“She’s a Lady” (1971) – Tom Jones * Written by Paul Anka * 45: “She’s a Lady” / “My Way” * LP: Tom Jones Sings She’s a Lady * Produced by Gordon Mills
Tom Jones’s biggest hit of the seventies—no. 2 on Billboard—distinguished itself by serving up the phrases “she always knows her place” and “she’s never in the way” during the glory years of women’s lib. Even so, its heavy airplay on easy listening stations indicated that the minor-key discotheque broiler likely had a wide female listenership and jibed with older generation values. Paul Anka, in his autobiography My Way, singles out the song as “chauvinistic” and his least favorite among everything he’s written. In a 2013 duet with Jones, he would alter the lyrics of the first verse. Jones’s version of “My Way” on side B of the original 45 turns the disc into something of an Anka tribute. (The She’s a Lady album cover presents Jones as fashion doll “Tom,” a friend of Barbie and rival of Ken.)