Oh, Pretty Woman
song written and composed by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees; originally recorded by Roy Orbison and released in 1964
"Oh, Pretty Woman" (or simply "Pretty Woman") is a song recorded by Roy Orbison and written by Orbison and Bill Dees. 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. It was also Orbison's third single to top the UK Singles Chart, where it spent three weeks at number one.
The single version (in mono) and the LP version (in stereo on the Orbisongs 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. In October 1964, the single was certified gold by the RIAA. At the year's end, Billboard ranked it the number four song of 1964.
"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 U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.) establishing that parody was a valid form of fair use.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Oh, Pretty Woman” as song written and composed by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees; originally recorded by Roy Orbison and released in 1964. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as song written and composed by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees; originally recorded by Roy Orbison and released in 1964. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1472773. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1964, 1990 and 2018.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Oh, Pretty Woman”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Oh, Pretty Woman primary sources, Oh, Pretty Woman archive and Pretty research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Oh, Pretty Woman”?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Oh, Pretty Woman” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.