“Oh, Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison
“Oh, Pretty Woman” is another song which perhaps it can be argued was before its time. That is to say that many people of the late 20th century actually became familiar with it for the first time in 1990, when the movie Pretty Woman came out. But many may have been under the impression that it was made specifically for the flick, not being a track which, in reality, predated it by over two decades.
It has been reported that Bruce Springsteen once called this “the best girl-watching rock n’ roll song ever”. And that is an ample description, as what the lyrics consist of for the most part is the vocalist admiring a “pretty woman” whom he crosses paths with. In fact based on his reaction, it can be deemed that she’s just about the most-beautiful lady he’s ever seen in his life – one whom he can’t believe is just “walking down the street” like that. So basically, what we’re dealing with here is a case of love at first sight.
And accordingly, the vocalist proceeds to shoot his shot. But as revealed in the third verse, he gets snubbed and has the type of emotional action one would expect in such a situation, i.e. one of sadness. But you know, Roy still takes it like a man.
And then in the outro, just when he’s about to call it quits for the night, he sees the ‘pretty woman walking back’ in his direction. So now it appears that she’s going to at least give him a romantic opportunity, thus ending the narrative on a happy note.
When was “Oh, Pretty Woman” released?
This song, which was released on 29 August 1964, is considered to be the signature piece of Roy Orbison’s career.
Roy Orbison (1936-1988) was, most simply put, one of the most-notable musicians in American history. His career dates back to the 1950s, with its heyday being during arguably the most-formative years of the music industry. So in between the late 1950s and mid-1960s, the singer scored a number of big hits. But “Oh, Pretty Woman” is the one of only two songs Orbison ever dropped (over a five-decade time span) that topped the Billboard Hot 100 (with the other being 1961’s “Crying”).
This track also topped the UK Singles Chart, Australia’s Kent Music Report and Canada’s RPM listing. It replicated the feat in a number of other countries, including Ireland and West Germany. Also, it has been certified gold by both the RIAA and BPI. In fact by the looks of things, this is the only Orbison song to ever receive RIAA certification.
Also in regards to this song’s performance across the pond, “Oh, Pretty Woman” was one of the most successful in the United Kingdom in 1964.
Some More Achievements
Later down the line, this track also received its own Grammy Hall of Fame Award (in 1999). A live rendition of it also earned Orbison a posthumous Grammy (in 1991) in the category of Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
This piece was also recognized as being amongst the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” by Rolling Stone, as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recognizing it as one of the “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll” in the 21st century.
And of course with all of those types of honors under its belt, this tune has also been inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry (in 2008). Moreover, when Roy Orbison himself was enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, he and Bruce Springsteen, who’s actually a fan of Orbison, performed this song together.
Who wrote “Oh, Pretty Woman”?
Roy Orbison co-wrote “Oh, Pretty Woman” along with Bill Dees (1939-2012). According to Dees, the track was written, recorded and released within the timespan of two weeks.
The song’s producer was another regular collaborator of Orbison, the late Fred Foster (1931-2019).
More Interesting Facts
This track actually played a very-important role in music history. In 1989, the 2 live Crew parodied/sampled “Oh, Pretty Woman” onto their own track titled “Pretty Woman”. And they did go through the proper channels, i.e. requesting a license to use Orbison’s piece via a company called Acuff-Rose Music, which holds the publishing right. Acuff-Rose refused, but the 2 Live Crew used it anyway.
So after “Pretty Woman” proved to be a bit of success (or more specifically, it would seem, the album it is featured on), they decided to sue the Crew. And the reason this case proved significant is not only because it went all the way to the Supreme Court but also because the 2 Live Crew emerged victorious. The Crew’s victory “greatly expanding the doctrine of fair use”, i.e. the right to use other people’s copyrighted work within permission.
It is from this song title that Pretty Woman, the classic 1990 comedy starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, got its name. And in fact “Oh, Pretty Woman” makes a notable appearance on the movie’s soundtrack.
Roy Orbison married Claudette Frady, who inspired this piece, in 1957. Unfortunately the latter years of marriage were marked by Claudette’s infidelity, with the two divorcing a couple of months after “Oh, Pretty Woman” was dropped. However, they did get back together in less than a year. But their story did ultimately end on a sad note as in 1966, while she and Roy were on the road engaged in a motorcycle ride (on respective bikes), Frady was involved in an accident and killed instantly (at the age of 24). Then a couple of years after that their two oldest children, Roy Jr. and Anthony, died in a house fire.
In 1982, Van Halen covered this song to notable chart success.
“Orbisongs”
“Orbisongs” is the title of a compilation LP that Orbison released in November. “Oh, Pretty Woman” appears as the first track on the LP.
In all, the project consists of 12 tracks with a total runtime of 30 minutes and 34 seconds. All the songs on the LP were recorded between September, 1960 and June, 1965.
The late Fred Foster produced the entire LP.
“Orbisongs” was officially released through Fred’s record label, Monument Records.
