The first song written by the supergroup Traveling Wilburys showcases the wonderful and unbelievable talents of 5 awesome musicians. The song and group's conception is the stuff of legend. In 1988, George Harrison had lunch with Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne (from Electric Light Orchestra) to discuss helping him write and compose a song to be added to the B-side of his next single "This Is Love."



All of them agreed and so they decided to go to Bob Dylan's home studio in Malibu, California to start writing, composing and recording the song. However, George Harrison had left his guitar at Tom Petty's place and consequently he joined the rest at Dylan's place.

After being inspired by a box in Dylan's garage that was labeled "Handle With Care", the song quickly came about through contributions from every member. After recording, the song was polished and refined by producer Jeff Lynne and was sent to Harrison's record company to be added on his next single. However, the record company realised that it was too good to be released as "filler."

Encouraged by the response and the enjoyable experience recording together, the group got back together to write 9 songs over 10 days at Dylan's home studio to make a Traveling Wilburys album. The album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 was released to enormous success and critical acclaim in October 1988.

Lyrics-wise, the song deals with how someone has been beaten up and abused during their whole life, and how they seek someone to treat them nicely or handle them with care. It's a common sentiment that many people can relate to, given the fact that finding a soul mate gives people a certain refuge where they can always feel safe and loved.

However, this is not just limited to love, it also includes finding the right people to hang around with, so that you can share your love and be loved back in return. Overall, it has a more uplifting feeling than a depressing one.

The rhythm and melody of the song also contributes to this uplifting mood, which is very catchy, easy to follow and hence memorable. The combination of 5 great voices works to perfection making this song sound better than if it just one person singing the tune.

It's a shame that Roy Orbison died just months after the release the first Wilburys album, and hence future collaborations were not so great and had to be put on hold. For the time being, it's better to enjoy the song that was made, and not dwell upon what could have been. Enjoy!