"Three Times a Lady" is a 1978 single from the funk/soul band the Commodores, from their 1978 album Natural High. It was produced by James Anthony Carmichael and the Commodores and it was the most popular track of the album.

In an appearance on The Early Showon June 12, 2009, Richie said he was inspired to write it by a comment his father made about his mother. Reportedly his father said to his mother "I love you. I want you. I need you. Forever" hence the three times. It became the Commodores's first Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit, topping the chart for two weeks on August 12, 1978. . It was also the only Motown song to reach the Top 10 that year. The song also spent three weeks at #1 on the adult contemporary chart. It was one of only a few Motown singles to reach the top spot in the UK. In the years since the Commodores had started in 1974 it has been one of their most emotional songs since "You Don't Know That I Know" from the album Caught in the Actin 1975.

The original Commodores' version of the song was included as the final track on Lionel Richie's greatest hits compilation album Back To Front, released in 1992.

In the movie Garden State, the song is performed at a funeral by actress Jackie Hoffman.

The chorus of the song was parodied on Saturday Night Live. Eddie Murphy, in the Buckwheat persona, would use numeric hand gestures and yell, "Unce! Tice! Fee tines a mady!"

Comedian Bill Bailey performed a German translation of the song in his Part Trollset. According to Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills, the song is about Richie professing his love for fat women.

In an episode of Will & Grace, after Grace admits to having breakup sex and doing it not only twice but three times, Will responds, "Let's see. Once, twice, three times... I don't think that makes you a lady."

Episode 709 of South Park, "Christian Rock Hard", Cartman uses Christian rock to win a $10 bet by taking pre-existing lyrics and substituting his own. One of the songs of the self-titled album for their band "Faith + 1", was "Three Times My Savior".

The most successful cover version was performed by Conway Twitty, who took his version into the top 10 of the BillboardHot Country Singles chart in 1984. Twitty's version appeared on his 1983 album, Lost in the Feeling.

The song was also covered in the country genre by country singer Billy "Crash" Craddock on his 1986 album Crash Craddockand in 2007 by Cobra Starship as an iTunes bonus track for their album ¡Viva La Cobra!. In 2001 it was covered by Anglo-Norwegian boy band a1 and featured on Motown Maniaand as a bonus track on their hit single "No More".

The song appears on the episode of In the Heat of the Nighton Season 2's "The Hammer and the Glove" aired on December 13, 1988.

In an episode of Seinfeld, Newman sings part of this song, while his mail truck catches fire.

Was used in The Sopranosepisode, The Test Dreamas the end credits rolled.