In 1961, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash of the Del Capris joined Patricia Holt and Sandra Tucker as replacement singers for Holt's singing group, The Ordettes. When Tucker's parents made her leave the group, she was replaced by Cindy Birdsong. Patricia Holt had her name changed to Patti LaBelle after the group became The Bluebelles. Though the first single was "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" (released as the Bluebelles), LaBelle relays in her memoir (Don't Block The Blessings) that the group didn't actually perform on the original track. As she tells it, the song's producer had recorded it with Starlets and renamed them the Bluebelles, but the group left upon the single's release. He quickly recruited the Ordettes to perform and promote the single using the Bluebells' moniker, and "I Sold My Heart To The Junkman" was later recut by the new group. The song was a hit, as was the new Bluebelle's 1963 follow-ups "Down the Aisle", "You'll Never Walk Alone" (1964; Rodgers & Hammerstein) and "Danny Boy" (a traditional Irish folk song). They signed with Atlantic Records in 1965, releasing "Over the Rainbow" and "Groovy Kind of Love" (later a hit for the Mindbenders and Phil Collins) with only mild success. They also contributed background vocals to Tony Kosinec's "Simple Emotion" and Wilson Pickett's hit "634-5789" in 1966. Along the line, they had extended their name to Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles.
In 1967, the group became a trio after Cindy Birdsong left to join the Supremes, replacing Florence Ballard. Three years later, the group lost their contract and hired Vicki Wickham, a British TV producer, to remake their image. She changed the name to Labelle and pushed the group to a more contemporary sound, incorporated glam influences, particularly in the spectacular spacey stage costumes that included large amounts of glitter, feathers and other acoutrements. In the early 70s, Labelle opened for the Who and lent their unmistakably powerful vocals to Laura Nyro's Gonna Take a Miracle album in 1971 (now considered a classic). Two songs from this album ("Desiree" and "Gonna Take a Miracle") were used in the 2004 Colin Farrell film A Home at the End of the World to great dramatic effect -- especially "Gonna Take a Miracle," at the end of the film. Labelle also contributed to Nikki Giovanni's "Peace Be Still".
The group released Labelle in 1971 on Warner Brothers Records. It included covers of songs by the Rolling Stones, Kenny Rogers, Carole King and Laura Nyro. The following album, Moonshadow (1972), even though it included covers of famous songs ("MoonShadow" by Cat Stevens and the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again"), gave Hendryx more freedom to write material for Labelle. The album flopped commercially, as did the third Labelle album, Pressure Cookin, (1973), released on RCA Records. By this time and until Labelle's break-up, Hendryx wrote most of Labelle's material, taking the songs in a highly experimental direction that was a far cry from the sound that the Bluebelle's (and most other "girl groups" of the era) had performed. Although the album wasn't commercially successful, Pressure Cookin' allowed her to hone her talents as a songwriter, clearly demonstrated by the moving "(Can I Speak to You Before You Go to) Hollywood," which was based on the way the ladies felt when people who had "made it" in the business no longer were interested in keeping in contact with Patti, Sarah, or Nona.
After Pressure Cookin', Labelle signed with Epic Records and recorded an album, Nightbirds, with Allen Toussaint, a famous record producer. "Lady Marmalade", a sexy, funky disco song about a New Orleans prostitute(with a come-hither French chorus, "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?") became a massive hit in 1975 and one of the first mainstream disco hits (Jones and Kantonen, 1999). The success of the single also pushed the album to the top of the charts. It would be covered by numerous artists including Madchester-era indie The Happy Mondays (spliced into "Kinky Afro") and most notably Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya and P!nk for the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack.
Labelle's commercial momentum after Nightbirds and "Lady Marmalade" decreased, in spite of several hits and the critically acclaimed experimental albums Phoenix (1975) and Chameleon (1976). When the group split up in 1976, Hendryx and LaBelle managed successful solo careers, while Sarah Dash had a few notable dance hits: "Sinner Man" (1978, which gained her much public attention), and "Lucky Tonight" (1984), with Sylvester singing background vocals. Dash also acted on television for the PBS series "Watch Your Mouth," (1978), and has performed on Broadway. Her career picked up again om the 90s when she was asked to sing with The Rolling Stones on their Steel Wheels album, and even more so when she became one of Keith Richards' "X-pensive Winos," and was given solo and duet opportunities with his band (namely the (duet) ballad, "Make No Mistake," and solo "Time Is on My Side," which Richards said in his autobiography is "the best version he has ever heard").
LaBelle, Hendryx, and Dash have reunited several times including a famed 1991 reunion at the Apollo Theater 30 years after the group first stole the audience's hearts at the same venue. The concert was recorded as a live album. A brief reunion came in the form of the huge dance succes "Turn It Out," from the To Wong Foo soundtrack. They reunited again in 2001 to honor Patti on BET's "Walk of Fame," where the performed an explosive version of "What Can I Do for You," as well as "Lady Marmalade" The most recentl reunion was in 2005 during a tribute to Patti's 45th anniversary in show business. In January 2006, Labelle again reunited to record "Dear Rosa," a tribute to the late civil rights champion Rosa Parks. The release date of the single has not been set at this time. There are also plans for an entire reunion album and tour, most likely to happen in 2007. In addition, Labelle will contribute songs for the soundtrack for the upcoming film, "Preaching to the Choir."
There are other artists with the same name:
2) LaBelle (aka LaBelle Rocks) is a rock band from Madrid, Spain with strong influence from 1950s music and appearance. Their current lineup consists of Alicia Montesquiu, Pedro Herrero, Mey Alean and Carlos Mirat.
