Released on 29 August 1964, Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” became one of his defining hits despite differing sharply from his more vulnerable ballads. Inspired by an offhand remark from co-writer Bill Dees as Orbison’s wife Claudette left to go shopping, the song was written rapidly and went on to become a major international success.

The record reportedly sold seven million copies and spent three weeks at number one in the United States, while also becoming Orbison’s third UK chart-topper. Its success came amid a troubled period in Orbison’s relationship with Claudette, who died in a motorcycle crash in 1966; two years later, his two young sons died in a house fire, though he later returned to prominence in the 1980s with the Traveling Wilburys.