Pretty Woman

“Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman” went to number one on Billboard Hot 100 on September 26, 1964. The song was later the subject of a lawsuit that involved the Supreme Court and expanded the concept of fair use, eventually opening the door for parody song.” Below, recorded on black and white night – I think I saw my sixties hairdo on someone in the audience😄

Roy Orbison and Bill Dees wrote “Oh, Pretty Woman” in about 90 minutes after Orbison’s wife Claudette asked him for shopping money. Dees began the song with, “Pretty woman…don’t need no money.”
The song’s “Mercy!” was a phrase Dees often used. Orbison’s growl in the song was a spontaneous addition during recording.
Despite its upbeat melody, the lyrics tell a wistful story of unrequited longing, ending with the woman seemingly returning to the narrator.
Claudette, Orbison’s first wife and the inspiration for the song, died in a motorcycle accident in 1966.
Orbison’s trademark sunglasses became a necessity after he left his regular glasses on a plane, forcing him to wear his prescription Ray-Bans on stage.