I'm a Lady

"I'm a Lady" is a song by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor to promote the film Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017). Trainor and Martin Renea co-wrote it, and co-produced it with the Monsters and the Strangerz. Epic Records released it as a single on February 24, 2017. Backed by percussion-heavy instrumentation, "I'm a Lady" is a retro-pop song that has lyrics about loving oneself and empowerment. It received mostly positive reviews from music critics.

For the 1983 song, see I'm a Lady: The Old, New & Best of Mary Wells.
"I'm a Lady"
Single by Meghan Trainor
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2017 (2017-02-24)
Format
Recorded2016
GenrePop
Length2:45
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
  • Meghan Trainor
  • Martin Renea
Producer(s)
  • Martin Renea
  • The Monsters and the Strangerz
  • Meghan Trainor
Meghan Trainor singles chronology
"Better"
(2016)		 "I'm a Lady"
(2017)		 "No Excuses"
(2018)
Music video
"I'm a Lady" on YouTube

"I'm a Lady" charted at number 40 on the US Adult Top 40 chart and 300 on the Russia Airplay chart. Hannah Lux Davis directed the music video, which was released on March 3, 2017, and features only female characters, in settings such as a boardroom, wearing a football uniform, shooting archery and lifting weights. Trainor has performed "I'm a Lady" live on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Background and release

In October 2015, Meghan Trainor released the song "Better When I'm Dancin'" for The Peanuts Movie soundtrack, and contributed another track called "Good to be Alive" to its Target edition.[1] She and Martin Renea co-wrote "I'm a Lady", and co-produced it with The Monsters and the Strangerz.[2] Trainor announced that she had written the song for the film Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017) at the 2016 KIIS-FM Jingle Ball, describing it as "a saxophone-driven 'banger' that's 'pretty fire'" and an "upbeat, love-yourself woman anthem".[3] In the weeks preceding its release, Trainor began uploading stills from its music video on her Instagram account.[4]

The artwork for "I'm a Lady" was edited by her brother Ryan Trainor and unveiled on February 23, 2017.[5] The song was released as a single for digital download and streaming the next day.[6] It was serviced to hot adult contemporary and contemporary hit radio stations in the United States on February 27 and 28, respectively.[7][8] "I'm a Lady" led to Trainor voicing the character of Smurfmelody in the film.[9] The soundtrack for Smurfs: The Lost Village was released on March 31, 2017, and did not include the song.[10]

Composition

"I'm a Lady" has empowering lyrics about loving oneself that are also a celebration of womanhood. Its pre-chorus uplifts people who may not feel "represented by mainstream culture", with its chorus conveying the message that all women should be "proud to be ladies". Both sections repeat a few times during the song's duration.[12] "I'm a Lady" has a positive message and percussion-heavy instrumentation, and a "campy spoken interlude" towards the end.[11] The song's retro-pop nature was compared to Trainor's debut major-label studio album Title (2015), while its attitude, verve and "spunk" were noted to be reminiscent to her follow-up album Thank You (2016).[11][13]

Critical reception

"I'm a Lady" was described as a "girl power anthem" by some critics.[9][14][15] Bustle's Caitlin Gallagher wrote that Trainor manages to "inspire many people to sing from the rooftops that they love themselves" within the short duration of the song, and its beat is one that "you'll be dancing to in no time".[12] Writing for MTV News, Madeline Roth called it an uplifting retro bop that packs "a lot of positivity", and would "brighten up" the listener's day.[13] HuffPost's Minou Clark stated that once "I'm a Lady" is played, "you won't be able to resist the urge to get up and dance", pegging it as a contender for 2017's summer song.[15] Christina Cauterucci of Slate wrote that the "anti-feminist lady-power shtick" of the song was "totally on brand" for the singer, and it took the "backward vision" of Jennifer Lopez's "Ain't Your Mama" (2016) to elementary school-aged girls.[16] She additionally criticized Trainor for pitting women against each other with the lyric "I don't look like them, but I ain't worried 'bout it / I don't talk like them, but I ain't worried 'bout it".[16] It received a nomination for the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Song in an Animated Film at the 2017 Hollywood Music in Media Awards.[17]

Music video

A music video for the song was released on March 3, 2017.[18] The video sees Trainor performing with a band in a warehouse. This is interspersed with scenes of women succeeding in several walks of life, including: a boardroom, wearing a football uniform, shooting archery and lifting weights.[19] Outfits worn by Trainor include a white top hat, business attire, a body suit and jock attire.[20][21] The video was described by Roth as "women can be whatever the hell they want to be. Oh, and in case you were wondering — no, there are absolutely zero men in this video. Only girls".[21]

