The Lady in My Life

A brief history

“The Lady In My Life” is the final track on “Thriller.” It was one of only two of the nine tracks from the album not to be released as a single. It was also never performed live. To kick off the “Thriller 40” celebrations in 2022, singer Maxwell performed the song at the Billboard Music Awards.

The song was written by Rod Temperton, who also contributed to Michael’s previous album “Off the Wall.” For that 1979 album, Temperton provided the title track, “Rock With You,” and “Burn This Disco Out.” He duplicated his efforts for the “Thriller” album, providing the title track, “Baby Be Mine,” and “The Lady In My Life.” He also co-wrote other songs Michael recorded throughout the “Thriller” era. These included “Someone In The Dark” and “Hot Street.” The latter is an unreleased track that has since leaked.

Michael recorded “The Lady In My Life” in darkness, as he was too shy to bust out the emotion in front of others. The song was long and so an extra verse and chorus was eventually cut out. The extended version of the song was finally released in 2002 on an album called “The Songs of Rod Temperton.” However it wasn’t in the high quality fan hoped for. It remains to be seen if this beautiful ballad will be released in all its glory one day.

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