About The Song
It was rare, but not unprecedented, for the Temptations to compose the songs they recorded. After all, founding member Otis Williams co-wrote their first 45 for Motown, “Oh, Mother Of Mine,” released on the company’s Miracle label in 1961. When baritone Ali-Ollie Woodson joined the group 22 years later to replace Dennis Edwards, his skill as a singer – who had previously been part of Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes – was not the Detroit native’s only asset. “His strong suit was melodies,” recalled Williams in his autobiography, Temptations. “He played several instruments in addition to being a fantastic, flexible singer.”
Woodson’s strength came to the fore with “Treat Her Like A Lady,” the first single from the group’s 31st album, Truly For You. The song first took shape when Woodson was living in New York in the late ’70s, after leaving the Blue Notes. That’s also when he penned the title track of the Temptations’ 32nd album, Touch Me. “On the three albums we recorded with Ollie – Truly For You, Touch Me and To Be Continued – eleven of the 27 tracks were written by one or more Tempts,” Williams declared. It was “another thing we were very pleased with.”
“Treat Her Like A Lady” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard R&B charts, making it the Temptations’ most successful single since “Shakey Ground” in 1975. It fared less well on the pop listings, but reached No. 12 on the best-sellers in the U.K., where it became one of the group’s all-time most popular songs. Under the circumstances, it was no surprise that another member of the quintet at that time, Richard Street, called Woodson “a bright and shining star.” His creative contributions continued on their next two albums: he co-wrote five tracks on Touch Me, and two on To Be Continued, including the title track with Otis Williams. Clearly, Woodson knew how to treat a song as well as a lady.
Video
Lyrics
Treat her like a lady
Hey, hey, hey
Instrumental
Ooh-ooh-oh-ooh-oh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-oh-ooh
Ooh, yeah, baby
Whoa-whoa-oh-oh
Mmm
Now I-m the kinda guy who don’t believe
That chivalry is dead, no
‘Cause I believe a woman should be treated
With the utmost respect, mmm-hmm-
Don’t be afraid, don’t turn and walk away
I wanna get to know ya, well
Don’t be ashamed, don’t say that love’s to blame
Just come and look me over
You’ll find a heart that you’ve always been lookin’ for
How could anybody ask for much more, woo-hoo-
Now I like openin’ doors
Pickin’ up (Yeah) her hanky (Yeah) off the floor
Treat her like a lady
Light her cigarette if she smokes
Even (Help her with her coat) well
Treat her like a lady
In this world of liberation
It’s so easy to forget, mmm-
That it’s so nice to have a man around
To lend a helping hand, you can bet, bet you can, baby
When I was young, my mama used to say, boy
A woman’s like a flower, with love on her you shower
Ever since that day, her words never went away
I always will remember to treat my baby tender
You’ll find a heart that you’ve always been lookin’ for
How could anybody ask for much more, whoa-ooh-ooh-
Now I like openin’ doors
Pickin’ up (Yeah) her hanky off the floor
Treat her like a lady
Light her cigarette if she smokes
Even help her with her coat
Treat her like a lady
Compliment her on her hair
Even help her with her chair
Treat her like a lady
She’s a bad son-of-a-gun
I’m her lovin’ Don Juan
Treat her like a lady
Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-ooh-
Whoa-oh-oh-
Hey-hey-
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-baby
Every day, ever way
Hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
You’ll find a heart that you’ve always been lookin’ for
How could anybody ask for much more, whoa-whoa-oh-ooh-
Now I like openin’ doors
Pickin’ up her hanky off the floor
Treat her like a lady
Light her cigarette if she smokes
Even help her with her coat, help her out
Treat her like a lady
Compliment her on her hair
Even help her with her chair
Treat her like a lady
Now boy, you should remember
To be a gentleman
Treat her like a lady (Treat her like a lady)
Treat her like, treat her like (Hey-ey-)
Treat her like a lady (Treat her like a lady)
Treat her like (Well), treat her like
Treat her like a lady (Treat her like a lady)
Treat her like, treat her like (Ooh-hoo-)
Treat her like a lady (Hoo-hoo-oh, my, my, treat her like a lady)