A mate once convinced me that the 'Three Times A Lady' of the title referred to mother, lover and whore - the three component parts of every man's ideal woman. It sounded plausible enough to me and I believed it for years. Writer and lead vocalist Lionel Richie spoiled the party a bit going on record to say it was about the three women he loved most - wife, mother and daughter. That sounded plausible too, if a little less fun. But then Richie is also on the record as saying it was inspired by him overhearing his father saying 'I want you, I need you, I love you' to his mother. Which is slightly less plausible and a lot less fun, but I think it all puts down a marker as to the main problem with the song - what the hell is it about? And does it matter?*
Well yes and no. No in that, as I've said before, complete understanding of a lyric is never a pre-requisite to enjoy any given song, but when you're working in the medium of soul then it's always an idea to know what you're being soulful about. Richie's song seems to be about the end of something "The memories are all in my mind, and now that we've come to the end of our rainbow", and his vocal is suitably maudlin, but the song is a somnambulistic sticky treacle topping with no sponge pudding underneath to give it substance; I bet those cover photo's didn't capture them playing this live. Richie's vocal is sincere, but its sincere dullness has never managed to engage my interest, neither then nor now.
* A different mate had a theory that the once, twice, three times was a reference to the three....ermmm....orifices of a woman that Richie liked to make whoopee with. I have never found this explanation even remotely plausible.
Well yes and no. No in that, as I've said before, complete understanding of a lyric is never a pre-requisite to enjoy any given song, but when you're working in the medium of soul then it's always an idea to know what you're being soulful about. Richie's song seems to be about the end of something "The memories are all in my mind, and now that we've come to the end of our rainbow", and his vocal is suitably maudlin, but the song is a somnambulistic sticky treacle topping with no sponge pudding underneath to give it substance; I bet those cover photo's didn't capture them playing this live. Richie's vocal is sincere, but its sincere dullness has never managed to engage my interest, neither then nor now.
* A different mate had a theory that the once, twice, three times was a reference to the three....ermmm....orifices of a woman that Richie liked to make whoopee with. I have never found this explanation even remotely plausible.
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