When you think about 1990, you probably think about big hair, oversized suits, and that infectious guitar riff that kicks off Roy Orbison’s biggest hit. It’s impossible to separate the movie from the music. Honestly, the songs from Pretty Woman did half the heavy lifting for the script. Gary Marshall, the director, basically used the soundtrack as a secondary narrator. It told us how Vivian Ward was feeling when she couldn't find the words herself.
Music in film usually just sits in the background. It’s wallpaper. But here? The music is the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. If you strip away the tracklist, the movie loses its pulse.
The Accidental Title Track
It’s kinda funny that "Oh, Pretty Woman" almost didn't define the film. Roy Orbison wrote the song way back in 1964, inspired by his wife Claudette. Decades later, it became the sonic backbone of a Disney-owned Touchstone picture about a sex worker in Hollywood. Talk about a pivot.
The song appears during the iconic shopping montage on Rodeo Drive. You know the one. She goes back to the shop that snubbed her—"Big mistake. Huge!"—clutching those bags. The growl in Orbison’s voice mirrors the newfound confidence in Julia Roberts' stride. It’s upbeat, but it has that driving, relentless rhythm that feels like a victory lap. Without that specific song, the scene might have felt a bit smug. With it, it’s an anthem for anyone who has ever been looked down upon.
Interestingly, the soundtrack didn't just rely on oldies. It was a weird, eclectic mix of 80s synth-pop, Swedish power ballads, and soul.
Roxette and the Sadness of Success
If "Oh, Pretty Woman" is the high point, "It Must Have Been Love" by Roxette is the emotional gut punch. Per Gessle originally wrote it as a Christmas song called "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)" in 1987. When the producers of the film asked for a track, Roxette didn't have time to write something new. They just edited out the Christmas references, polished the production, and handed it over.
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It became one of the biggest songs from Pretty Woman, spending two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Think about the scene where it plays. Vivian is in the back of the limo. The fantasy is over. The gray Los Angeles morning is a stark contrast to the neon lights of the night before. Marie Fredriksson’s vocals are haunting. It’s a power ballad, sure, but it’s sparse. It captures that specific "morning after" realization that real life doesn't always have a script. Most people forget that the song wasn't written for the movie, because it fits the heartbreak so perfectly you'd swear it was tailored to Julia Roberts' tear-streaked face.
The Pop-Rock Pulse of the 90s
While the ballads get the glory, the rest of the album is a time capsule. You've got Go West with "King of Wishful Thinking." That’s the ultimate "I’m over you" song that clearly hides the fact that the singer is definitely not over it. It’s fast, it’s poppy, and it’s very 1990.
Then there’s Natalie Cole’s "Wild Women Do." It sets the tone early on. It’s gritty—or as gritty as a polished Hollywood production gets. It represents the "Old Vivian," the one walking the pavement before Edward Lewis pulls up in a borrowed Lotus Esprit.
And we have to talk about David Bowie. His contribution, "Fame," is used during the scene where Vivian is trying on clothes in the hotel suite. It’s a bit on the nose, isn't it? A song about the trappings of celebrity playing while a woman is being transformed into a high-society mannequin. But it works because Bowie’s funk-driven track adds a layer of cool that the movie desperately needed to avoid becoming too sugary.
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Why the Soundtrack Outlived the Trends
Most soundtracks from the early 90s are unlistenable now. They feel dated, trapped in a world of bad MIDI sounds and cheesy sax solos. This one is different.
Producer Bill Gerber and the music supervisors didn't just pick hits; they picked moods. They understood that Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) represented a stiff, opera-loving world, while Vivian represented the street. The music bridge those two worlds.
- The Opera Element: We can't ignore La Traviata. When Edward takes Vivian to the opera, the music they are watching is actually a mirror of their own story. La Traviata is about a courtesan who falls in love with a young nobleman. It’s meta-storytelling at its finest. When Vivian cries during the performance, it’s not just because the music is beautiful; it’s because she sees herself on that stage.
- The Piano Scene: Richard Gere actually wrote and performed the piece he plays on the piano in the hotel ballroom. It wasn't some studio musician. That’s Gere’s own composition. It’s a moment of raw vulnerability for his character, showing he’s more than just a corporate raider who "buys companies and breaks them apart."
The "Fallen" Track
Lauren Wood’s "Fallen" is the unsung hero of the songs from Pretty Woman. It’s the song playing when they’re just hanging out, being a couple, blurring the lines of their professional arrangement. It has this soft, jazzy late-night feel. It’s the sound of falling in love when you’re trying really hard not to.
Wood wasn't a massive star, and she didn't have the backing of a machine like Roxette or Bowie. But her track provides the intimacy. It’s the "small" music that makes the big moments feel earned.
The Lasting Influence on Rom-Coms
Before this movie, soundtracks were often an afterthought. After this? Every romantic comedy tried to replicate the formula. They wanted their own "Roxette moment." They wanted a classic rock song to rename the movie after. (Think about My Girl or Stand By Me—the song often sells the film).
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But usually, it feels forced. In Pretty Woman, the songs feel like they were birthed from the asphalt of Hollywood Boulevard. Even the Red Hot Chili Peppers show up on the soundtrack with "Show Me Your Soul." It’s a funky, weird track that reminds you that despite the Cinderella story, this is still a movie set in the grime of LA.
Actionable Insights for Soundtrack Lovers
If you're looking to dive deeper into why this music works or want to curate a similar vibe, here is how you should approach it:
- Listen to the full album, not just the hits. Songs like "Life in Detail" by Robert Palmer often get skipped, but they provide the connective tissue of the film's "business" atmosphere.
- Watch the Opera scene with subtitles. Understanding the lyrics to Verdi’s Sempre Libera changes how you view the chemistry between the leads. It’s not just background noise; it’s dialogue.
- Contrast the textures. Notice how the movie moves from the harsh, synthesized sounds of the street to the lush, orchestral sounds of the hotel and the opera house. This sonic shift tells the story of Vivian's transition better than any costume change could.
- Check out the 30th Anniversary editions. There are remastered versions of these tracks that bring out the bass lines in the Go West and Roxette tracks that were lost on old cassette tapes.
The reality is that songs from Pretty Woman succeeded because they weren't afraid to be emotional. They embraced the cheese, the heartbreak, and the triumph. That’s why, 35 years later, you still can’t hear that opening riff without thinking of a red dress and a white limo.
The best way to experience it now isn't just through a Spotify playlist. It’s by watching the film and paying attention to when the music starts and—more importantly—when it stops. Silence is used just as effectively as the power ballads. When the music cuts out, the reality of their situation hits home. When it swells, the fairy tale takes over. It’s a masterclass in emotional manipulation, and we love every second of it.