’Oh, Pretty Woman’ A Reason To Smile Dan Rather and Team Steady Sep 28 Credit: Getty Images This week’s reason to smile is a catchy little tune by a fellow Texan and one of my favorite singers, Roy Orbison. His song, “Oh, Pretty Woman,” hit No. 1 61 years ago this week. Orbison, who wrote the song with his friend and collaborator Bill Dees, says he was inspired by his beautiful wife Claudette. The song, which is now part of the fabric of American popular culture, was Orbison’s most popular and successful single. He was awarded a posthumous Grammy for a new recording of “Oh, Pretty Woman” in 1991. Not surprising, it was the theme song for the Julia Roberts-Richard Gere film of the same name. It has made all the lists: Grammy Hall of Fame, Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and the Library of Congress’s songs included in the National Recording Registry. Regardless of the accolades, I bet you can’t stop singing it. If you want to enjoy all the songs chosen for A Reason To Smile, you can listen to this Spotify playlist, which is updated weekly. If you are able to, please support my team by becoming a paid subscriber. They make pieces like this possible. No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading, watching, and listening. Stay Steady, Dan