Golden Lady
| Originally Performed By | Stevie Wonder |
| Original Album | Innervisions (1974) |
| Music/Lyrics | Stevie Wonder |
| Vocals | Trey |
| Phish Debut | 1994-10-20 |
| Last Played | 2003-02-16 |
| Current Gap | 693 |
| Historian | Phillip Zerbo (pzerbo) |
History
"Golden Lady" debuted eleven days before the White Album Halloween musical costume. As the story goes, the band had thrown open the album choosing for the first Halloween musical costume to the fans, but deep in their hearts, they really wanted to do Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions. Upon getting the fan-delivered verdict of The Beatles, the band decided to placate their own desires by busting out an otherwise random cover of “Golden Lady” on 10/20/94. Or, perhaps it was just another red herring to throw the fans off the scent of the band’s true Halloween intention. Whatever the case, “Golden Lady” seemed destined to be a one-time cover. “Boogie on Reggae Woman” was the tune better suited to satisfy the band’s Stevie Wonder appetite, as it dripped funk, while “Golden Lady” oozes smooth. Fans were therefore surprised if not shocked on 2/16/03 when “Golden Lady” made a return appearance in Las Vegas. Speculation is that the song was busted out in tribute to the band’s favorite Vegas stomping grounds on the south end of the strip, the golden-clad Mandalay Bay.
Phish.net
The Mockingbird Foundation