From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Three Times a Lady
Three Times a Lady
"Three Times a Lady" Genre Country
Single by The Commodores Length 3:42
from the album Natural High Label Warner Bros.
Released 1978 Writer(s) Lionel Richie
Genre Pop Producer Jimmy Bowen
Length 3:36 (7" ) Conway Twitty singles chronology
6:36 (12" )
"We Had It Three
"Three Times a "Somebody’s Needin’
Label Motown Records All" Lady"
Lady Somebody"
Writer(s) Lionel Richie (1983) (1984) (1984)
Producer James Anthony Carmichael
• The song was also covered in the country genre by
country singer Billy "Crash" Craddock on his 1986
Three Lady"
"Three Times a Lady is a 1978 single from the funk/
album Crash Craddock and in 2007 by Cobra Starship
soul band the Commodores, from their 1978 album Nat-
as an iTunes bonus track for their album ¡Viva La
ural High. It was produced by James Anthony Carmichael
Cobra!. In 2001 it was covered by Anglo-Norwegian
and the Commodores and it was the most popular track
boy band a1 and featured on Motown Mania and as a
of the album.
bonus track on their hit single "No More".
In an appearance on The Early Show on June 12, 2009,
• The Shadows did an instrumental of the song on
Richie said the writer was inspired to write it by a com-
Moonlight Shadows (1986).
ment his father made about his mother. Reportedly his
• Kenny Rogers covered the song on After Dark. It was
father said to his mother "I love you. I want you. I need
also featured on his hits compilation All The Hits And
you. Forever" hence the three times[1] It became the
All New Love Songs. Kenny performed the song on the
Commodores’s first Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit,
Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters television
topping the chart for two weeks on August 12, 1978.[2] It
show on November 29th, 19080.
was also the only Motown song to reach the Top 10 that
• The most successful cover version was performed by
year. The song also spent three weeks at #1 on the adult
Conway Twitty, whose version appears on his 1983
contemporary chart. It was one of only a few Motown
album Lost in the Feeling Twitty’s version reached No.
singles to reach the top spot in the UK Singles Chart, stay-
7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in the
ing there for 5 weeks. In the years since the Commodores
late winter of 1984. Allmusic reviewer Tom Jurek
had started in 1974 it has been one of their most emotion-
wrote that "Three Times a Lady" and the previous
al songs since "You Don’t Know That I Know" from the al-
single, "Heartache Tonight" "offer(ed) a solid view of
bum Caught in the Act in 1975.
Twitty’s amazing crossover potential, and his ability
The original Commodores’ version of the song was in-
to take well-known pop tracks and turn them into
cluded as the final track on Lionel Richie’s greatest hits
solid country smashes long after the countrypolitan
compilation album Back To Front, released in 1992.
days of Chet Atkins and RCA."[3] (In addition to
"Heartache Tonight" (a cover of a song by The
Covers and parodies Eagles), Twitty had successfully covered "Slow Hand"
and "The Rose," previously pop hits for the Pointer
"Three Times a Lady"
Sisters and Bette Midler, respectively.)
Single by Conway Twitty • In the movie Garden State, the song is performed at a
funeral by actress Jackie Hoffman.
from the album Lost in the Feeling
• Comedian Bill Bailey performed a German
Released November 1983 translation of the song in his Part Troll set. According
to Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills, the song is about Richie
Format 7"
professing his love for fat women.[4]
Recorded February 1–2, 1983 • The chorus of the song was parodied on Saturday
Sound Stage Studio, Nashville, Tennessee Night Live. Eddie Murphy, in the Buckwheat persona,
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Three Times a Lady
Preceded by Billboard Hot 100 number one single Succeeded by
"Miss You" by The Rolling Stones August 12, 1978 "Grease" by Frankie Valli
Preceded by Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number Succeeded by
"Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste one single "Get Off" by Foxy
of Honey August 12–19, 1978
Preceded by Billboard Easy Listening Singles number-one Succeeded by
"My Angel Baby" by Toby Beau single "Fool (If You Think It’s Over)" by
August 19, 1978 (3 weeks) Chris Rea
Preceded by UK Singles Chart number one single Succeeded by
"You’re The One That I Want" by August 19, 1978 (5 weeks) "Dreadlock Holiday" by 10cc
John Travolta & Olivia Newton-
John
would use numeric hand gestures and yell, "Unce! 55f3a04d90db46c9afa0883389a5fe6a/
Tice! Fee tines a mady!" 24-11-2008%2008-11/Interview_Lionel_Richie.
• In an episode of Seinfeld, Newman sings part of this www.channel24.co.za. Retrieved on October 1, 2009
song, while his mail truck catches fire. [2] Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles:
• Was used twice in The Sopranos episode, "The Test 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 130.
Dream", first when sung by Finn DeTrolio’s father [3] Jurek, Tom, Lost in the Feeling album review,
and again as the end credits rolled. John Heard Allmusic. [1]
played Finn’s father in "The Test Dream" as well as [4] http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/listenagain
the crooked cop Vin Makazian in the earlier episodes
"Meadowlands", "Pax Soprana", and "Boca", who
committed suicide in "Nobody Knows Anything").
See also
• Hot 100 number-one hits of 1978 (United States)
References
[1] http://www.channel24.co.za/Content/Music/
FeaturesInterviews/670/
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Three_Times_a_Lady&oldid=466896701"
Categories:
• 1978 singles
• Commodores songs
• Billy "Crash" Craddock songs
• Conway Twitty songs
• Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
• Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one singles
• UK Singles Chart number-one singles
• Songs written by Lionel Richie
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