Have you ever noticed that songs with “Lady” in the title or lyrics are almost always great?
I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but at some point in my formative growth and development years, I became enamored with lady songs.
It might be a generational thing, as there were many awesome lady songs in the 1970s and 80s.
It literally doesn’t matter who sings the song, what time period it’s from or even if it’s the type of music I usually listen to. Just hearing someone sing to or about their “lady” is going to make nearly any song a winner in my book.
It’s honestly hard to think of a lady song that is not a complete and utter banger. Bonus points if “lady” is in the title of the song, or the chorus. Let’s take a look at the evidence.
The first lady song I remember hearing and loving was “Lady” by Styx, which was released in 1973 and peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1975. “Lady” is actually credited as being the first-ever power ballad of all time. I’m pretty sure we can agree this is still a timeless and excellent song. The delicate piano, soaring vocals, poetic lyrics and rockin’ drums just take me away. When the harmonies of that chorus kick in – wow. Just wow.
Then there was the “Lady Lady Lady” song which was the love theme from Flashdance, one of my favorite movies growing up. I was 13 and this movie – and its entire soundtrack – spoke to my young soul. I remember thinking this particular song was the most yearning, romantic thing I had ever heard. If songs with one “lady” moved me, then you can just imagine what the multiple “ladies” in this tune did to me; I melted into a puddle. It honestly still has the same effect even 40 years later.
Let’s just ignore the fact that taking an impressionable 13-year-old to a movie about an exotic dancer was probably highly inappropriate. Does anyone else remember a time when taking kids to R-rated movies was apparently no big thing? The 80s were an “anything goes” kind of time. It’s honestly not surprising that Generation X is the most chill generation of people who have ever lived. Nothing phases us after the childhoods we had.
We can’t close out an ode to lady songs without touching on Lionel Richie, who may in fact be the king of lady songs.
Richie rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and lead singer of the Motown group the Commodores, who released both the tender “Three Times a Lady” and the more upbeat “Lady (You Bring Me Up).” In 1980, Lionel Richie also wrote and produced the US Billboard Hot 100 number one single “Lady” for Kenny Rogers. See what I mean? He’s responsible for bringing us so many great lady songs!
At this point in my writing, I must admit that I’m curious to find out if other people are as charmed by lady songs as I am. So I did a quick Google search, and wouldn’t you know it? Turns out I’m not the only one who is a fan of lady songs. Although I do have a bone to pick with that short list since they didn’t even include my top two favorite lady songs. Here’s another, even longer list of “lady” titled songs.
For anyone who made it this far along in my lady song obsession, I’ve got a special gift: I made my very own Ladysongs playlist on Spotify. Click on the link, save it as a favorite and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do. It includes classics like Frank Sinatra singing “Luck be a Lady” as well as Tom Jones’ “She’s a Lady” and even Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay.” Don’t miss the Duran Duran cover of that last one – I just love it.
Did I miss any beloved lady songs? You’ll have to let me know in the comments below or over on Facebook or Instagram.
