Lady (Kenny Rogers song)
"Lady" is a ballad written by Lionel Richie and first recorded by American country singer Kenny Rogers. It was released in September 1980 on Rogers’ Greatest Hits album and runs about four minutes. Produced by Richie, the song blends country with R&B/pop influences.
Richie originally pitched "Lady" to the Commodores, who turned it down, and Rogers decided to record it. The track became one of Rogers’ biggest solo hits and helped launch Richie’s solo career in the 1980s. Richie later performed the song himself on his 1998 album Time, and he and Rogers recorded a duet version for Richie's 2012 release, Tuskegee.
On the charts, "Lady" was a major crossover success. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks and also reached number one on the Hot Country Singles chart for one week. It climbed to the top on the Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at number 42 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. It was the first 1980s song to reach all four of Billboard’s major singles charts, and Billboard later ranked it among 1981’s top songs at number three.
For Rogers, "Lady" was his biggest solo hit. He would later top the Hot 100 again as part of the duet "Islands in the Stream" with Dolly Parton.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:53 (CET).