"Lady Marmalade" is a song written by

Bob Crewe Robert Stanley Crewe (November 12, 1930 – September 11, 2014) was an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, and record producer. Crewe co-wrote and produced a string of Top 10 singles with Bob Gaudio for the Four Seasons. As a songw ...

and

Kenny Nolan Kenneth "Kenny" Nolan (born September 30, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. He is best remembered for the 1976–77 song " I Like Dreamin'", which he wrote and performed; it reached No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 an ...

that is best known for its

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

refrain of "''Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir''?", which is a sexual proposition that translates into English as: "''Do you want to sleep with me, tonight''?" The song first became a popular hit when it was recorded in 1974 by the American

funk rock Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and Rock music, rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters (American band), the Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the ...

group

Labelle Labelle was an American funk rock band that originated out of the Blue Belles, a girl group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The original group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the area around ...

and held the number-one spot on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for one week, and also topped the Canadian ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' national singles chart. In 2021, the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

selected Labelle's version for preservation in the

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation ...

for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The song has had many cover versions over the years. In 1998, girl group

All Saints All Saints' Day is a Christian holiday. All Saints, All Saints Day or Feast of All Saints may also refer to: Art and entertainment * ''All Saints'' (film), a 2017 Christian drama film * ''All Saints'' (TV series), an Australian hospital drama * ...

released a cover version that peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart. The 2001 version by singers

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...

Mýa Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), known professionally as Mýa, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and actress. She was born in Washington D.C. and studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Her ca ...

Pink Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...

and rapper

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after ...

, recorded for the ''

Moulin Rouge! ''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows an English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and courtesan ...

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

, was a number-one hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for five weeks, and also a number-one hit in the UK. "Lady Marmalade" was the ninth song to reach number one by two different musical acts in America.

Labelle version

Background and release

The song was written by

and

after Crewe visited

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. A demo of the song was first recorded by The Eleventh Hour, a disco group made up of studio musicians fronted by Nolan on vocals. It was added in 1974 as a track on the ''Eleventh Hour's Greatest Hits'' LP, which did not chart. Crewe showed the song to producer

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descr ...

in New Orleans, and Toussaint then decided to record the song with Labelle.

's version of "Lady Marmalade" was produced by Toussaint and Vicki Wickham, with the former also playing an RMI Electra-Piano on the recording. The rhythm section on the recording was New Orleans–based

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

band

The Meters The Meters (later The Funky Meters) are an American funk band formed in 1965 in New Orleans by Zigaboo Modeliste (drums), George Porter Jr. (bass), Leo Nocentelli (guitar) and Art Neville (keyboards). The band performed and recorded their o ...

. "Lady Marmalade" was released as a single in November 1974 from the ''

Nightbirds ''Nightbirds'' is an album by the all-female singing group Labelle, released in 1974 on Epic Records. The album features the group's biggest hit, "Lady Marmalade". It became their best-selling album. Background Nona Hendryx became the primary ...

'' album released that September, their first album after signing with Epic Records.

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

sang lead vocals on "Lady Marmalade" with backing vocals being contributed by bandmates

Nona Hendryx Nona Bernis Hendryx (born October 9, 1944) is an American vocalist, record producer, songwriter, musician, and author. Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Ma ...

and

Sarah Dash Sarah Dash (August 18, 1945 – September 20, 2021) was an American singer. She first appeared on the music scene as a member of Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles. Dash was later a member of Labelle, and worked as a singer, session musician, ...

. "Lady Marmalade" is about a man's sexual encounter with the titular

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

, but Patti LaBelle later claimed that she was completely oblivious to its overall message, saying: "I didn't know what it was about. I don't know French and nobody, I swear this is God's truth, nobody at all told me what I'd just sung a song about."

