| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
"Oh, Pretty Woman" is a song which was a worldwide hit for Roy Orbison. Recorded on the Monument Records label in Nashville, Tennessee, it was written by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees. In 1964 the song sold more records in its first ten days in release than any other single in history.
The lyrics tell how the singer watches a pretty woman walk by. He yearns for her, and wonders if, as beautiful as she is, she might be lonely like he is. At the last minute, she turns back and joins him. The song was covered very closely by the group, Van Halen in 1982. It was covered in ska style in 1986 by the Holy Sisters of the Gaga Dada.
In 1989, the controversial 2 Live Crew recorded a parody of the Orbison song, using the alternate title "Pretty Woman" for their album Clean as They Wanna Be. The Crew sampled the distinctive bass line from the Orbison song, but the romantic lyrics were replaced by talk about a hairy woman and her bald-headed friend and their appeal to the singer.
Orbison's publisher, Acuff-Rose Music Inc. sued 2 Live Crew on the basis that the fair use doctrine did not permit reuse of their copyrighted material for profit. The case, Campbell v. Acuff-Rose MusicCampbell v. Acuff-Rose Music 510 U. 569 ( 1994) was a United States Supreme Court copyright law case that stands for the proposition that a commercial parody can be fair use. That money is made does not make it impossible for a use to be fair; it is merel went all the way to the United States Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court of the United States located in Washington, D. is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States to interpret and decide questions of federal law. It is he. The lyrics of both songs are reproduced below as they are found in the Supreme Court analysis of the use of parody as fair use in a commercial context.
The Supreme Court decided in 2 Live Crew's favor, greatly expanding the doctrine of fair use and extending its protections to parodies created for profit. It is considered a seminal fair use decision.
The original Orbison song, "Oh Pretty Woman", was also used for a film called Pretty Woman starring Richard GereRichard Gere (born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. Gere is a well known Buddhist and an active supporter of the Dalai Lama. Gere was born in Philadelphia. In high school he excelled in gymnastics and music (he played the trumpet). He graduated in 1 and Julia RobertsJulia Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. She was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress for playing the title role in the movie Erin Brockovich''. Born Julie Fiona Roberts in Smyrna, Georgia, Roberts received worldwide fame with P (1990). The film had to license the song from Orbison, but since titles cannot be copyrighted, neither Orbison nor 2 Live Crew had any claim on the title of the film. Oddly enough, observers noted that the film's poster could become involved in another sampling issue. Since Julia Roberts' head is superimposed on an anonymous model's body, the model has the right to demand a release for reproduction along with Roberts, and Richard Gere, who is also shown.
NOTICE: The lyrics reproduced below are as they were published as an appendix to the reasons of Campbell v. Acuff-Rose MusicCampbell v. Acuff-Rose Music 510 U. 569 ( 1994) was a United States Supreme Court copyright law case that stands for the proposition that a commercial parody can be fair use. That money is made does not make it impossible for a use to be fair; it is merel by the Supreme Court of the United StatesThe Supreme Court of the United States located in Washington, D. is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States to interpret and decide questions of federal law. It is he and are only being posted here for research and study of the concepts of fair use and parody an evolving area of copyright law. It is claimed that such posting is in itself fair use as are various photographs and images found on Wikipedia (an educational resource) and has not been created for any commercial purpose.