Sentimental Lady

"Sentimental Lady" is a song written by Bob Welch. It was originally recorded for Fleetwood Mac's 1972 album Bare Trees, but was re-recorded by Welch on his debut solo album, French Kiss, in 1977.[3][4][5] It is a romantic song, originally written for Welch's first wife. Welch recorded it again in 2003 for his album His Fleetwood Mac Years & Beyond.[6]

For the instrumental by Duke Ellington, see Sentimental Lady (Duke Ellington song).
"Sentimental Lady"
Single by Fleetwood Mac
from the album Bare Trees
B-side"Sunny Side of Heaven"
ReleasedMay 1972
Recorded1972
GenreSoft rock[1]
Length4:34 (album version)
3:03 (single version)
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)Bob Welch
Producer(s)Fleetwood Mac
"Sentimental Lady"
Single by Bob Welch
from the album French Kiss
B-side"Hot Love, Cold World"
ReleasedSeptember 1977
Recorded1977
GenreYacht rock[2]
Length2:58
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Bob Welch
Producer(s)Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie
Bob Welch singles chronology
"Sentimental Lady"
(1977)		 "Ebony Eyes"
(1978)
Audio
"Sentimental Lady" on YouTube

History and release

The song was originally written by Welch at the former Gorham Hotel on 55th Street in New York City.[5]

The original 1972 version of the song as heard on Fleetwood Mac's Bare Trees album clocked in at 4 minutes 34 seconds, with background vocals by Christine McVie. It had two verses, with a reprise of the first following the instrumental bridge.

A 1977 re-recording, the most well-known version of the song, was a solo hit for Welch when he recorded it for his first solo album, French Kiss, which was released in September 1977. The first single released from the album, "Sentimental Lady" reached the top 10 in both the U.S. Pop and Adult Contemporary charts.

Mick Fleetwood also played the drums for the song on Welch's 1977 album. The re-recording of it featured Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham as backing singers[5] and producers (with Buckingham additionally doing the arrangement as well as serving on guitar), but unlike the original which had two verses, Welch's solo version only had one verse to cut it down to less than three minutes for the final radio cut.[4][5]

Lyrical composition

The original placeholder/dummy lyrics for the chorus before the full lyrics were written was, "my legs are sticks and my feet are stones."[7] The solo recording has a notable introduction with a multilayered guitar piece by Lindsey Buckingham.

Welch told Songfacts.com: "The lyric was probably referencing my first wife Nancy."[7] In the song, he personifies the love of his life as a "sentimental, gentle wind [that is] blowing through my life again."[8]

The Fleetwood Mac version includes a verse that begins "Now you are here today, But easily you might just go away."[9] It is omitted from Welch's solo version, which otherwise has the same lyrics.[8]

Donald Brackett, in his 2007 book, Fleetwood Mac, 40 Years of Creative Chaos has discussed Welch's poetic romantic lyrics in "Sentimental Lady" and writing and performing style. He describes the featuring of the song on the 1972 album Bare Trees as the best example of the group's move towards a new, softer and highly commercial style in the early 1970s. Brackett suggests that the essence of the lyrics and nature of the song are "almost too gentle", but describes Welch's voice as like "crushed velvet", in that he believes the voice is simultaneously gentle and threatening in tone, a symbolic balance between the emotions of hope and despair.[10] He later says of Welch's song writing, "Welch had the unique ability to encapsulate in a single song the travails of personal intimacy as well as the larger social picture in which we all lived".[10]

Reception

Cash Box described it as being "a startling approach to balladry" with "smooth harmonies abound."[11] Record World called it "a gentle, floating ballad" with "nice lyrics."[12]

Chart performance

Personnel

Fleetwood Mac version

Bob Welch version

References
  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  2. "Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs". 13 June 2023.
  3. Rooksby, Rikky (2004). Fleetwood Mac: The Complete Guide to Their Music. Omnibus Press. pp. 40–42. ISBN 9781844494279.
  4. "Bare Trees". Last FM. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
  5. "Sentimental Lady (2:58)". Last FM. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
  6. "His Fleetwood Mac Years & Beyond - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  7. "Sentimental Lady by Bob Welch Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
  8. "Sentimental Lady". Buckingham Nicks.net. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
  9. "Sentimental Lady. Written by Bob Welch". The Penguin Lyrics Archive. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
  10. Brackett, Donald (2007). Fleetwood Mac: 40 Years of Creative Chaos. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 90. ISBN 9780275993382.
  11. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. June 10, 1972. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  12. "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. June 10, 1972. p. 12. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  13. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-07-23. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
  14. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-07-23. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
  15. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
  16. "Top 100 Hits of 1978/Top 100 Songs of 1978". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-12.
  17. "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1978". 2014-10-29. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
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