Reception

Steve Huey of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

selected the song as one of the best tracks on Labelle's 1995 compilation ''Lady Marmalade: The Best of Patti and Labelle''. Critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

described it as "great synthetic French-quarter raunch". "Lady Marmalade" is billed as the song that made Labelle one of the "hottest girl groups" of the 1970s. It was a number-one hit for one week on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart in the United States for the week of March 29, 1975, and charted at number one for one week on the ''Billboard'' Top Soul Singles chart. Along with the track, "What Can I Do for You?", "Lady Marmalade" peaked at number seven on the disco/dance charts. The single was also a major hit in the United Kingdom, where it charted at number seventeen . "Lady Marmalade" replaced another Crewe/Nolan composition,

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of The Four Seasons (band), the Four Seasons. He is known for ...

's "

My Eyes Adored You "My Eyes Adored You" is a 1974 song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan. It was originally recorded by The Four Seasons (band), The Four Seasons in early 1974. After the Motown label balked at the idea of releasing it, the recording was sold to l ...

", as the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one single. This feat made Crewe and Nolan the third songwriting team in ''Billboard'' history (after

Lennon–McCartney Lennon–McCartney is the songwriting partnership between the English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (born 1942) of the Beatles. It is widely considered one of the greatest, best known and most successful musical collabo ...

and

Holland–Dozier–Holland Holland–Dozier–Holland, often abbreviated as H-D-H, was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the ...

) to replace themselves at number one. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the No. 22 song for 1975. Labelle performed "Lady Marmalade" on ''Soul Train'' on December 7, 1974. "Lady Marmalade" debuted at number 92 on the Canadian ''

'' singles chart on February 1, 1975. It subsequently peaked atop the chart on March 29, 1975, after five weeks on the chart. Labelle's version of "Lady Marmalade" was inducted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

in 2003. and was ranked number 479 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''s list of

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring song ranking compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2 ...

in 2004 and number 485 in 2010. The Labelle version also appears in several films, including ''

The Long Kiss Goodnight ''The Long Kiss Goodnight'' is a 1996 American action thriller film co-produced and directed by Renny Harlin, and produced by Shane Black and Stephanie Austin with screenplay written by Black. It stars Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Ama ...

'', '' Dick'', and ''

Jacob's Ladder Jacob's Ladder () is a ladder or staircase leading to Heaven that was featured in a dream the Biblical Patriarch Jacob had during his flight from his brother Esau in the Book of Genesis (chapter 28). The significance of the dream has been de ...

''. It was used in the video game '' Karaoke Revolution Volume 2'' in a new version performed by Patti LaBelle. ''Billboard'' ranked the song at number sixteen on their list of the "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time". In 2021, the

selected the song for preservation in the

for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Track listings

US 7-inch single # "Lady Marmalade" – 3:14 # "Space Children" – 3:04 Europe 7-inch single # "Lady Marmalade" – 3:14 # "It Took a Long Time" – 4:04

Credits and personnel

* Lead vocals by

* Backing vocals by

and

* Instrumentation by

–

RMI Electra Piano Rocky Mount Instruments (RMI) was a subsidiary of the Allen Organ Company, based in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, active from 1966 to 1982. The company was formed to produce portable musical instruments, and manufactured several electronic pianos ...

, percussion, arrangements **

Art Neville Arthur Lanon Neville Jr. (December 17, 1937 – July 22, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist from New Orleans. Neville was a staple of the New Orleans music scene for over five decades. He was the founder of the funk band T ...

–

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

** George Porter Jr. – bass guitar **

Leo Nocentelli Leo Nocentelli (born June 15, 1946) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the funk band the Meters. He wrote the original versions of several funk classics such as " Cissy Strut" and "Hey ...

, Rev. Edward Levone Batts – guitar **

Herman "Roscoe" Ernest III Herman Ernest III (August 12, 1951 – March 6, 2011), best known as Roscoe, was an American session drummer and, for 30 years, the drummer for Dr. John. He was most active in the New Orleans Funk scene and referred to his playing style as "die ...

