Musicians Then and Now – Patti LaBelle

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Patti LaBelle is an American singer who began as lead singer of Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles in the 1960’s

Her signature song is ‘Lady Marmalade’.

• The chorus of “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir” is French for “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?” When Labelle performed this on television, broadcast standards of the day prohibited them from singing the chorus as written, so they changed it to “Voulez-vous danser avec moi ce soir” (do you want to dance with me). >>
• This was inspired by New Orleans prostitutes. The French Quarter is near the city’s red-light district.
  
  Lyrics at end

Where's all my soul sistas?
Lemme hear ya'll flow, sistas
Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, flow sista
Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, go sista

He met Marmalade down in old Moulin Rouge
Struttin' her stuff on the street
She said, "Hello, hey Joe, you wanna give it a go?"
Oh, uh-huh

Gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya, da-da (hey, hey, hey)
Gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya, here (here)
Mocha Chocolata, ya-ya (ooh, yeah)
Creole Lady Marmalade
(What-what? What-what?)
Ooh, oh

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

He sat in her boudoir while she freshened up
Boy drank all that Magnolia wine
On her black satin sheets' where he started to freak, yeah

Gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya, da-da (da-da-da)
Gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya, here (ooh, yeah, yeah)
Mocha Chocolata, ya-ya (yeah, yeah)
Creole Lady Marmalade

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?
(Ce soir, what, what, what?)
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? Ooh

Yeah, yeah, uh
We come through with the money and the garter belts
Let him know we 'bout that cake straight out the gate (uh)
We independent women, some mistake us for whores
I'm sayin', "Why spend mine when I can spend yours?"
Disagree? Well, that's you, and I'm sorry
I'ma keep playing these cats out like Atari
Wear high heel shoes, get love from the dudes
Four badass chicks from the Moulin Rouge
Hey sistas, soul sistas, betta get that dough, sistas
We drink wine with diamonds in the glass
By the case, the meaning of expensive taste
If you wanna gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya (c'mon)
Mocha Chocolata (what?)
Creole Lady Marmalade
One more time, c'mon now

Marmalade (ooh)
Lady Marmalade (ooh, yeah, yeah)
Marmalade (no, yeah)

Hey, hey, hey
Touch of her skin, feeling silky smooth, hey
Color of café au lait, alright
Made the savage beast inside roar until he cried
More (more), more (more), more

Now he's back home doin' 9 to 5 (9 to 5)
He's livin' the grey flannel life
But when he turns off to sleep, memories creep
More (more), more (more), more

Gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya, da-da (da-da, yeah)
Gitchie, gitchie, ya-ya, here (ooh)
Mocha Chocolata (ohh), ya-ya (oh)
Creole Lady Marmalade

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir? (Ce soir)
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? (All my sistas, yeah)
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir? (Ce soir)
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ohh (c'mon, uh)

Christina (hey, oh)
P!nk (Lady Marmalade)
Lil' Kim (hey, hey, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh)
Mya (oh-oh, oh, ohh)
Rockwilder, baby (baby)
Moulin Rouge (ooh-oh, da-duh, da-duh)
Misdemeanor here
Creole Lady Marmalade
Ooh, ooh-ooh, yes

Don Matthews
December 2020