Music icon Patti LaBelle says she had no idea what the lyrics to “Lady Marmalade” actually meant when her group Labelle recorded the now-classic hit song in 1974, .
During a recent appearance on the “IRL Angie Martinez” podcast, the legendary singer revealed that she only discovered the song’s meaning after it became a commercial success and sparked backlash from some listeners according to PEOPLE.
“Well, she’s a hooker,” LaBelle said while discussing the song’s storyline. She explained that the famous French lyric “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?” translates to “Will you sleep with me tonight?”
“When we recorded this song, we had no clue what it was about until the song came out and was selling and doing really well,” LaBelle said on the podcast.
The song, released by the trio Labelle, became one of the group’s biggest hits and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1975. Despite its success, LaBelle said the song’s subject matter generated criticism from religious audiences, including nuns.
“Nuns were having a moment with Labelle, singing about ladies of the evening,” she recalled. “I would just say, ‘Well, they have to make a living, too. I can’t snatch the mattress from under them. They gotta do what they gotta do.’”
“Lady Marmalade” later became even more recognizable to a new generation when Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa and Pink re-recorded the track for Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film “Moulin Rouge!” The remake topped charts worldwide and won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 2002. Labelle’s original version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame the following year.
LaBelle also reflected on the unpredictable moments that have happened while performing the song live over the years. Speaking previously on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” she recalled an audience member exposing himself onstage during a performance after being invited up to dance.
The singer said security quickly removed the man after the incident.
Now 82, LaBelle remains one of the most celebrated voices in R&B and soul music, with a career spanning more than six decades. “Lady Marmalade” continues to stand as one of her signature recordings and one of the most recognizable songs of the 1970s.
