Rewinding the Charts: In 2001, 'Lady Marmalade' Got a Makeover

[Firdawsi 34,387]

 

Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya and P!nk took Labelle's 1975 No. 1 to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for a second time.

HOW MANY POP DIVAS DOES IT TAKE to remake "Lady Marmalade"? In 1975, Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash – performing as Labelle – turned the risque (for its time) funk potboiler into one of the decade's most distinctive hits. Twenty-six years later, four of the brashest stars of the 2000s – Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Lil' Kim and Mya – plus Missy Elliott (who produced the track with Rockwilder and Ron Fair and raps on it), rerecorded "Lady" and duplicated its chart success at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The remake, which was featured on the soundtrack to the Baz Luhrmann-directed musical film Moulin Rouge!, spent its first of five weeks at No. 1 on the June 2, 2001, chart. The song also won the Grammy Award for best pop collaboration with vocals in 2002, and its burlesque-style music video (with a cameo by Elliott) won video of the year at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards.

Written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan (and inspired by New Orleans sex workers), "Lady Marmalade" is one of nine songs to top the Hot 100 in both its original iteration and reworked form; the latter's lyrics were altered slightly to fit the movie's premise. The track became Lil' Kim and Mya's first (and, so far, sole) Hot 100 No. 1, P!nk's first of four and Aguilera's fourth of five.

 

X

[Vertigo-go 18,832]

The song that made me a stan

I loved it so much, and of course I chose Xtina over all those singers, because she carries the song and the video!

 

I didn't know much about albums and all so I went to a music store, asked for "A Christina Aguilera album" in hopes of getting an album with this song, but they sold me Just Be Free that just came out

I was like "Where is Genie, what is this"

[Kirjava 8,966]

2 hours ago, Vertigo-go said:

The song that made me a stan

I loved it so much, and of course I chose Xtina over all those singers, because she carries the song and the video!

 

I didn't know much about albums and all so I went to a music store, asked for "A Christina Aguilera album" in hopes of getting an album with this song, but they sold me Just Be Free that just came out

I was like "Where is Genie, what is this"

Omg, how did you not unstan after JBF

[Vertigo-go 18,832]

14 minutes ago, Kirjava said:

Omg, how did you not unstan after JBF

I DON'T KNOW!

It actually seemed to have bops at the time. Don't forget it hadn't been that long after the original recording back then. Of course now, they all aged horribly.

[ChooseyLover 19,970]

Good times  I didn't stan her at that time but I remember I loved it and she was my fave of all of them 

[xtinaslays 442]

This song was really popular when I was young  I didn't even know back then who were the singers  

[BackToBasics 2,545]

17 hours ago, Vertigo-go said:

The song that made me a stan

I loved it so much, and of course I chose Xtina over all those singers, because she carries the song and the video!

 

I didn't know much about albums and all so I went to a music store, asked for "A Christina Aguilera album" in hopes of getting an album with this song, but they sold me Just Be Free that just came out

I was like "Where is Genie, what is this"

So...how old are you?

[Firdawsi 34,387]

1 minute ago, BackToBasics said:

So...how old are you?

45  

[Vertigo-go 18,832]

7 hours ago, BackToBasics said:

So...how old are you?

28 time to die

[Vertigo-go 18,832]

7 hours ago, Angel's Advocate said:

45  

You're not wrong. It feels like 45 years since the last release

[Vertigo-go 18,832]

13 hours ago, xtinaslays said:

This song was really popular when I was young  I didn't even know back then who were the singers  

How times change. Now nobody knows who were the OTHER non-X singers.

I googled Mya and apparently she had like five albums released in Japan ONLY

[BackToBasics 2,545]

4 hours ago, Vertigo-go said:

28 time to die

I'm 18...

[BackToBasics 2,545]

11 hours ago, Angel's Advocate said:

45  

I don't believe you

You're 18 

[Vertigo-go 18,832]

1 minute ago, BackToBasics said:

I'm 18...

And they say new guys aren't interested in Xtina

[BackToBasics 2,545]

Just now, Vertigo-go said:

And they say new guys aren't interested in Xtina

Bullshit 

[Firdawsi 34,387]

5 minutes ago, BackToBasics said:

I don't believe you

You're 18 

XXXposed  

3 minutes ago, Vertigo-go said:

And they say new guys aren't interested in Xtina

she doesn't have a dick  

[Vertigo-go 18,832]

2 minutes ago, Angel's Advocate said:

XXXposed  

she doesn't have a dick  

Guys as in people

Chicks with dicks exist

[Firdawsi 34,387]

1 minute ago, Vertigo-go said:

Guys as in people

I ain't sorry still  

1 minute ago, Vertigo-go said:

Chicks with dicks exist

I know  

[The Ones That Entertain 775]

I lived for this song and this video when it came out

[Dita 5,091]

this song is everything