Lady Marmalade

"Lady Marmalade", released in December 1974, is a 1975 number-one single recorded by Labelle for CBS Records' Epic label. An early disco hit, the song is most famous for its sexually suggestive chorus of "voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?". The song held the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the United States for one week, from March 23 to March 29, 1975, replacing "My Eyes Adored You" by Frankie Valli and replaced by "Lovin' You" by Minnie Riperton.

Although the song gave way to many cover versions over the years, the most successful was recorded twenty-six years later by singers Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, and P!nk as a single for the Moulin Rouge! film soundtrack. Their version, a more successful single than Labelle's original, was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. for five weeks, from May 26 to June 30, 2001. The Moulin Rouge! version of "Lady Marmalade" was also a number-one hit in the United Kingdom and Australia, introduced the song to a whole new generation of music listeners, and brought the song's infamous catchphrase back into mainstream culture.

History

Labelle's original version

"Lady Marmalade" was written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan who also wrote "My Eyes Adored You". Labelle lead singer Patti LaBelle, accompanied by backing from her bandmates Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash, tells the story of a woman known only as "Lady Marmalade", who seduces a man she met on the street in New Orleans, Louisiana. Although the man has moved on from the experience, when he tries to sleep his memories of their tryst remain vivid. The song's chorus "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?" means "Do you want to sleep with me (tonight)?" in French, and is an unsubtle invitation for sexual intercourse.

"Lady Marmalade" was actually first recorded by the relatively obscure group Eleventh Hour (of which songwriter Nolan was a member)in 1974 on Eleventh Hour's Greatest Hits LP, but Labelle's producer Allen Toussaint decided to record it as the main track of the Nightbirds album (and also found on Patti LaBelle's albums The Best Of Patti LaBelle, Live In New York, Live!, Greatest Hits, Miss Soul, Live! One Night Only, and Love Songs), which became highly successful. The record was produced by Toussaint, with instrumental backing from The Meters.

"Lady Marmalade" was a number-one hit for one week on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the United States during the late winter of 1975, and charted at number-one for one week on the Billboard Top Soul Singles chart. The single also charted at number 17 in the United Kingdom. "Lady Marmalade" replaced another Crewe/Nolan composition, Franki Valli's "My Eyes Adored You", as the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single. This made Crewe and Nolan the third songwriting team in Billboard history (after Lennon-McCartney and Holland-Dozier-Holland) to replace themselves at number-one.

The single's disco success inspired Labelle to adopted a more eclectic, Funkadelic-based image for their next album, Phoenix. However, the group never had another Top 40 hit after "Lady Marmalade", and broke up in 1976. Patti LaBelle would go on to have a successful solo career on another CBS Records-owned label, Columbia Records.

The song was first covered by Sheila E. on her 1991 album Sex Cymbal in a jazz-oriented rendition, with horns as the centerpiece. In 1995, disco cover band Boogie Knights covered "Lady Marmalade", fronted by singer Jeff Scott Soto. In 1998, the song was covered by the English female pop group All Saints as part of the double A-sided single "Under The Bridge"/"Lady Marmalade". The All Saints' version contains different lyrics for its verses; the only lyrics retained from the original composition are those for the chorus. The Labelle version appears in several films, including The Long Kiss Goodnight, Dick, and Jacob's Ladder.

Track listings

• Labelle 7" single #1

1. "Voulez Vous Coucher Avec Moi Ce Soir? (Lady Marmalade)" - 3:14
2. "It Took A Long Time" - 4:04

• Labelle 7" single #2

1. "Voulez Vous Coucher Avec Moi Ce Soir? (Lady Marmalade)" - 3:14
2. "Space Children" - 3:04

Chart Performance Labelle's version

Chart (1974/1975)	Peak
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Billboard Top Soul Singles	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	1
Austrian Singles Top 75	17
UK Singles Chart	17

Track listings

• Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya and Pink

1. "Lady Marmalade (Edit)" - 4:14
2. "Lady Marmalade (Thunderpuss Radio Mix)" - 4:09
3. "Lady Marmalade (Thunderpuss Club Mix)" - 9:35
4. "Lady Marmalade (Thunderpuss Mixshow Mix)" - 6:31

Chart performance

Chart (2001/2002)	Peak
Argentina Top 40 Singles	1
Australian ARIA Top 50 Singles	1
Brasil Top 50 Singles	1
Germany Top 100	1
Ireland Top 50 Singles	1
New Zealand RIANZ Top 50 Singles	1
Swedish Top 60 Singles	1
Swiss Singles Top 100	1
UK Singles Top 75	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Rhythmic Top 40	1
U.S. Top 40 Mainstream	1
U.S. Top 40 Tracks	1
Dutch Top 40	2
Finland Top 20 Singles	2
Austrian Singles Top 75	3
U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play	3
French Singles Top 100	12
Canadian Billboard Hot 100	17
U.S. Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	17
U.S. Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay	21
U.S. Adult Top 40	25
U.S. Latin Pop Airplay	27
U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	43

Chart trajectory (Moulin Rouge! version)

U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Week	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
Chart position	70	29	19	10	6	3	3	1	1	1	1	1	2	3	7	12	24	34	51	58

All Saints' cover

Datei:AllSaints-LadyMarmalade.jpg

Single cover to Lady Marmalade, by All Saints.

Track listings

• All Saints CD maxi single

1. "Lady Marmalade (98 Mix)" - 4:02
2. "Lady Marmalade (Mark's Miami Madness Mix)" - 7:55
3. "Lady Marmalade (Sharp South Park Vocal Remix)" - 8:09
4. "Lady Marmalade (Henry & Hayne's La Jam Mix)" - 6:47

Chart performance

Chart (1998)	Peak
French Singles Top 100	28
Swiss Singles Top 100	45

Moulin Rouge! version

Chart (2001/2002)	Peak
Argentina Top 40 Singles	1
Australian ARIA Top 50 Singles	1
Brasil Top 50 Singles	1
Germany Top 100	1
Ireland Top 50 Singles	1
New Zealand RIANZ Top 50 Singles	1
Swedish Top 60 Singles	1
Swiss Singles Top 100	1
UK Singles Top 75	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Rhythmic Top 40	1
U.S. Top 40 Mainstream	1
U.S. Top 40 Tracks	1
Dutch Top 40	2
Finland Top 20 Singles	2
Austrian Singles Top 75	3
U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play	3
French Singles Top 100	12
Canadian Billboard Hot 100	17
U.S. Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	17
U.S. Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay	21
U.S. Adult Top 40	25
U.S. Latin Pop Airplay	27
U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	43

Chart trajectory (Moulin Rouge! version)

U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Week	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
Chart position	70	29	19	10	6	3	3	1	1	1	1	1	2	3	7	12	24	34	51	58

Credits

Labelle's version

• Lead vocals by Patti LaBelle
• Background vocals by Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash
• Instrumentation by The Meters

Moulin Rouge! version

• Lead and background vocals by Christina Aguilera, Mya, and P!nk
• Rap by Lil' Kim
• Vocal ad-libs by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott
• Vocal arrangements by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott
• Instrumentation, sequencing, and drum programming by Rockwilder