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| "Oh, Pretty Woman" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Roy Orbison and the Candy Men | ||||
| from the album Oh, Pretty Woman (non-US) | ||||
| B-side | "Yo te Amo María" | |||
| Published | August 26, 1964 Acuff-Rose Publications, Inc.[1] | |||
| Released | August 15, 1964 | |||
| Recorded | August 1, 1964[2] | |||
| Studio | Fred Foster Sound Studio, Nashville, Tennessee[2] | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll, rockabilly | |||
| Length | 2:55 | |||
| Label | Monument | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Fred Foster | |||
| Roy Orbison and the Candy Men singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"Oh, Pretty Woman", or simply "Pretty Woman", is a song recorded by Roy Orbison and written by Orbison and Bill Dees.[3] It was released as a single in August 1964 on Monument Records and spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 from September 26, 1964, making it the second and final single by Orbison (after "Running Scared") to reach number one in the United States.[4] It was also Orbison's third single to top the UK Singles Chart, where it spent three weeks at number one.[5]
The single version (in mono) and the LP version (in stereo on the Oribisongs LP) have slightly differing lyrics. The LP version with the intended lyric: "come with me baby" was changed for the single to "come to me baby" as the former was considered too risque. The record ultimately sold seven million copies and marked the high point in Orbison's career.[6] In October 1964, the single was certified gold by the RIAA.[7] At the year's end, Billboard ranked it the number four song of 1964.[8]
"Oh, Pretty Woman" was later used for the title of the 1990 film Pretty Woman and its 2018 Broadway musical adaptation.
Acuff-Rose Music's lawsuit over a parody of "Oh, Pretty Woman" by 2 Live Crew led to a Supreme Court ruling establishing that parody was a valid form of fair use.[9]
- ^ Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1964). Catalog of Copyright Entries 3D Ser Vol 18 Pt 5. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
- ^ a b Weize, Richard (2001). Orbison 1955-1965 (7-CD Deluxe Box Set) (booklet). Bear Family Records. BCD16423. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 85. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
- ^ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of #1 Hits, 5th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 157.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 186. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Lehman, Peter. Roy Orbison: Invention of an Alternative Rock Masculinity. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 2003, p. 2, 13
- ^ "American certifications – Roy Orbison – Pretty Woman". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ "Hot 100 Singles of 1964" (PDF). Billboard. January 2, 1965.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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