– drums ** James "Budd" Ellison – piano ** Earl Turbinton – alto saxophone ** Alvin Thomas – tenor saxophone ** Clyde Kerr Jr. – trumpet ** Lester Caliste – trombone ** Carl Blouin – baritone saxophone ** Clarence Ford – alto saxophone

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Sabrina version

Background and release

"Lady Marmalade" was covered by

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

star

Sabrina Sabrina may refer to: People and fictional characters * Sabrina (given name), a feminine given name, including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Hafren, known in English as Sabrina, a British princess in Welsh mythology ...

on her eponymous album. It was released in 1987 as the album's second single by Baby Records. In some countries, including France and the Netherlands, the song was known as "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? (Lady Marmalade)" and was released in 1988. Author James Arena named the cover among Sabrina's "relentlessly catchy" singles. The song charted at number 36 on the Belgian Flanders Singles Chart, number 40 on the Dutch Single Top 100, and number 41 on the French Singles Chart.

Track listings

7-inch maxi # "Lady Marmalade" – 3:55 # "Boys, Hot Girl, Sexy Girl" (7-inch megamix) – 4:10 12-inch maxi # "Lady Marmalade" (12-inch remix) – 5:57 # "Boys, Hot Girl, Sexy Girl" (12-inch megamix) – 6:04 CD maxi # "Lady Marmalade" (12-inch remix) – 6:08 # "Boys, Hot Girl, Sexy Girl" (megamix) – 6:04 # "Lady Marmalade" – 3:55 Remixed by Peter Vriends, produced by Claudio Cecchetto

Charts

Credits and personnel

Credits for Sabrina's version are adapted from CD liner notes: * Written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan * Design – Bart Falkmann * Producer – C. Cecchetto * Remix – Peter Vriends

All Saints version

Background and release

In 1998, English-Canadian girl group

released a cover version of "Lady Marmalade" as part of the

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

single "Under the Bridge" / "Lady Marmalade". The song also appeared as the tenth track of their debut self-titled album (1997). A version remixed by

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythm ...

appeared on the '' Dr. Dolittle'' (1998) soundtrack. The "Lady Marmalade" portion of the single was only released in Europe, and the group performed the song at the

1998 Brit Awards Brit Awards 1998 was the 18th edition of the Brit Awards, an annual pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, a ...

. All Saints' version features different, slightly racier lyrics for its verses, written by the group; the only lyrics retained from the original song are heard in the "''gicchi-gicchi-ya-ya da-da''" and "''mocha-choca-latte ya-ya''" (of the pre-chorus) and the

"''Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soi''" ("do you want to sleep with me tonight") of the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

. Also, instead of singing "''Creole Lady Marmalade''" as in the original, an unidentified female voice can be heard (albeit to the same melody) singing "''Where you think you're sleepin' tonight''…?" before fading into the chorus.

Reception

'' Daily Record'' described All Saints' version as a "passable version of

LaBelle Labelle was an American funk rock band that originated out of the Blue Belles, a girl group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The original group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the area around ...

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

classic". "Lady Marmalade" was the third single (fourth in Japan) from their self-titled debut studio album; it contained the "Marmalade" cover and a cover version of "Under the Bridge" by

Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...

. The single reached number one on the official UK Top 40 chart, becoming the group's second number-one hit. A total of 424,799 singles have been sold in the UK, with proceeds from the single going to breast cancer charities.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for the song shows the band members and other people having a dance party on one of the floors of a skyscraper in New York City at night. British actress Kathryn Allerston appears in the music video.

Track listings

All Saints CD maxi single # "Lady Marmalade" ('98 mix) – 4:02 # "Lady Marmalade" (Mark's Miami Madness mix) – 7:55 # "Lady Marmalade" (Sharp South Park vocal remix) – 8:09 # "Lady Marmalade" (Henry & Hayne's La Jam mix) – 6:47 All Saints CD 1 # "Under the Bridge" – 5:03 # "Lady Marmalade" – 4:04 # "No More Lies" – 4:08 # "Lady Marmalade" (Henry & Haynes La Jam mix) – 9:23 # "Under the Bridge" (promo video) – 5:00 seeAll Saints CD 2 # "Lady Marmalade" (Mark!'s

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Madness mix) – 7:56 # "Lady Marmalade" (Sharp

