The Lady in Red
Encyclopedia
"The Lady in Red" is a love song
from Chris de Burgh
's 1986 album Into the Light. The song was a big hit and reached the number one position in the UK, Ireland and Norway, and number three in the United States.
, de Burgh said that the song was inspired by the memory of when he first saw Diane, and how men so often cannot even remember what their wives were wearing when they first met.
is a studio performance, with animation at the beginning and at the end of the song. It features a curly-haired woman in red who depicts the song's lyrics.
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. The song appears briefly in the 2000 film adaptation of American Psycho
when Patrick Bateman, played by Christian Bale
, is listening to it in his office on his Walkman
. It also appears in the 1988 movie, Working Girl
. It is also heard in the 2004 comedy film Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
. It appeared in the 2008 comedy film Baby Mama
. It was also used in episodes of Drop the Dead Donkey
, That Mitchell and Webb Look
(where it was parodied with the "special secret snooker words" "Table of Reds"), Reasonable Doubts
, Men Behaving Badly
(during Gary's reminiscences in the final episode of Series 6, "Sofa"), 30 Rock
, and an episode in Supernatural
called "Tall Tales," as a man slow dances with an alien.
The song is referred to by DI Alex Drake in the first episode of Ashes to Ashes
. As a joke, she says 'I need to change out of red before Chris De Burgh writes a song about me'. A joke the others don't understand.
The song is mentioned in the TV sitcom Friends
during season seven. In the episode The One with Ross's Library Book, character Janice proposes it as a song for Chandler and Monica's wedding (alongside George Michael
's "Careless Whisper
").
Just after the song's release, it regularly featured on television and radio in the run-up to the wedding of The Prince Andrew
, to Sarah Ferguson
, which was held on 23 July 1986. Eight years later, it was chosen as the accompanying song to the clip of the wedding on the BBC
Rock 'n' Roll Years
for the 1986 edition - by which time the couple had separated.
Love song
A love song is about falling in love and the feelings it brings. Anthologies of love songs often contain a mixture of both of these types of song. A bawdy song is both humorous and saucy, emphasizing the physical pleasure of love rather than the emotional joy...
from Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh is a British/Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red".-Early life:...
's 1986 album Into the Light. The song was a big hit and reached the number one position in the UK, Ireland and Norway, and number three in the United States.
Creation
The song was written in reference to (though not specifically about) his wife Diane and was released on the album Into the Light. On the British TV series This Is Your LifeThis Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
, de Burgh said that the song was inspired by the memory of when he first saw Diane, and how men so often cannot even remember what their wives were wearing when they first met.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
is a studio performance, with animation at the beginning and at the end of the song. It features a curly-haired woman in red who depicts the song's lyrics.
Chart performance
| Chart (1986/1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... ) |
1 |
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Cover versions
- De Burgh himself did the Spanish version of the song, called "La Dama de Ayer".
- The ShadowsThe ShadowsThe Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
did an instrumental of the song in 1987 on the album Simply Shadows. - Bill BaileyBill BaileyBill Bailey is an English comedian, musician and actor. As well as his extensive stand-up work, Bailey is well known for his appearances on Black Books, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI.Bailey was listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in...
performed a hillbillyHillbillyHillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
spoof of this song in his show Part Troll, called "Cousin in Red," playing it with a banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
sound on his guitar. Bailey described the song as "simpering mawkish cack". - American crooner Andy WilliamsAndy WilliamsHoward Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
covered the song under the title "Lady in Red" on his 2006 release, I Don't Remember Ever Growing Up. - The BloodsugarsThe BloodsugarsThe Bloodsugars are a Brooklyn-based indie rock band, composed of Jason Rabinowitz, Brendan O'Grady, Matt Katz, and Kenneth Salters. Rabinowitz is the primary singer and songwriter in the band...
, a BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
-based Indie rockIndie rockIndie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band, covered the song for the Guilt by Association Vol. 2Guilt by Association Vol. 2Guilt by Association Vol. 2 is a compilation album released November 18, 2008 by Engine Room Recordings. Like its predecessor, Guilt by Association Vol. 1, it features indie rock artists covering well-known pop and R&B songs.-Overview:...
compilation, released by Engine Room RecordingsEngine Room RecordingsEngine Room Recordings is an independent record label with a roster of Indie rock and Alternative rock musicians. Beyond marketing and distribution for its artists, the label does booking and artist management....
in November 2008. Although the song was not on the physical release of the album, it is possible to download it as a bonus track on the iTunes StoreITunes StoreThe iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
. Furthermore, the all military rock band American Attitude, based in Jacksonville Florida, has received high acclaim for their cover version that they play live during their concerts. The band has plans to record and release their cover version in 2009. - It was also covered by 2010 X Factor Australia winner Altiyan ChildsAltiyan ChildsAltiyan Juric , best known by his stage name Altiyan Childs, is an Australian singer-songwriter. He was the winner of the second season of The X Factor Australia in 2010. After X Factor ended, Childs subsequently signed a recording contract with Sony Music Australia...
for his self-titled debut albumAltiyan Childs (album)-Release history:...
