I don’t usually commemorate 9/11 at First Draft. That communal horror was warped and twisted by Team W in support of their damn fool Iraq War. It was, however, a searing moment in our history so I’m posting a sad song as this week’s Friday Cocktail Hour.

Roy Orbison and Joe Melson wrote Crying in 1961. The pair wrote many hit songs together; Crying was one of the biggest hits of all.

We begin with the songwriter:

Most of the early covers of this week’s tune were recorded by country singers.

The American Pie guy had a hit with the Orbison-Melson classic in 1978:

KD Lang & Roy Orbison. Say no more.

A solo acoustic version by Adrian Belew of King Crimson fame:

Finally, a Spanish language version from David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr:

What would the Friday Cocktail Hour be without instrumental versions of the week’s tunes? This time, Hank Marvin of The Shadows followed by the solo piano stylings of Kevin Noonan:

That’s it for this weepy 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Let’s drink to everyone who died on that dreadful day. It’s what the Traveling Wilburys would want. Never argue with them.