Lady

Album

A Young Man's Fancy

Label

Liberty Records

Genre

Soul

Composer(s)

Lionel Richie

Entered Chart

Oct 4, 1980

Peak Date

Nov 15, 1980

Released

September 29, 1980 (U.S.)

Recorded

1980

Catalog #

Liberty 1380

B-Side

Sweet Music Man

Lionel Richie wrote this song especially for Rogers and also produced the track. When Motown Records' publishing company, Jobete Music, told Rogers that Lionel Richie wanted to write a song for him, he immediately flew to Las Vegas to meet him. Richie played a demo to Rogers, who loved the song and within a fortnight had recorded it. He said, "I love songs that are female orientated and that's the market I wanna get." This followed in the footsteps of the ballads Lionel Richie wrote with his group the Commodores - songs like "Three Times A Lady" and "Sweet Love." At the time, there was a market for these over-the-top love songs where the singer proclaimed his deepest devotion in lines like, "In my eyes, I see no one else but you." Richie was better at it than anyone, and the following year, he spun gold with "Endless Love," his duet with Diana Ross. When he embarked on a solo career in 1982, he launched it with another song in this vein: "Truly." The Metro newspaper asked Richie if he'd kept it for himself. He replied: "Just the opposite. When I wrote the song for Kenny, I called my lawyer and said: 'If I put my voice on this it's going to be a smash, I want it.' My lawyer said: 'If you give it to Kenny, it will be bigger than you ever thought.' Now this was true. What I did not realize was that not only did I have my crowd, I picked up all of Kenny's following too. And that happened to be the rest of the world." Rogers' signature song is "The Gambler," but "Lady" is by far his biggest solo chart hit, reaching the peak of the Hot 100, Country and Adult Contemporary charts. His duet with Dolly Parton, "Islands in the Stream," also topped those charts. Lionel Richie told Entertainment Weekly that this has been his most profitable song. Said Richie: "I have an estate that 'Lady' bought." Lionel Richie performed "Lady" at the Grammy Awards in 2021 in honor of Kenny Rogers, who died the previous year.

Lady, I'm your knight in shining armor and I love you
You have made me what I am and I am yours
My love, there's so many ways I want to say "I love you"
Let me hold you in my arms forevermore

You have gone and made me such a fool
I'm so lost in your love
And, oh, we belong together
Won't you believe in my song?

Lady, for so many years I thought I'd never find you
You have come into my life and made me whole
Forever, let me wake to see you each and every morning
Let me hear you whisper softly in my ear

In my eyes, I see no one else but you
There's no other love like our love
And yes, oh, yes, I'll always want you near me
I've waited for you for so long

Lady, your love's the only love I need
And beside me is where I want you to be
'Cause, my love, there's somethin' I want you to know
You're the love of my life
You're my lady