About The Song
The song “Lady” by the one-and-only Kenny Rogers continues to make women swoon with the smooth combination of his velvety voice.
The song was released in 1980 on the album Kenny Rogers’ Greatest Hits, and it made history for being the first record of the 1980s to chart on all four of Billboard magazine’s singles charts: Hot Country Songs, Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary and Top Soul Singles.
It reached No. 1 on those charts in late 1980, except for Top Soul Singles, where it climbed no higher than No. 42. On the Billboard Hot 100, “Lady” reached the summit two months after it was released and stayed at the top for a remarkable six-week stint
Written by another music legend, Lionel Richie, “Lady”, one of Kenny Rogers Songs is an incredibly well-written story of undying love.
“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,” the song goes.
In an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone, Richie recalled the genesis of his first collaboration with Rogers, which resulted in not only a breakthrough hit but as well as a lasting friendship between the two.
“I’m not used to pitching songs, but I had this song called, ‘Baby,’” Richie said. “I land in Vegas, and all I prepared is the first verse, the way I would normally do it for the Commodores.” Richie had originally pitched this song to the Commodores, but they turned it down.
Rogers’ former road manager, Garth Shaw, then picked up the story and told Rogers, “there’s some songwriter out here, and he wants to play you a song.”
Rogers immediately flew to Las Vegas to meet Richie and hear the demo. As Richie started playing an out-of-tune piano in the dressing room, Rogers began to talk to him about recently marrying Marianne Gordon, his fourth wife.
“I married a lady, a real lady,” he told Richie. “A country boy like me from Houston, Texas, what I am doing with a lady… she’s got such taste, such class, such style, and she’s such a lady. Oh, by the way, what’s the name of your song?”
“I said, ‘Lady,’” Richie laughingly said. “I’m no fool.”
Surprisingly, the rest of the song was written while in a bathroom of a recording studio on the day they were about to record the track.
“So, we’re in the studio recording the song, and I said, ‘Where’s the second verse?’” Rogers once recalled. “They said, ‘Lionel’s in the toilet writing it right now.’ I go, ‘What?’ And they said, ‘Yeah, he can’t write unless he has the pressure to write.’”
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Lyrics
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 forever more
You have gone and made me such a fool
And 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
And in my eyes (In my eyes)
I see no one else but you (I see no one else but you)
There’s no other love like our love
And, oh, girl I’ll always want you near me
I’ve waited for you for so long
Lady
Your love’s the only love I need
Oh, and beside me is where
I want you to be (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