Willie Nelson has been penning and recording incredible country tunes for years. Back in the early 1960s, before he blew up in the outlaw country scene, he spent quite a bit of time writing songs for other people. One such song was the 1963 Christmas country tune, “Pretty Paper”.
If that title sounds familiar but doesn’t ring a bell among the many Willie Nelson songs in your head, that’s because the song ended up going to famous singer and guitarist Roy Orbison. And with Nelson’s songwriting talent, Orbison turned “Pretty Paper” into a Christmastime classic for the ages. But the song itself is surprisingly dark.
Videos by American Songwriter
How Roy Orbison Turned Willie Nelson’s Somber Christmas Tune Into a Holiday Classic
After writing “Pretty Paper”, Willie Nelson pitched the song to producer Fred Foster. In turn, the song was pitched to Roy Orbison, who saw its potential. Orbison turned the song into a hit that year.
The storytelling behind this song is unsurprisingly well done. However, it isn’t really what you’d expect from a happy holiday tune. Nelson penned this tune about a struggling street vendor who sold pencils and paper during Christmas. Apparently, the song was based on a real person in Texas whom Nelson saw struggling to make ends meet.
Despite the soft holiday-themed instrumentation and vocals of Orbison’s version, “Pretty Paper” is one of those songs that has pretty dark lyrics once you really listen to them.
“Crowded street, busy feet, hustle by him / Downtown shoppers, Christmas is nigh / There he sits all alone on the sidewalk / Hoping that you won’t pass him by.”
And it gets even darker.
“Should you stop? Better not, much too busy / You’re in a hurry, my how time does fly / In the distance the ringing of laughter / And in the midst of the laughter he cries.”
Unlike similar positive, cheery Christmas songs of that particular era, “Pretty Paper” was really a somber tune about people in the depths of poverty who were struggling to survive, while others around them rushed to dump money into Christmas presents for their loved ones.
Orbison turned “Pretty Paper” into a warm Christmas ballad, and fans loved it. The song made it to No. 10 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart that year, and it also peaked at No. 15 on the Hot 100 chart. The song did even better on the UK Charts.
If you’re wondering what Willie Nelson’s version of this Roy Orbison hit would sound like, you’re in luck. Nelson released his own recorded version in 1964.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.