"Little Bitty Pretty One" is a 1957 song written and originally recorded by Bobby Day. The same year, the song was popularized by Thurston Harris. Produced by Aladdin Records (located in Los Angeles, Calif.), and featuring the Sharps on backing vocals, Harris's version reached No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Best-Sellers chart and No. 2 on the R&B chart. The Bobby Day version reached No. 11 in the Canadian CHUM Chart. In 1991, Jacqueline Byrd, the widow of songwriter Bobby Day, told lawmakers that she had intercepted a letter addressed to her husband. The letter from the Copyright Office stated that the copyright to "Little Bitty Pretty One" was not renewed, thus ending royalty payments to Day and the song's publisher. Byrd never told her husband, who was dying of cancer, about the letter. If the song's copyright were renewed, Byrd and her four children would have received royalty payments until 2037.

Reception

Bryan Thomas writes that the song "has gone on to become one of the best loved oldies of the late '50s". The song is famous for its hummed opening. It was used in the 1983 horror film Christine, the 1989 comedy/fantasy film Little Monsters, and the 1996 comedy/fantasy film Matilda.

Cover versions

"Wiggle, Wiggle"

"Little Bitty Pretty One" was the inspiration for the Accents' sole hit "Wiggle Wiggle" in 1958, and though the similarities were evidently not sufficient to warrant a lawsuit, Aladdin Records took the expedient step of covering the song with a group called the Chestnuts.