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...

vocal remix) – 8:10 # "Under the Bridge" (Ignorance remix featuring Jean Paul e.s.q) – 4:55 # "Get Bizzy" – 3:45

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

''Moulin Rouge!'' version

Background and release

In 2001, "Lady Marmalade" appeared as part of a medley in the

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962) is an Australian film director, producer, writer, and actor whose various projects extend from film and television into opera, theatre, music, and the recording industries. He is regarded by ...

film ''

'' (2001). For the film's soundtrack album,

, and

recorded a new version; it was released as the soundtrack's first

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

in April 2001. Produced by

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...

and writing partner

Rockwilder Dana Stinson a.k.a. Rockwilder is an American hip hop producer and songwriter best known for his work with Redman, Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Xzibit, and Janet Jackson. He has appeared on every Redman studio album since 1994. Biography ...

, the song includes an intro and outro by Elliott. Lyrics were not changed from the original version (with the verses being largely identical to the original), Lil' Kim's rap verse being the only obvious new addition. The reworked version transfers the song's setting from

to the titular

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Olympia (Par ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Aguilera said she embraced the idea of collaborating with Elliott, Pink, Mýa and Lil' Kim on the track as soon as it was pitched to her. "I'm a fan of all of theirs, and just to be in the same song doing something with them—collaborating, which I love to do, is a really big thing for me," she said. "And it's cool to be out there before my next album comes out there, too."

Critical reception

The ''Moulin Rouge!'' version of "Lady Marmalade" received mixed-to-positive reviews. AllMusic's Brand Kohlenstein praised the song, saying that "the ladies teamed up for a surefire hit with their naughtier version of Patti Labelle's 'Lady Marmalade.'" ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' praised the collaboration as well, describing it as "an accolade to the performers' various distinctive styles, with Lil' Kim trashing it up and Aguilera caterwauling her way through the second half of the song". However,

Rob Sheffield Robert James Sheffield (born February 2, 1966) is an American music journalist and author. He is a long time contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'', writing about music, TV, and pop culture. Previously, he was a contributing editor at '' Blen ...

of ''

'' called the cover "god-awful". The '' Sun Journal'' opined that the ''Moulin Rouge!'' version helped the song "find a new life". In a retrospective review, journalist Bianca Gracie noted that the song "highlighted each artist’s signature style: Lil Kim’s raunchy raps, Pink’s soulful tone, Mya’s sultry coos, and Aguilera’s theatrical vocal runs".

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

ranked "Lady Marmalade" at number six on the list of the best 2001 songs, and LiveAbout.com placed it at number 21 on its list of the hundred best pop songs of the year. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

''s Andrew Hampp named it the best all-female collaboration of the time span 1998 to 2018. The song won the 2002

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

in the category of "

Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers ...

Chart performance

This version of the song reached No. 1 in its eighth week on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and spent five weeks at the top of the chart, 26 years after Labelle's version had reached No. 1, making "Lady Marmalade" the ninth song in history to top the U.S. chart when performed as different artists. It was the third airplay-only song in ''Billboard'' chart history (after

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...

's 2000 single " Try Again" and

Shaggy Shaggy may refer to: People *Shaggy (musician) (born 1968), Jamaican American reggae rapper and singer *Shaggy 2 Dope, half of the hip hop, horrorcore band Insane Clown Posse *Shaggy Flores (born 1973), Nuyorican poet, writer and African diaspora ...

's 2001 single "

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

") to hit No. 1 without being released in a major, commercially available single format. The song also holds the record for the longest-reigning No. 1 on ''Billboard''s

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...

chart for an all-female collaboration, topping the chart for nine consecutive weeks. "Lady Marmalade" is the best-selling single for

and Mýa. Lil' Kim also held the record for having the longest No. 1 single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for a female rapper, with "Lady Marmalade" being on the top of the charts for five consecutive weeks, until Australian rapper

Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea ( ), is an Australian rapper. Born in Sydney, Azalea moved to the United States at the age of 16 in order to pursue a career in music. She earned public recognition ...

