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Patti LaBelle had ‘no idea' that the ‘Lady Marmalade' lyrics were so suggestive.
The 77-year-old music legend – who is known for the 1974 hit thought to be about prostitution – had “no idea” what the French lyrics meant when she recorded the song with her band Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles.
She said: “When we heard it, it sounded great, but that ‘Voulez-vous coucher avec moi,' sounded so piercing and it just stayed in my ear. So, when we went there, I said that we had to record that one first. After we recorded the song and the song went out and people were loving it, the nuns talked about us and asked, ‘Why are they talking like hookers?!”
Patti went on to explain that she was simply “jamming” to the infectious chorus and was oblivious to the fact that the lyrics were in fact sexually suggestive.
She told Entertainment Tonight: “I didn't know ‘Voulez-vous coucher avec moi,' meant ‘Will you sleep with me tonight?'! I had no clue girl! And I was jamming on that! And the nuns… they called us bad names and stuff, but it sold!”
The legendary songstress went on to describe the song – which would later be covered by Christina Aguilera, Lil'Kim Pink and Mya as a four-piece for the film ‘Moulin Rouge!' as “revolutionary” that pays homage to streetwalkers.
She added: “it was revolutionary and it was something that people were doing. Women walked the streets since way back in the day and now there's a song about them.”
