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October 8, 1964
The song Oh, Pretty Woman by the great Roy Orbison was enjoying a simultaneous stay at #1 on music charts in three different countries.
In America, it was in its second of 3 weeks at the top of the heap on the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK, it had just hit #1 on their singles chart on this day. And in Canada, it was perched on top of the most influential music chart in that country, radio station CHUM/Toronto’s CHUM Hit Parade.
Replacing the debut hit in America by the British Invasion band The Animals with The House Of The Rising Sun, Orbison’s record reached the top of Billboard in just its 5th week on their national weekly chart (#51-27-10-4-1). It spent 8 weeks inside the Top 10 and a total of 15 weeks on the Hot 100.
The title of Orbison’s biggest single was inspired by his wife, Claudette, who interrupted a conversation Roy was having with his co-writer Bill Dees to announce she was going out.
When Orbison, commonly known by his moniker ‘The Big O,’ asked if she was okay for cash, Dees interjected, “A pretty woman never needs any money.”
[Notes] Claudette Orbison was killed on June 6th, 1966, after she and Roy had embarked on a motorcycle vacation – riding separate bikes. A truck driver pulled out in front of hers, and she died in Roy’s arms an hour later, at just 24 years old.
Then, two years later, on Sept. 14, 1968, tragedy struck again when, horrifically, two of Orbison’s three sons lost their lives in a fire at his home in Hendersonville, TN.
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[Note] Some audio song files may not play on smartphones, tablets or connected devices. A laptop, desktop PC or Mac may be required for optimal enjoyment.
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PRETTY WOMAN
(1st Issued Single & LP Version)
Roy Orbison and The Candymen
(Incorrectly listed as The Candy Men on the record label)
[1964]
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Co-written by Orbison and Dees, the first issue of the single on the Monument label listed the title as just Pretty Woman and contained the lyric line “Come with me baby” (during the 6th bar of the ‘middle eight’ bridge at 1:41). Because of the perceived sexual connotation, some radio stations initially refused to play the record.
In the excellent 2005 book ‘1000 UK #1 Hits‘ by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, Bill Dees recounted:
“Actually, the ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’ in ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’ probably came from The Beatles.”
He went on to say: “I can’t do that growl like Roy, but the ‘Mercy’ is mine. I used to say that all the time when I saw a pretty woman or had some good food. Still do.”
Orbison’s second and last #1 song, the single was certified gold by the RIAA (his only one). It ultimately sold 7 millions copies – and is ranked by Billboard as the #5 song of 1964.
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OH, PRETTY WOMAN
(2nd Issued Single Version)
Roy Orbison and The Candymen
(Incorrectly listed as The Candy Men on the record label)
[1964]
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Not known by many is this: After the resistance to the initially released version of the record by some radio stations, Monument issued a second version of the single – this time with Oh Pretty Woman on the record label – with the “come with me” vocal part having been re-recorded as “come to me.” It then became the definitive ‘single’ version of the song.
This is an extremely rare version of the re-issued single in STEREO. Most Oldies radio stations play the original ‘Come with me’ version because:
One, they don’t have the official re-issued ‘Come to me’ single in the preferred audio format for FM radio – stereo. So they simply play the former version commonly available to them on CD. Fair enough.
But secondly, today’s 30-something Classic Hits/Oldies radio programmers are simply too young to know – or care about – the differentiation. To them, a Roy Orbison song catalog (or one by any artist from the 1960’s, 1970’s and even 1980’s) is nothing more than titles in some chart book, or names on some list given to them by station programming consultants – who also have no clue.
But House of the Hits has it! Which is why both my former CBS Radio employers – WOMC/Detroit and Q105/Tampa Bay – played this correct hit single version (and many other titles like it for the same reasons).
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Okay, my rant is over – but I’m right!
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OPW ended its 3-week run topping Billboard on October 17th of ’64; replaced by another U.S. debut hit by a British Invasion band, Manfred Mann, with Do Wah Diddy Diddy.
