"Who's That Lady"
Single by the Isley Brothers
B-side"My Little Girl"
ReleasedApril 1964
RecordedJanuary 14, 1964
StudioBell Sound Studios, New York City, New York
GenreR&B
Length2:48
LabelUnited Artists
714
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bert Berns
"That Lady, Pts. 1 & 2"
Single by the Isley Brothers
from the album 3 + 3
ReleasedJuly 1973
Recorded1973
StudioRecord Plant, Los Angeles
Genre
Length5:34 (Album version)
3:09 (Radio version)
LabelT-Neck
2251
Songwriter(s)Rud. Isley
Ron. Isley
Isley Jr.
Ernie Isley
Marvin Isley
Chris Jasper
Producer(s)Ronald Isley
Rudolph Isley
The Isley Brothers singles chronology
"It's Too Late"
(1973) 		"That Lady, Pts. 1 & 2"
(1973) 		"What It Comes Down To"
(1973)
Music video
"That Lady, Pts. 1 & 2" on YouTube

"That Lady" is a song by the Isley Brothers, made famous in 1973 when it was reworked in a funk rock style. It was originally performed as "Who's That Lady?" in a classic R&B vocal style by the Isley Brothers in 1964, inspired by the Impressions.

In 1973, the core Isley Brothers vocal trio had recently expanded, picking up guitarist Ernie Isley, bassist Marvin Isley and keyboardist Chris Jasper to form their 3 + 3 configuration. Guitarist Jimi Hendrix had supported the Isley Brothers on tour in the mid-1960s, and Ernie Isley had been strongly influenced by Hendrix's playing methods. At the Los Angeles Record Plant in 1973 recording the new version of "That Lady", Ernie laid down a searing guitar line with heavy Hendrix-style sustain carrying a soft fuzz distortion.[3] The recording project included other musicians on organ and congas to establish a funk/rock fusion sound.[1] The song debuted at No.89 on the Hot 100 on July 14, 1973, as "Meet The Lady", then the title would appear as "Meet That Lady" for the next six weeks and "That Lady" for the remainder of the run.

"That Lady" became the Isley Brothers' first Top 10 pop single since 1969's "It's Your Thing", spending three weeks at No.6 on the pop chart and reaching No.2 on the US R&B Singles chart. The RIAA certified the single Gold in October 1973.[4] It was also a cross-Atlantic hit for the group, reaching No.14 in the UK.[5] With its prominent electric guitar line, "That Lady" helped establish Ernie Isley as a powerhouse performer.[6]

In 2003, the song was ranked No.357 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[7]

Covers and samples

"That Lady" is sampled in "A Year and a Day," a section in the "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" suite on the 1989 Beastie Boys album Paul's Boutique.[8]

Hip-hop versions of the song include "Who's That Lady" by The Get Funky Crew from their 1989 album Shake Them and "Who's That Lady" by Houston rapper 380 Dat Lady on her 1996 album A Day in the Life of 380 Vol. 1. "That Lady" is sampled in "Jus 1 Kiss (The Isley Bootleg)" by Basement Jaxx, which was released in 2001 and appeared on their 2005 greatest hits compilation The Singles.[8]

In 2012, the song was performed and recorded by The Dukes of September as part of their live album at the Lincoln Center.

Re-recorded elements of "That Lady" are incorporated in "i", the lead single of Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly. The song won the awards for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 2015 Grammy Awards.[8]

In popular culture

In the late 1990s, the song was used in a series of commercials for Salon Selectives haircare products.[8]

"That Lady" appears in the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, introducing Christina Applegate's character, the news anchor Veronica Corningstone, when she first arrives at the San Diego television station KVWN Channel 4.[8]

Chart history

Personnel

References

  1. ^ a b "The Isley Brothers | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Stanley, Bob (2014). "Freddie's Dead: Electrified Soul". Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! The Story of Pop Music from Bill Haley to Beyoncé. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 226.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of R & B and Soul. Virgin. p. 168. ISBN 9780753502419.
  4. ^ "Gold and Platinum Search: Isley Brothers". RIAA. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  5. ^ "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1973-09-22. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  6. ^ Taylor, Marc (2001). A Touch of Classic Soul 2: The Late 1970s. Aloiv Publishing. p. 162. ISBN 9780965232876.
  7. ^ Staff (December 11, 2003). "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e Unterberger, Andrew (2014-09-23). "The Five Best Times Someone Other Than Kendrick Lamar Used 'That Lady'". Spin. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  9. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1973-10-27. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  10. ^ "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1973-09-22. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  11. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  12. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 20, 1973". Cashboxmagazine.com. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  13. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (July 13, 2017). "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada.
  14. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973 | Music Outfitters". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  15. ^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1973". Tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
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