Idolator's Mike Wass wrote that Trainor "serves looks" and "busts out some fancy choreography" in the video, and it clearly portrays the message that "women can wear what they want and do what they want.[18] Cauterucci highlighted that the singer wears "traditionally masculine" outfits and portrays a "bunch of sexy characters", constituting the "most basic, surface-level trappings of gender performance" to portray a female ideal.[16] Da'Shan Smith of Billboard wrote that the visuals keep "in line with her consistent theme of female empowerment" with Trainor modeling the same "feisty enthusiasm" as she did for "No" (2016), and positively compared it to a Pepsi Super Bowl commercial.[22]

Live performance

Trainor performed "I'm a Lady" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on April 7, 2017, in what was described as a "show-stopping rendition" by Today's Gina Vivinetto.[23] This marked her first performance since undergoing her second vocal surgery and being on vocal rest since December 2016.[24]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[2]

  • Meghan Trainor – lead vocals, producer
  • Martin Renea – producer
  • The Monsters and the Strangerz – producer
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering engineer
  • Stefan Johnson – mixing engineer

Charts
Weekly chart positions for "I'm a Lady"
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Russia Airplay (Tophit)[25] 300
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[26] 40

Release history
Release dates and format(s) for "I'm a Lady"
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various February 24, 2017
Epic [6]
United States February 27, 2017 Hot adult contemporary [7]
February 28, 2017 Contemporary hit radio [8]

References
  1. Gracie, Bianca (October 14, 2015). "'The Peanuts Movie' Soundtrack Features Meghan Trainor & Flo Rida". Idolator. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  2. "Credits / I'm a Lady (from Smurfs: The Lost Village) / Meghan Trainor". Tidal. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  3. Roth, Madeline (February 21, 2017). "Meghan Trainor Teases Her Next 'Love Yourself Woman Anthem'". MTV News. Archived from the original on August 20, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  4. Stutz, Colin (February 21, 2017). "Meghan Trainor Teases New Song 'I'm a Lady' & Music Video". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  5. Trainor, Meghan [@Meghan_Trainor] (February 23, 2017). "The Single Artwork for #ImALady Is Finally Here!!!! Edited by my own brother @RyanTrainor92... instagram.com/p/BQ1iE_fjyi9/" (Tweet). Retrieved June 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
  6. References for the digital release of "I'm a Lady":
  7. "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases - Hot Adult Contemporary Rock Songs and Release Dates". All Access Media Group. February 27, 2017. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  8. "Top 40/M Future Releases - Mainstream Hit Songs Being Released and Their Release Dates". All Access Media Group. February 28, 2017. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  9. Brandle, Lars (February 24, 2017). "Meghan Trainor Brings Back Girl Power for 'Smurfs' Song 'I'm a Lady'". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  10. "Smurfs: The Lost Village (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Christopher Lennertz". Apple Music (US). Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  11. Wass, Mike (February 23, 2017). "Meghan Trainor's 'I'm A Lady' Is A Cute Retro-Bop". Idolator. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  12. Gallagher, Caitlin (February 24, 2017). "Meghan Trainor's 'I'm A Lady' Lyrics Are All About Loving Yourself". Bustle. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  13. Roth, Madeline (February 24, 2017). "Meghan Trainor Is Back To Her Sassy Ways On 'I'm A Lady'". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  14. Romano, Nick (February 25, 2017). "Meghan Trainor's 'I'm a Lady' gives Smurfs movie some girl power". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  15. Clark, Minou (February 25, 2017). "Meghan Trainor's New 'Smurfs' Single Is A Total Girl Power Jam". HuffPost. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  16. Cauterucci, Christina (March 7, 2017). "The Anti-Feminist Lady-Power Shtick of Meghan Trainor's New Song Is Totally On Brand". Slate. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  17. "2017 Music in Visual Media Nominees". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  18. Wass, Mike (March 3, 2017). "Meghan Trainor Serves Looks In Her 'I'm A Lady' Video". Idolator. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  19. Hirsh, Sophie (March 3, 2017). "Meghan Trainor Releases 'I'm a Lady' Music Video". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  20. Wass, Mike (February 21, 2017). "Meghan Trainor Bounces Back With 'I'm A Lady'". Idolator. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  21. Roth, Madeline (March 3, 2017). "Meghan Trainor Serves Look After Look in Her New Video". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  22. Smith, Da'Shan (March 3, 2017). "Meghan Trainor Releases Video for 'I'm A Lady'". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  23. Vivinetto, Gina (April 7, 2017). "Meghan Trainor: My boyfriend 'learned sign language for me' during 2nd vocal surgery". Today. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  24. Bacardi, Francesca (April 8, 2019). "Meghan Trainor Secretly Undergoes 'Tough' Second Vocal Surgery". E! Online. Archived from the original on November 11, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  25. "Meghan Trainor – I'm a Lady – Tophit 300 General" (in Russian). Tophit. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  26. "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
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