1978 · Behind the Songs
Written for Lionel Richie’s parents’ anniversary.
Lionel Richie wrote “Three Times a Lady” for his parents’ wedding anniversary, and you can hear the occasion in every line. Released in 1978, the song is a waltz-time ballad of pure gratitude — a son thanking his mother, in public, in front of millions. It is as sincere as popular music gets.
The song became the Commodores’ first number one on the pop charts, and it changed the band’s story: they were no longer just a funk band with ballads on the side, but one of the great romantic groups of their era. Decades later, it is still the first dance at countless weddings — a family occasion that became everybody’s.