Lauper's version: the best produced, the most emotive, and the coolest drum fills. For serious, I play air drums every time I listen to it.

real answer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tt5DE4hbYY

i'd never actually heard this song. they're both lovely.

I love the Orbison version -- I've written about it often. The Lynne production is more of a straitjacket than it is on the other Wilburys -- cuz it was one of the first?

When Orbison goes INSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDDDDD-HIIIIIIIIIII-IIIIDDDE I melt.

John Waite apparently recorded a version in 1987 too, but left it off his album. It doesn't appear to be on youtube, but I think I can almost imagine how it sounds.

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People be dumb.

I am REALLY fuckin' into the Lauper rendition at the moment…that note she hits at 3:23-24 is a hard as fuck interval! and the standard late 80s production very much hits the spot. I really have no affection for anything she has done other than this tune, and furthermore find the Orbison and Dion versions unlistenable …furthermore, it seems to me that Billy Steinberg time travelled the inspiration some 21 years ahead into Demi Lovato's "Give Your Heart a Break…" what an interesting career that guy's had…

I like these live versions very much as reference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8aFBeeIJ9I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjSEeCsTkrc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tt5DE4hbYY