. - Junior Gonzalez did a cover in salsa from his album, Lo Pasado, Pasado.
In other media
It was the love theme for the characters of Steve "Patch" Johnson and Kayla Brady Johnson on the NBC daytime drama Days of our LivesDays of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
. The song appears briefly in the 2000 film adaptation of American Psycho
American Psycho
American Psycho is a psychological thriller and satirical novel by Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the first person by the protagonist, serial killer and Manhattan businessman Patrick Bateman. The book's graphic violence and sexual content generated a great deal of...
when Patrick Bateman, played by Christian Bale
Christian Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....
, is listening to it in his office on his Walkman
Walkman
Walkman is a Sony brand tradename originally used for portable audio cassette, and now used to market Sony's portable audio and video players as well as a line of Sony Ericsson mobile phones...
. It also appears in the 1988 movie, Working Girl
Working Girl
Working Girl is a 1988 romantic comedy film written by Kevin Wade and directed by Mike Nichols. It tells the inspiring story of a Staten Island-raised secretary, Tess McGill , working in the mergers and acquisitions department of a Wall Street investment bank...
. It is also heard in the 2004 comedy film Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, commonly referred to as simply DodgeBall, is a 2004 American sports comedy film produced by 20th Century Fox and Red Hour Productions, written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and starring Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, and Rip Torn...
. It appeared in the 2008 comedy film Baby Mama
Baby Mama
"Baby Mama" is an R&B/hip-hop song by Fantasia from her debut album Free Yourself. It was released as the album's third single on May 3, 2005 and was produced by Co-Stars and Harold Lilly...
. It was also used in episodes of Drop the Dead Donkey
Drop the Dead Donkey
- Major characters :* Gus Hedges — The unctuous Chief Executive of the company, and yes-man to Sir Roysten Merchant. A management stereotype, complete with clichés and clumsy metaphors, he swiftly transforms GlobeLink from a serious news network to a ratings-chasing tabloid channel...
, That Mitchell and Webb Look
That Mitchell and Webb Look
That Mitchell and Webb Look is a British television sketch show starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. Shown on BBC Two since 2006, its first two series were directed by David Kerr, who also directed Mitchell and Webb's previous television sketch show The Mitchell and Webb Situation, whereas...
(where it was parodied with the "special secret snooker words" "Table of Reds"), Reasonable Doubts
Reasonable Doubts
Reasonable Doubts is a police drama broadcast in the United States by NBC that ran from 1991 to 1993.-Synopsis:Reasonable Doubts is primarily about the working relationship between Assistant District Attorney Tess Kaufman , a prosecutor very sensitive to the rights of the accused, and...
, Men Behaving Badly
Men Behaving Badly
Men Behaving Badly is a British comedy that was created and written by Simon Nye. It follows the lives of Gary Strang and his flatmates, Dermot Povey and Tony Smart It was first broadcast on ITV in 1992...
(during Gary's reminiscences in the final episode of Series 6, "Sofa"), 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, and an episode in Supernatural
Supernatural (TV series)
Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
called "Tall Tales," as a man slow dances with an alien.
The song is referred to by DI Alex Drake in the first episode of Ashes to Ashes
Ashes to Ashes (TV series)
Ashes to Ashes is a British science fiction and police procedural drama television series, serving as the sequel to Life on Mars.The series began airing on BBC One in February 2008. A second series began broadcasting in April 2009...
. As a joke, she says 'I need to change out of red before Chris De Burgh writes a song about me'. A joke the others don't understand.
The song is mentioned in the TV sitcom Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
during season seven. In the episode The One with Ross's Library Book, character Janice proposes it as a song for Chandler and Monica's wedding (alongside George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
's "Careless Whisper
Careless Whisper
"Careless Whisper" is a 1984 single by George Michael , released by Epic Records in the UK, Japan, and other countries; and by Columbia Records in North America. The song was George Michael's first solo single although he was still performing in Wham! at the time...
").
Just after the song's release, it regularly featured on television and radio in the run-up to the wedding of The Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, to Sarah Ferguson
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York is a British charity patron, spokesperson, writer, film producer, television personality and former member of the British Royal Family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, whom she married from 1986 to 1996...
, which was held on 23 July 1986. Eight years later, it was chosen as the accompanying song to the clip of the wedding on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Rock 'n' Roll Years
The Rock 'n' Roll Years
The Rock 'n' Roll Years was a BBC television programme aired between 1985 and 1994. In a half-hour time slot the programme focused on a different year each week, starting with the year 1956 and ending with 1989....
for the 1986 edition - by which time the couple had separated.