10 Best Songs With The Word 'Lady' In The Title

Feature Photo: Brandon Nagy / Shutterstock.com

The word “Lady” has appeared in so many great song titles that narrowing the field to ten is almost impossible, which is also what makes this list so much fun. These songs move from Styx and The Beatles to Bob Dylan, The Isley Brothers, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, and Jimi Hendrix, covering everything from love songs and soft rock to funk, blues, psychedelic rock, and hard rock. The only thing they really have in common is that one word in the title, but each artist gives it a completely different feeling.

# 10 – Lady – Styx

Styx’s “Lady” is one of those songs that sounds like it was always meant to become a hit, even though it took a while for the rest of the country to catch up with Chicago. Dennis DeYoung wrote the song for his wife, Suzanne, and Styx released it on Styx II in 1973. The record initially found most of its audience locally, but growing Chicago radio play eventually pushed it onto the national charts, where it reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975. The piano opening, DeYoung’s voice, and the way the arrangement keeps building give the song that big romantic sweep that would become such an important part of the Styx sound. “Lady” was the breakthrough that changed everything for the band.

Read More: 10 Most Rocking Styx Songs

# 9 – Lady Madonna – The Beatles

“Lady Madonna” is The Beatles stripping things back down to a tough, swinging rock-and-roll groove after the psychedelic explosion of 1967. Paul McCartney wrote the song, credited as always to Lennon-McCartney, and the band recorded it at EMI Studios on February 3 and 6, 1968, just before leaving for India. Released in March with George Harrison’s “The Inner Light” on the B-side, it became the final original Beatles single issued on Parlophone in the UK before the move to Apple Records. The song went to number one in Britain and number four in the United States. McCartney’s pounding piano gives the track its backbone, while the saxophones and Ringo Starr’s drums help make “Lady Madonna” feel like a return to the band’s early rock-and-roll roots without sounding like they were going backward.

# 8 – Lady – Little River Band

Little River Band’s “Lady” is a perfect example of the smooth melodic rock that made the Australian band such a major presence on American radio in the late 1970s. Written by Graeham Goble, the song appeared on Sleeper Catcher and was released as the album’s third single in 1978, eventually reaching number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1979. John Boylan and the band produced the recording, and Glenn Shorrock’s lead vocal sits beautifully inside those trademark Little River Band harmonies. What makes “Lady” work is how easy it sounds. The melody is warm, the chorus stays with you, and the band never overplays anything. It is soft rock done exactly the way it should be done.

Read More: Top 10 Little River Band Songs

# 7 – Dude (Looks Like A Lady) – Aerosmith

Aerosmith’s “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” arrived in 1987 on Permanent Vacation and helped announce that the band was fully back in the game. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry wrote the song with Desmond Child, and producer Bruce Fairbairn helped give the record the huge, polished sound that defined Aerosmith’s late-1980s comeback. The song has everything that worked about that era of the band: a massive chorus, horn punches, Joe Perry’s guitar, and Tyler completely throwing himself into the vocal. It is loud, funny, theatrical, and instantly recognizable, and it became one of the records that introduced Aerosmith to an entirely new generation of fans.

# 6 – Lay Lady Lay – Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay” still sounds unlike almost anything else he recorded in the 1960s because of that low, relaxed vocal he used throughout Nashville Skyline. Recorded in Nashville in February 1969 with producer Bob Johnston, the song became the album’s biggest single and reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. Dylan’s country direction, Pete Drake’s steel guitar, and Kenny Buttrey’s percussion give the recording a warm, almost weightless feel. There is nothing complicated about the arrangement, and that simplicity is a big part of its beauty. Dylan had already reinvented himself several times by this point, and “Lay Lady Lay” showed once again that he could change his entire sound without losing his identity.

# 5 – That Lady, Pt. 1 – The Isley Brothers

The Isley Brothers’ “That Lady” is one of those records where the guitar hits you almost as hard as the vocal. The 1973 version on 3 + 3 was a complete reinvention of the group’s earlier 1960s song “Who’s That Lady,” this time with Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley, and Chris Jasper joining Ronald, Rudolph, and O’Kelly Isley in the expanded six-man lineup. The full album version was titled “That Lady, Pts. 1 & 2,” while the single edit was issued as “That Lady, Pt. 1.” Ernie Isley’s screaming lead guitar gives the track its rock edge, while the rhythm section and Ronald Isley’s vocal keep it rooted in soul and funk. The single reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains one of the greatest examples of how naturally the Isleys could move between R&B, funk, and rock.

Read More: Top 10 Isley Brothers Songs

# 4 – Green Eyed Lady – Sugarloaf

Sugarloaf’s “Green-Eyed Lady” is one of the great early-1970s records built around a groove that seems like it could go on forever. Written by Jerry Corbetta, J.C. Phillips, and David Riordan, the song appeared on Sugarloaf’s self-titled debut album in 1970 and climbed to number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Corbetta’s organ is the centerpiece, but the bass, guitar, and shifting rhythmic feel give the track that wonderful combination of jazz, blues, psychedelic rock, and straight-ahead rock and roll. The long album version gives the musicians room to stretch out, while the hit single edit tightened everything for radio. Either way, once that organ riff starts, you know exactly what song you are hearing.

Read More: Top 10 Sugarloaf Songs

# 3 – Lady Jane – The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones’ “Lady Jane” showed just how far the band had moved beyond its blues-club beginnings by the time Aftermath arrived in 1966. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham, the song has a delicate baroque sound that stands apart from almost everything else the Stones were doing at the time. Brian Jones’ dulcimer gives the recording much of its distinctive character, while Mick Jagger delivers the lyric with an intentionally formal, almost courtly tone. Contrary to a long-repeated claim, “Lady Jane” was released in the United States as the B-side of “Mother’s Little Helper” and charted on its own, reaching number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100. It remains one of the most unusual and beautiful records in the Stones’ early catalog.

Read More: Top 10 Rolling Stones Love Songs

# 2 – Sentimental Lady – Fleetwood Mac

Bob Welch wrote “Sentimental Lady” while he was a member of Fleetwood Mac, and the original version appeared on the band’s 1972 album Bare Trees. That recording belongs to a fascinating period of Fleetwood Mac history before Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the group, with Welch helping give the band a smoother and more melodic direction. Five years later, Welch re-recorded the song for his solo album French Kiss, with Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie returning and Lindsey Buckingham joining in on guitar and backing vocals. That 1977 version became the hit, reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, but the Fleetwood Mac original has its own quieter beauty and remains one of Welch’s finest songs from his years with the band.

# 1 – Foxy Lady – The Jimi Hendrix Experience

“Foxy Lady” is Jimi Hendrix walking through the front door and changing the sound of rock guitar almost instantly. Hendrix recorded the song with Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell at CBS Studios in London on December 13, 1966, with Chas Chandler producing, and it appeared on The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s 1967 debut album Are You Experienced. The North American releases spelled the title “Foxey Lady,” and Reprise also issued it as a U.S. single late in 1967, where it reached number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. None of that really explains the record’s impact, though. The feedback at the beginning, that massive riff, Hendrix’s vocal, and the sheer attitude of the performance sounded completely new, and more than half a century later the track still has that same dangerous electricity.