Question
Promotional photo of singing group Labelle. From left: Nona Hendryx, Patti LaBelle, Sarah Dash.

Translate the lyrics from Labelle's "Lady Marmalade": “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?”

Last updated: November 5, 2025

Patti LaBelle and the rest of Labelle spent months in 1974 seducing audiences across America with "Lady Marmalade" night after night. To the Godmother of Soul, "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?" sounded mysterious and sexy, but she had no idea what she was saying in French. What does "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?" actually mean in English?

Correct Answer: "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

(Source)

Patti LaBelle swears she had no idea what the phrase meant when she sang it. She just knew the song was going to be a huge hit, and, to her credit, it became Labelle’s first (and only) song to top the Billboard Hot 100. It wasn’t until a nun approached the group after a show that they found out it meant “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?” LaBelle said she felt “naive” rather than embarrassed, which is the most gracious way to handle realizing you’ve accidentally asked millions of people to sleep with you. When they performed the song on TV, censors made them change the lyrics to “Voulez-vous danser avec moi ce soir?,” which translates to the much more family-friendly “Do you want to dance with me tonight?”

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