Billboard #1 Hits: #448: “Three Times A Lady”- The Commodores. August 12, 1978. #1 for2 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100.

• Single:”Three Times A Lady”- The Commodores
• Record Company-Motown
• Genre: Soul
• Written by Lionel Richie
• Time: 3:36
• B-side:”Look What You’ve Done To Me”
• Album-Natural High
• Grade: A-
• Peaked at #1 2 weeks in Billboard Hot 100. #1 in UK Singles Chart, #1 in Ireland, Australia and Canada.

The Commodores had seven Top 40 hits and four Top 10 hits in the mid 70’s before having their first #1 with “Three Times A Lady.” They would have one more #1- another Lionel Richie ballad- “Still” a year later. The Commodores were a funk and soul band- who are remembered now for Lionel Richie’s ballads- it seems like when they hit that formula the funk at least on the singles disappeared.

At a party celebrating his parents 37th anniversary his father toasted his wife by saying”She’s a great lady, she’s a great mother, and she’s a great friend.” This inspired Lionel to write the song- which he dedicated to his wife. The song was first a waltz- but Richie felt it wouldn’t fit The Commodores style so he wrote it imagining Frank Sinatra singing it.