's "

Fancy Fancy may refer to: Music Albums * ''Fancy'' (Bobbie Gentry album), 1970 * ''Fancy'' (Idiot Flesh album), 1997 * ''Fancy'' (video), a 2007 video album by Les Claypool Songs * "Fancy" (Bobbie Gentry song), 1969, covered by Reba McEntire in 19 ...

" surpassed that record, holding the No. 1 position for seven weeks in 2014. "Lady Marmalade" was included on the non-US versions of Aguilera's first greatest hits album, '' Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits'' (2008). "Lady Marmalade" was the top-selling song of 2001 and had sold 5.2 million copies worldwide by December of that year. In the United Kingdom, "Lady Marmalade" debuted at number 1 on that country's Official Singles Chart, and spent six weeks in the Top 10 and a total of nineteen weeks in the Top 100. The single peaked at number one in an additional thirteen countries, including Australia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Spain and Sweden.

Music video

The music video, directed by

Paul Hunter Paul Alan Hunter (14 October 1978 – 9 October 2006) was an English professional snooker player. He was a three-time Masters (snooker), Masters champion, winning the event in 2001 Masters (snooker), 2001, 2002 Masters (snooker), 2002, a ...

, shows all four performers in

lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...

in a

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

-style video (with rapper

giving an introduction) and was filmed on sets built to resemble the actual

nightclub around the turn of the 20th century. Interviewed by

MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...

, the singers expressed their excitement about the video. Pink predicted the clip would be like a "circus on acid", while Aguilera said that "The video's going to be dope." She further elaborated on the video's concept, saying: "We're going to be having cabaret costumes. It's something you've never seen from us before. So, it's going to be fun." The video's art direction anachronistically merged hip-hop sensibility with the film's French cabaret setting, thanks to some props and costumes actually used in the movie, according to Hunter's office. Choreographer

Tina Landon Tina Landon (born January 6, 1963) is an American choreographer based in Los Angeles who has worked with Janet Jackson, Prince, Anastacia, Mýa, Pink, Jay-Z, Marc Anthony, Kristi Yamaguchi, Aerosmith, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Mar ...

was hired to choreograph the video. The video won the 2001 MTV Video Music Award for " Best Video of the Year" and " Best Video from a Film". The four singers performed the song live at the 2001 MTV Movie Awards, as well as at the

44th Annual Grammy Awards The 44th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 27, 2002, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The main recipient was Alicia Keys, winning five Grammys, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for " Fallin'". U2 won fo ...

(2002), the latter performance featuring an appearance by

, herself. In March 2021, Glenn Garner of the ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'' magazine noted that "Lady Marmalade" "remains one of the most iconic music videos of our time". The video received a Vevo Certified Award on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

for over 100 million views. As of 2024, the music video has over 555 million views on Aguilera's official YouTube channel.

Legacy

The song is considered a

gay anthem Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) music is music that focuses on the experiences of gender and sexual minorities as a product of the broad gay liberation movement. LGBTQ music spans the entire spectrum of popular music. ...

. According to Kelley Dunlap of

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, "Lady Marmalade" influenced

Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind ...

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...

and

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

's 2014 song " Bang Bang". It was featured in the music montage at the

92nd Academy Awards The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 2019 and took place on February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:00 ...

, which covered iconic movie soundtrack songs. "Lady Marmalade" was also featured in an episode of the thirteenth season (2021) of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...

'', where contestants

Tina Burner Kristian Seeber (born November 10, 1980), known professionally as Tina Burner, is an American drag performer most known for appearing in '' Shade: Queens of NYC'', on the thirteenth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', and on the tenth season of ' ...