Besides ‘Oh, Pretty Woman,’ Roy Orbison placed eight other songs in Billboard’s Top 10, including Only The Lonely (Know How I Feel) (1960 • #2), Blue Angel (1960 • #9), Crying (1961 • #2), Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) (1962 • #4), In Dreams (1963 • #7), Mean Woman Blues (1963 • #5) and It’s Over (1964 • #9). The eighth was his only other #1 song, Running Scared, in 1961.
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(Courtesy TNJPosterCreations.com)
I first saw Roy Orbison in 1965 in my hometown of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada at a local ‘curling’ rink (eh?) turned summer rollerskating facility known as The Glenbriar. Check out that admission price.
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OH, PRETTY WOMAN
Roy Orbison
(Video from Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night
[1987]
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Orbison posthumously won the 1991 Grammy Award for ‘Best Male Pop Vocal Performance’ for his live recording of Pretty Woman (the “Come to me” version) on his live HBO television special Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night.
Recorded at the Ambassador Hotel’s then-famed Coconut Grove nightclub in L.A. on September 30, 1987 (about 14 months before Orbison’s death) it featured a virtual “who’s-who” of the music business on stage with Roy. It first aired on television as a Cinemax special on January 3rd, 1988.
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Over the years, a number of artists have covered Oh, Pretty Woman, including Connie Francis, Al Green, Andy Kim, John Mellencamp, the Newbeats and Johnny Rivers.
But the best-known and most commercially successful version was by the rockers Van Halen in 1982. Titled (Oh) Pretty Woman, it peaked at #12 on April 17th of that year.
After a brief career revival in 1988 as a member of the group The Traveling Wilburys (L-R) Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Orbison and George Harrison).
Roy Kelton Orbison died suddenly of a heart attack in December of that year at the age of only 52.
YOU GOT IT
Roy Orbison
[1989]
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His last single, You Got It, co-written with Lynne and Petty, was released posthumously in January of 1989 and climbed to #9 on April 15th.
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[Note] Circa 1985, while working at Toronto, Ontario radio station 590/CKEY, I had the privilege and pleasure to emcee a show by Roy Orbison – a supper club performance at the city’s downtown Royal York Hotel. A listener to my show had won a “meet and greet” with Roy, and the winner, his wife, my girlfriend and I were taken to his dressing room prior to him going on.
I can’t recall ever meeting a more humble, gentle and gracious man – not only in the music business, but in my everyday life. Those few moments – and hosting the show – are prime highlights of my career which I will always remember and treasure).
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The Candymen
The Candymen began in Dothan, Alabama as The Webs and eventually became the back-up band for music legend Roy Orbison.
Singer Bobby Goldsboro was their original lead singer but was replaced by Tampa, FL vocalist Rodney Justo when the former left to pursue a solo career.
Not long after, Orbison took an interest in the group and ultimately hired them – at which time The Webs became The Candymen, named after Roy’s song called Candy Man (1961 • #25).
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[Left] The Candymen: [L-R] Bobby Peterson, Billy Gilmore, Bob Nix, John Rainey Adkins and Rodney Justo.
The photo was taken circa 1965 in Orbison’s Hendersonville, TN home prior to the 1968 fire there which tragically claimed the lives of two of his children.
Three years later, several original members of The Candymen relocated to Atlanta, GA to reform the band, adding new members, and recording a tune by songwriter-producer Buddy Buie called Georgia Pines.
It charted on the Hot 100 in 1967, crawling to #81 on December 9th.
GEORGIA PINES
The Candymen
[1967]
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In late 1967, three original members of The Candymen, along with Buie – who had also become their manager – formed the Georgia/Florida group Classics IV. Buie and his songwriting partner, guitarist J.R. Cobb, wrote all of their late-1960’s hits which included Spooky, Stormy, Traces and Everyday With You Girl.
And in a further evolution, in the mid-1970’s Buie took some members of Classics IV to form the band Atlanta Rhythm Section, whose hits included So Into You and Imaginary Lover.
Buddy Buie passed away in July of 2015 at the age of 74.
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Written By: Rick Murray Hunter
Songs Source: The Music Vault of HouseoftheHits Inc.
Billboard® Chart Data: Joel Whitburn’s Record Research (eBook Editions)
Record Sleeve & Label Graphics: Courtesy of 45cat
