Video Premiere: See a New Version of Roy Orbison’s Classic All-Star ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’ Performance

Wendy Geller
·Writer, Yahoo Entertainment


Just in time to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Roy Orbison’s classic release Black and White Night, Yahoo Music is excited to debut a completely recut, new edit of the legendary performance of “Oh, Pretty Woman” — his biggest hit from his most iconic concert.

The remarkable performance from 1987 features a young Bruce Springsteen playing with a young Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, and Tom Waits. The original version can be found on Orbison’s YouTube channel and has been viewed more than 12 million times; however, this brand-new version has not been seen until now.

Says Orbison’s son Alex of the video: “Of course ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’ was kind of the centerpiece of Black and White Night because it was my dad’s biggest hit and had been revisited by Van Halen within recent memory of that night. All of the supporting players, including Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, J.D. Souther, Bonnie Raitt, k.d. lang, and Jennifer Warnes, and even Elvis’s TCB band were completely and instantly energized and onboard with the opening ‘da-da-da-da-dum!’

“Revisiting and reimagining Black and White Night after 30 years was a real revelation. Here was my dad, Roy Orbison, at the peak of his powers surrounded by an incredible talent pool, the members of which were openly and absolutely thrilled to be part of this chapter in his brilliant career. Few artists ever get this kind of unconditional love and support — and my dad was clearly delighted to be in such wonderful and talented company.

“Every ‘guest’s’ enthusiasm, even 30 years later, just jumps right through the screen. You can’t design it that way — truly lightning-in-a-bottle in black and white!”

Black and White Night 30, a reimagined, re-edited, remastered, and expanded version of the original television special, will be available both as a CD/DVD set and as a CD/Blu-ray set on Feb. 24. PBS will also air Roy Orbison: Black and White Night 30 during the month of March as part of its special programming. On Friday, Feb. 17, an interactive feature will be posted on RoyOrbison.com to allow fans to explore all five camera angles from that night’s performance of “Oh, Pretty Woman.”