, Elliott with 2 Ts and

Kahmora Hall Kahmora Hall (born September 13, 1991) is the stage name of Paul Tran, a drag performer most known for competing on season 13 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. Career Kahmora Hall was the first contestant eliminated from season 13 of ''RuPaul's Drag ...

had to perform a

lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , like the word ''sink'', despite the Hard and soft C, spelling of the participial forms ''synced'' and ''syncing''), short for lip synchronization, is a technical term for matching a Speech, speaking or singin ...

of the song. In 2022, Brazilian drag singers

Gloria Groove Daniel Garcia Felicione Napoleão (born January 18, 1995), known professionally as Gloria Groove (), is a Brazilian singer, rapper, songwriter, actor, voice actor, and drag queen. During his childhood, Groove starred in the RecordTV telenovela ''Sa ...

, Grag Queen and

Pabllo Vittar Phabullo Rodrigues da Silva (born 1 November 1993), known professionally as Pabllo Vittar (), is a Brazilian drag queen and singer. Life and career 1993–2016: Early life Born in São Luís, Maranhão, São Luís, Phabullo is a fraternal twi ...

performed a version of "Lady Marmalade" on the Brazilian music program ''Música Boa Ao Vivo'' ("good live music"). The trio featured Groove rapping Lil Kim's verses, and all three performing live vocals.

Broadway version

'', the musical, opened on Broadway at the

Al Hirschfeld Theatre The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1924, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburg ...

on July 25, 2019, featuring "Lady Marmalade" sung by The Lady M's: Nini 'Legs-in-the-Air' (

Robyn Hurder Robyn Hurder (born January 1, 1982) is an American musical theater actress. She is best known for originating the role of Nini in the stage adaptation of ''Moulin Rouge!'' on Broadway, a performance for which she was nominated for the 2020 Tony ...

), Arabia (Holly James), Baby Doll (Jeigh Madjus) and La Chocolat (Jacqueline B. Arnold). The song has been used in many promotional videos, and both opens and closes the show. It was announced that a full cast recording would be released in Fall 2019.

Track listing

CD maxi # "Lady Marmalade" (edit) – 4:24 # "Lady Marmalade" (Thunderpuss radio mix) – 4:09 # "Lady Marmalade" (Thunderpuss club mix) – 9:48 # "Lady Marmalade" (Thunderpuss Mixshow mix) – 6:21

Personnel

– producer, vocals *

– vocals *

P!nk Alecia Beth Moore-Hart (née Moore; born September 8, 1979), known professionally as Pink (stylized as ), is an American singer and songwriter. She is known for her acrobatic stage presence and activism. At the age of 15, Pink formed the shor ...

– vocals *

– writer *

– writer * Laura Ziffren – music supervisor, executive music producer * Anton Monsted – music supervisor, executive music producer *

Ron Fair Ronald Fair is an American record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. A traditional record producer since 1970, Fair has been credited with orchestral production work on several commercially success ...

– vocal producer * Michael Knobloch – music production supervisor * John "Beetle" Bailey – assistant

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

* Chris Barrett – assistant engineer *

Marius de Vries Marius de Vries (born 1961) is an English record producer and composer. He has won a Grammy Award from four nominations, two BAFTA Awards, and an Ivor Novello Award. Education Marius de Vries was educated at St Paul's Cathedral School, Bedfor ...

– music direction *

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...

– performer * Joe Leguabe – performer * Robert Kraft – executive in charge of music * Dylan Dresdow – engineer * Chris Elliott –

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

* Ricky Graham – assistant engineer * Isobel Griffiths – orchestra contractor * Jake Jackson – assistant engineer * Jennie O'Grady –

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

master * Dave Pensado – mixing *

Carmen Rizzo Carmen Rizzo (born April 8, 1964) is an American record producer, mixer, programmer, DJ, remixer and recording artist, based in Los Angeles. The two-time Grammy nominee has worked with Seal, Coldplay, Paul Oakenfold, Alanis Morissette, Dido, Jem ...

– engineer * Michael C. Ross – engineer * Eddy Schreyer – mastering * Brian Springer – engineer *

Gavyn Wright Gavyn Wright is a British violinist and orchestra leader with the London Session Orchestra and Penguin Cafe Orchestra. He is best known for his orchestral arrangements on pop productions (including Elton John, Simply Red, Bush, Mecano, ...

– orchestra leader

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links