Movie Music Monday – Moulin Rouge

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Moulin Rouge. It starred Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor.

The film was directed by Baz Luhrman and the soundtrack was loaded with great songs. According to Wiki, the film uses so much popular music that it took Luhrmann two and a half years to secure the rights to all of the songs.

One of the songs from the soundtrack that would become a hit (again) was Lady Marmalade. The song was originally a hit in 1974 for Labelle. This song is about New Orleans prostitutes. The French Quarter is near the city’s red-light district.

In an NME interview, Patti LaBelle claimed she didn’t know the real meaning of the song until much later. “I thought people would boo us because we’d gone too far. I was afraid of change. But when we went out and did it, I said ‘good!’ Three outrageous black women who wore and said anything onstage… Although with ‘Lady Marmalade’ I swear I had no idea for a while what it meant, until I asked Bob Crewe, who recorded it, ‘what’s voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?’ He told me, (“Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”) ‘Oh gosh’, I said, ‘what will my mother think?'”

Missy Elliott produced a new version with Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, and Pink that was used in the movie. The remake was wildly successful, connecting with a new audience and winning the 2001 Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals. It got a lot of airplay. It also got the approval of Patti LaBelle, who said that she loved it. Mya said that she used to sing the original version around the house when she was a kid. She never knew what the French part meant, and her mom, who spoke French, didn’t tell her.

According to songfacts.com, This was the last cover version of a #1 song in the US to also top the chart, a feat that happened eight times before, with Mariah Carey doing it most previously with “I’ll Be There” in 1992.