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"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 , P!nk , Mya , and Lil' Kim 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 original "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 . 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)?" translates to "Do you want to sleep with me (tonight)?", and is an unsubtle invitation for Sexual Intercourse (strictly speaking, the grammar in the song is not quite correct. The correct wording would be "Voulez-vous vous coucher avec moi?", as ''se coucher'' is a reflexive verb). Labelle had first recorded the song on ''The Eleventh Hour'' LP, but Labelle's producer Allen Toussaint decided to record it as the main track of the '' Nightbirds '' album, which became highly successful. The record was produced by Toussaint, with instrumental backing from The Meters .
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 British female Pop group All Saints as part of the double A-sided single "Under The Bridge"/"Lady Marmalade" . 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 ''. ''Moulin Rouge'' cover
The 2001 version of "Lady Marmalade" was recorded by Christina Aguilera , P!nk , Mya , and Lil' Kim for the '' Moulin Rouge! '' soundtrack. This version was produced by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott , who primarily handled the vocal arrangements and recording; and Redman producer Rockwilder , who primarily handeld the instrumentation. In addition to the original Crewe/Nolan lyrics, Lil' Kim wrote and performs a rapped verse for the recording (for which she does not receive publishing credit), and the location of the encounter between "Lady Marmalade" and her male lover is moved from New Orleans to the Moulin Rouge. The single's popular music video featured all four performers in 19th-century French Lingerie as performers in a gentlemen's club. Missy Elliott also makes a cameo in the video, albeit wearing modern Hip Hop Fashion s. Christina Aguilera's makeup and hair in the video were the topic of many conversations in the entertainment industry when the video was released, as her appeareance was widely seen as being overdone. More than one commentor compared Aguilera's appearance in the "Lady Marmalade" video to that of Dee Snider from Twisted Sister . "Lady Marmalade" was a number-one hit on over fifty international charts, including the main national charts for the United States, the United Kingdom, and Austraila. It was Chrisitna Aguilera's fourth U.S. number-one single, and was the first U.S. number-one single for P!nk, Mya, and Lil' Kim. The recording won the 2002 Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals , and its video won the 2001 MTV Video Music Award For Best Video Of The Year . The single is also notable for becoming the second song in ''Billboard'' history after Aaliyah 's " Try Again ", to hit number-one without being released in a major commercially-available single format. TRACKLISTS Labelle 7" single #1 #"''Voulez Vous Coucher avec Moi Ce Soir? (Lady Marmalade)''" - 3:14 #"''It Took a Long Time''" - 4:04 Labelle 7" single #2 #"''Voulez Vous Coucher avec Moi Ce Soir? (Lady Marmalade)''" - 3:14 #"''Space Childeren''" - 3:04 Moulin' Rouge #"''Lady Marmalade''" {Link without Title} - 4:14 #"''Lady Marmalade''" Radio Mix - 4:09 All Saints CD Maxi: #"''Lady Marmalade''" Mix - 4:02 #"''Lady Marmalade''" Miami Madness Mix - 7:55 #"''Lady Marmalade''" South Park Vocal Remix - 8:09 #"''Lady Marmalade''" & Hayne's La Jam Mix - 6:47 CHART PERFORMANCE Labelle version All Saints cover .]] ''Moulin Rouge!'' version Chart trajectory (''Moulin Rouge!'' Version) CREDITS Labelle version
''Moulin Rouge!'' version
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