(Oh) Pretty Woman

This song, from the Diver Down album, was recorded in one day at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood, CA, and released prior to the completion of the album. The song's demo was recorded in Malibu, CA, in a 16-track studio owned by the brother of Daryl Dragon (one-half of the 1970s singing duo the Captain and Tennille).

It was David Lee Roth's idea to record and release a single just to keep the band's name in circulation. Initially, Roth wanted to cover Dancing in the Streets, but Eddie suggested covering Roy Orbison's "(Oh) Pretty Woman" instead. As the single raced up the charts, Warner Brothers demanded an album to back it up, more than likely forcing the band to hurriedly record. This may be the biggest reason why more than one-third of the Diver Down album is made up of cover songs.

During the rehearsal for (Oh) Pretty Woman, Eddie and Dave got into an argument. Eddie wanted to know if Dave had learned all the lyrics, and Dave pressed Eddie about whether he'd learned all the music. The pair got so caught up in the spat that neither noticed they'd left out part of the song when recording. When the mistake was discovered, the band decided to leave it as it was.

When the single was initially released, it didn't include the word "(Oh)" in the title, though this was corrected in later releases.

Orbison's wife, Claudette, inspired the 1964 version of this song.

The video for (Oh) Pretty Woman was the band's attempt at a spaghetti western. Filming took place at a movie set in Malibu, CA, and took approximately 40 hours. It was directed by Pete Angelus and the band.

It was so cold during the day and a half of filming that between takes, Alex (dressed in only a loincloth) would wrap up in a robe and warm himself by one of the several space heaters in place throughout the set.

Michael Anthony did not use a stunt double during his horse riding scene. Upon completion of the scene, bass tech Kevin Dugan said to him, "I didn't know you could ride like that." To which Anthony replied, "To tell you the truth, neither did I!"

According to Pete Angelus, in the book MTV Ruled the World, the primary cameraman quit in the middle of filming, having been "appalled" by the video. The little people regulary went missing due to suspected mushroom intoxication and escapades with the video's star transvestite.

The video was banned from MTV and elsewhere in the U.S. shortly after its debut when angry parents across the nation called to complain about the transvestite being fondled by little people. It seems many viewers, including those in Australia and New Zealand, which also banned the video, felt the video victimized women. MTV's stance was that the scene made the video too controversial to be broadcast. Japan also gave the video the thumbs down, because they felt the band was making fun of a highly respected figure in their culture: the Samurai warrior (portrayed by Michael Anthony). Unknowingly, Anthony's headband was worn upside down, adding to the insult.

Originally, Intruder was not part of the video. After filming for (Oh) Pretty Woman was complete, it turned out that the mini-movie was longer than the song. The band decided to add a musical introduction, and Intruder was the result. David Lee Roth once claimed to have written Intruder, but Eddie says it was simply an improved recording with a can of Schlitz.