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You're a Lady
1972 single by Peter Skellern From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"You're a Lady" is the debut single by British singer-songwriter Peter Skellern. The song became Skellern's first and biggest hit, reaching #3 on the UK Singles Chart, #7 on the Irish Singles Chart and #50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.[2]
Skellern performed the song live on many occasions prior to his retirement in 2001.[3] It became a constant feature of his double act with Richard Stilgoe, and renditions of the song feature on their albums Who Plays Wins (1985)[4] and A Quiet Night Out (2000).[5]
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Skellern wrote "You're a Lady" in the summerhouse at his home in Shaftesbury, Dorset. He kept his piano there so as not to bother anyone with his practice.[6] The song has been described as "a breathless love song".[6] Skellern's vocals and piano accompaniment are supplemented by the Congregation, a choral pop ensemble who had already had their own top ten UK hit with "Softly Whispering I Love You",[7] and by the Hanwell Band, heard unaccompanied in the introductory bars.
Skellern once played with the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain as a child, and he sought to recapture his "speechless amazement" at their sound by using the brass band on the record.[6] The euphonium, played by John Luckett, is prominently featured.[8] Skellern wanted the song to evoke the North of England, saying: "I wanted people to see the wet cobblestones and the Lowry paintings when they heard 'You're a Lady'".[9]
The single was placed on Radio Luxembourg on a pay-for-play basis, but was then picked up by Terry Wogan on his BBC Radio 2 programme. The single went on to sell over 800,000 copies[10] and the song was also the first track on Skellern's 1972 album of the same name.[11] The song's great success and the demands that came with it led Skellern to a six-month period, a couple of years later, where he "got drunk every day".[9]
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