Cinema is his first album produced by filmmaker Juanma Bajo Ulloa with a first celebrated single FIRE! and the musical production by Fernando Montesinos and David Kano. His second album Accidents a very personal and enveloping work, again with the musical talent of Fernando Montesinos in production for Noisy Sound and Paco Ortega for Musigrama in one of the songs.
3) Labelle (Jérémy Labelle,Maloya-Electronic Composer from Reunion Island. Founder member of Eumolpe.)
"...Resolutely syncretic, the universe of Labelle unites Maloya (from Réunion traditional music) and electronics, colored with Indian and African touches..."
Lady Marmelade
Labelle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, go sister
He met marmalade down in old new orleans
Struttin' her stuff on the street
She said "hello,
Hey joe, you wanna give it a go?" mmm, mmm
Itchi gitchi ya ya here
Mocha-choca-lata ya ya
Creole lady marmalade
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
He sat in her boudoir while she freshened up
The boy drank all her magnolia-wine
On the black satin sheets oh I swear he started to freak
Itchi gitchi ya ya da da
Itchi gitchi ya ya here
Mocha-choca-lata ya ya
Creole lady marmalade
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
Hey, hey, hey
Touching her skin feelin' silky smooth
The colour of cafe au lait
Made the savage beast inside
Roar until it cried, more, more, more
Now he's back home doing nine to five
Living his grey flannel life
But when he turns off to sleep
Old memories creep, more, more, more
Itchi gitchi ya ya da da da
Itchi gitchi ya ya here
Mocha-choco-lata ya ya
Creole lady marmalade
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir?
Creole lady marmalade
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
Itchi gitchi ya ya da da
Itchi gitchi ya ya here
Mocha-choco-lata ya ya
Itchi gitchi ya ya here
Lady Marmalade is a song by Patti LaBelle and her group LaBelle. The song tells the story of a man who met a woman named Marmalade in New Orleans. Marmalade was strutting her stuff on the street and caught the man's attention. Marmalade invited the man to spend time with her and the two began a romantic fling. The chorus of the song is in French and translates to "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?" The rest of the song describes the sensual encounter between the two.
The lyrics of Lady Marmalade are quite sexual and suggestive. The song describes a sexual encounter between the man and Marmalade. The lyrics are quite graphic and describe the physical sensations that the man experiences during the encounter. The chorus is repeated throughout the song and serves as a seductive refrain.
Lady Marmalade was a huge hit for Patti LaBelle and her group LaBelle. The song was released in 1974 and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song has been covered by several other artists over the years, including Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, and Pink for the movie Moulin Rouge! in 2001. The Moulin Rouge! version of the song also became a hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, go sister
Encouraging and empowering women to be confident in themselves and follow their dreams.
He met marmalade down in old new orleans
Struttin' her stuff on the street
She said "hello,
Hey joe, you wanna give it a go?" mmm, mmm
He met a confident and flirty woman named Marmalade on the streets of New Orleans, who gave him a seductive invitation.
Itchi gitchi ya ya da da
Itchi gitchi ya ya here
Mocha-choca-lata ya ya
Creole lady marmalade
Catchy and sensual-sounding words used to describe the alluring and exotic nature of Marmalade's identity and persona.
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
Asking the question of whether or not the person wants to sleep with Marmalade, in a provocative and seductive manner.
He sat in her boudoir while she freshened up
The boy drank all her magnolia-wine
On the black satin sheets oh I swear he started to freak
He waited in Marmalade's private room while she prepared herself, drinking all of her finest wine, and was so overwhelmed with desire that he began to freak out on the luxurious bed sheets.
Hey, hey, hey
Touching her skin feelin' silky smooth
The colour of cafe au lait
Made the savage beast inside
Roar until it cried, more, more, more
The physical pleasure he felt when touching Marmalade's smooth skin, and the intensity of his sexual desire for her, represented by the metaphor of a savage beast roaring inside him.
Now he's back home doing nine to five
Living his grey flannel life
But when he turns off to sleep
Old memories creep, more, more, more
After their encounter, he goes back to his normal mundane life, but still remembers the passionate experience with Marmalade in his dreams.
Itchi gitchi ya ya da da da
Itchi gitchi ya ya here
Mocha-choco-lata ya ya
Creole lady marmalade
Repeating the sensual words and phrases that evoke the seductive and irresistible nature of Marmalade's character.
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir?
Creole lady marmalade
Continuing to ask the provocative question of whether or not the person wants to sleep with Marmalade, using her identity as a seductive and irresistible Creole lady to entice them.
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
Repeatedly asking the question in a way that emphasizes the seductive and irresistible nature of Marmalade's character.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Kenny Nolan, Robert Crewe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@backtheblue280
The 70s will NEVER be outdone. Soul music was the best. So much talent in the 70s.
@adriangabrielmartinez5148
Lo mejor lejos
@Liveandletdie21
AGREED! Bands with music and live singing...
@nelsonramires4602
Tempos como os anos 70 never never
@aquarian1282
Say it Again. 😘
@leeanadiaz8463
Agree with you 100%!!!!!
@margaretcarter2303
I'm 81, and these ladies are still my favorites 😍
@user-fi9kc2oz3n
I´m 15 and you are still right ( never the other side!!) !! 😍😍
@darrellsadler2848
U GO MISS MARGARRET!
@flamingember71
Sad to hear about the passing of Sara Dash on Monday 9-20-21 . She was so beautiful with a beautiful voice . She along with Patti Labelle & Nona Hendryx made the 70’s a great time with their songs . We will always remember them and their music , we loved dancing to their music . We will see you in Heaven again where you will be entertaining everyone their . Terry