Lady (You Bring Me Up)

Album: In The Pocket (1981)
Charted: 56 8
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The biggest hits for the Commodores were ballads like "Three Times A Lady" and "Still," but they also had some very memorable uptempo hits like "Brick House" and "Lady (You Bring Me Up)," a song about a man whose woman gets him through life's difficult times. It was released as the lead single from their album In The Pocket, their last with Lionel Richie in the group.
  • Lionel Richie sang lead on "Lady," but he didn't write it. The song was written by their trumpet player, William King, along with King's wife Shirley and Harold Hudson, who wasn't a group member but often played on their recordings.
  • In 1981, sexually suggestive songs like "Physical" and "Girls On Film" caused a bit of controversy. Some disc jockeys poked fun by warning listeners that this was another song with sexually suggestive lyrics: "Lady, you bring me up when I'm down."

Comments: 3

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn June 14th 1981, "Lady (You Bring Me Up)" by the Commodores entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #84; and on August 30th it peaked at #8 (for 3 weeks) and spent 22 weeks on the Top 100...
    It reached #5 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart...
    Lionel Richie sang lead on the record and the week it peaked at #8 on the Top 100 the #1 record for that week was "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie.
  • Alejandro from Chinandega, NicaraguaBeautiful and great song.
  • Ed from Incognito, IlLionel Ritchie is a great performer. Anyone who hasn't heard this man perform live should put it on their things-to-do-before-I-die list.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Petula Clark

Petula ClarkSongwriter Interviews

Petula talks about her hits "Downtown" and "Don't Sleep In The Subway," and explains her Michael Jackson connection.

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Janet Jackson

Janet JacksonFact or Fiction

Was Janet secretly married at 18? Did she gain 60 pounds for a movie role that went to Mariah Carey? See what you know about Ms. Jackson.

Colbie Caillat

Colbie CaillatSongwriter Interviews

Since emerging from MySpace with her hit "Bubbly," Colbie has become a top songwriter, even crafting a hit with Taylor Swift.

Donny Osmond

Donny OsmondSongwriter Interviews

Donny Osmond talks about his biggest hits, his Vegas show, and the fan who taught him to take "Puppy Love" seriously.