Walks Like a Lady

Last updated
"Walks Like a Lady"
Walks Like a Lady cover.jpg
Single by Journey
from the album Departure
B-side "People and Places"
ReleasedMay 1980
Recorded1979
Studio The Automatt, San Francisco, California
Length3:16
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Steve Perry
Producer(s) Geoff Workman
Kevin Elson
Journey singles chronology
"Any Way You Want It"
(1980)		"Walks Like a Lady"
(1980)		"The Party's Over (Hopelessly in Love)"
(1981)

"Walks Like a Lady" is a song written by Steve Perry that was first released by his band Journey on their 1980 album Departure . It was also released as the second single from the album and reached No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. [1] It also reached #31 in Canada. [2]

Contents

Music and lyrics

Ultimate Classic Rock described the writing of the song, saying that "Perry brought in a rough sketch, [Neal] Schon added a blues-inspired [guitar] riff, then [Steve] Smith picked up his brushes," and then [Gregg] Rolie added his "Hammond B3 groove." [3]

Critics and the band have disagreed on the classification of "Walks Like a Lady". During concerts in 1980, Perry used to introduce the song by asking if anyone wants to hear the blues. Boston Globe correspondent Jim Sullivan, who described the song as "semi-blues" found the audience's confused reaction to that introduction humorous. [4] Citizen's Voice critic Jerry Kishbaugh accepted the Perry's classification and described Journey's playing on the song as "blues at its best." [5] Daily Record critic Jim Bohen completely rejected the notion of the song being the blues, stating that "of course the song has nothing to do with the blues." [6]

Several critics have noted the similarity of the line "She walks like a lady / But she cries like a little girl" to the chorus from Bob Dylan's 1966 song "Just Like a Woman." [7] [8]

Reception

Cash Box called "Walks Like a Lady" a "short, to-the-point, easy blues/pop track" with "finger lickin’ good blues [guitar] leads in a subdued but tasteful style" and "moodsetting organ work." [9] Record World said of it that "Drawing from the infamous organ blues trios of another era, Journey adds some boogie rock with Steve Perry's vocals providing the pop front." [10] The Morning Call critic Eric Hegedus described it as "lugubrious". [11] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso rated it Journey's all-time 22nd best song. [3] '

"Walks Like a Lady" has been included on several Journey compilation albums, including the limited edition 3.0 version of The Essential Journey and Greatest Hits 2 . [12] [13] It was also included on the 1981 live album Captured . [14]

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References

  1. ↑ "Journey: Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  2. ↑ "RPM 100 singles". Library and Archives Canada. August 23, 1980.
  3. 1 2 DeRiso, Nick (October 4, 2018). "All 173 Journey Songs Ranked Worst to Best". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  4. ↑ Sullivan, Jim (August 19, 1980). "Journey hardly worth the effort". Boston Globe. p. 25. Retrieved 2023-02-20– via newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Sullivan, Jim (August 29, 1980). "'Journey' Concert: Night Worth Remembering". Citizen's Voice. p. 22. Retrieved 2023-02-20– via newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Bohen, Jim (March 22, 1981). "Shortcuts". Daily Record. p. D4. Retrieved 2023-02-20– via newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Allan, Marc D. (May 15, 1980). "Records". Boston Globe. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-02-20– via newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Laycock, John (May 20, 1980). "Journey travels a well-worn route". Windsor Star. p. 42. Retrieved 2023-02-20– via newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 17, 1980. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  10. ↑ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. May 17, 1980. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  11. ↑ Hegedus, Eric (March 29, 1980). "Records". The Morning Call. p. 63. Retrieved 2023-02-20– via newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Essential Journey [Limited Edition 3.0]". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  13. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Greatest Hits, Vol. 2". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  14. ↑ Kurutz, Steve. "Captured". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
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