The advance single from the album issued in June 1975 paired the tracks "You Don't Need a Reason" and "Bluebird," the former - written by Alex Harvey who'd penned Reddy's number 1 hit "
Delta Dawn" - being the intended
A-side. However a week after the single's release
Capitol Records with Reddy's husband/manager Jeff Wald issued a statement announcing that "Bluebird" - a
Leon Russell composition - would be promoted as the A-side. "Bluebird" would debut on the
Billboard's
Hot 100 dated July 5, with a parallel debut on the magazine's
Easy Listening Top 40, only to become the least successful lead single from a Helen Reddy album since "No Sad Song" from Reddy's second album
Helen Reddy peaked at number 62 in 1972. Capitol Records evidently had misgivings about both sides of the advance single from
No Way to Treat a Lady, as parallel with the album's June 1975 release the track "
Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady" was rush released as a single, with "Bluebird" resultantly stalling at number 35 on the Hot 100 to drop off that chart after only six weeks. and New Zealand (number 40). Despite its statistically low profile in her repertoire, "Bluebird" would be spoken of fondly by Reddy: "I love Leon Russell's writing and I love this song. It was an integral part of my repertoire for nearly 30 years, and I never tired of singing it." The second single "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady" - which was "written by the talented
Harriet Schock, a fine singer in her own right, [and] really struck a nerve with many listeners" "Ain't No Way..." was also a hit (#12) in New Zealand and became Reddy's final chart item in her native Australia at #94. The song also earned Reddy her final
Grammy nomination, in the category of
Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female (the category would be won by
Janis Ian for "
At Seventeen").
No Way to Treat a Lady became Reddy's first album to yield a third single release when "
Somewhere in the Night" was issued November 17, 1975 "
Barry Manilow also recorded this song but graciously conceded that he thought my version was better," said Reddy. "I don't think it possible for anyone to make a bad recording of such a great tune." == Track listing ==