The Lady in Red (Chris de Burgh song)

"The Lady in Red" is a song by British-Irish singer-songwriter Chris de Burgh. It was released in June 1986 as the second single from the album Into the Light. The song was responsible for introducing de Burgh's music to a mainstream audience worldwide.

"The Lady in Red"
Single by Chris de Burgh
from the album Into the Light
B-side
  • "Borderline"
  • "The Ecstasy of Flight (I Love the Night)"
Released20 June 1986
GenreSoft rock[1]
Length4:17
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Chris de Burgh
Producer(s)Paul Hardiman
Chris de Burgh singles chronology
"Fire on the Water"
(1986)		 "The Lady in Red"
(1986)		 "Fatal Hesitation"
(1986)

Creation

The song was written in reference to his wife Diane, who used to come and watch him perform at his parents' hotel. It was released on the album Into the Light. On the British TV series This Is Your Life, 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.[2]

Critical reception and impact

The song was a massive hit across the world, quickly becoming de Burgh's best-selling single and his signature song, transforming him from a cult artist into a household name in many countries. It reached the number one position in Canada, the UK, Ireland, Norway and the Flanders region of Belgium. It also reached number three in the United States during the spring of 1987. The song also propelled its parent album Into The Light to the number two position in the United Kingdom and success in other markets. The song was de Burgh's third UK hit single and the first to reach the top 40.[3]

The song tends to divide public opinion and it was voted the tenth most annoying song of all time in a poll commissioned by Dotmusic in 2000. It was one of only two singles in the top ten which were not novelty songs.[4] It was also voted the third worst song of the 1980s by readers of Rolling Stone.[5] It was chosen as the sixth worst love song of all time by Gigwise, who said "it is destined to grate on you at weddings forever more".[6] In a 2001 poll of more than 50,000 Channel 4 viewers and readers of The Observer, the song was voted the fourth most hated UK number-one single.[7]

Neil Norman of The Independent argued in 2006: "Only James Blunt has managed to come up with a song more irritating than Chris de Burgh's 'Lady in Red'. The 1986 mawkfest – according to De Burgh – has reduced many famous people to tears including Diana, Princess of Wales, Fergie and Mel Smith. The less emotionally impressionable, meanwhile, adopt Oscar Wilde's view on the death of Little Nell – that it would take a heart of stone to listen to 'Lady in Red' and not laugh."[8]

Music video

The music video 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

Alternate versions
  • In 1987, de Burgh released a Spanish language adaptation of "The Lady in Red" entitled "La Dama de Ayer" (literally "the lady of yesterday") as a 7-inch single in Spain.
  • In 1995, de Burgh recorded a version with a full orchestra for Beautiful Dreams, his twelfth original album.

See also

References
  1. Coyle, Colin (5 July 2009). "Chris De Burgh cancels Iran gig". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  2. "Lady In Red by Chris de Burgh". Songfacts. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  3. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  4. "Birdie Song tops hall of shame". BBC News Online. 24 July 2000. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  5. "Readers' Poll: The 10 Worst Songs of the 1980s". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  6. "The 20 Worst Love Songs of All Time". Gigwise. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  7. Arlidge, John (7 January 2001). "'Imagine' top song ever". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  8. Norman, Neil (29 October 2006). "Chris de Burgh: Great hands, shame about the voice". The Independent. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  9. "Billboard – Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 98 no. 50. 13 December 1986. p. 56. ISSN 0006-2510.
  10. "Austriancharts.at – Chris de Burgh – The Lady in Red" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  11. "Ultratop.be – Chris de Burgh – The Lady in Red" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  12. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 8843." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  13. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0743." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  14. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  15. "InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "Chris DeBurgh" from the artist drop-down menu. Archived from the original on 19 May 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Chris de Burgh – The Lady in Red". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  17. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Lady in Red". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  18. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Chris de Burgh − The Lady in Red" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  19. "Dutchcharts.nl – Chris de Burgh – The Lady in Red" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  20. "Charts.nz – Chris de Burgh – The Lady in Red". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  21. "Norwegiancharts.com – Chris de Burgh – The Lady in Red". VG-lista. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  22. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (D)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  23. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  24. "Swedishcharts.com – Chris de Burgh – The Lady in Red". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  25. "Swisscharts.com – Chris de Burgh – The Lady in Red". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  26. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  27. "Chris de Burgh Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  28. "Chris de Burgh Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  29. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending MAY 30, 1987". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012.
  30. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  31. "Jaaroverzichten 1986" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  32. "Top 100 Singles of '86". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  33. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1986" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  34. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  35. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1986" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  36. "Top Singles of '87". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  37. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1987". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  38. "Top 100 Hits for 1987". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  39. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1987". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012.
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