Lady Marmalade

"Lady Marmalade" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan. It became a popular hit in 1975, recorded by the American girl group Labelle. The song is famous for its sexually suggestive chorus of "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?", which translates into English as "Do you want to sleep with me (tonight)?" Labelle held the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week, and also topped the Canadian RPM national singles chart.

The song has had many cover versions over the years. In 1998, girl group All Saints released a cover of the song that peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart. The 2001 version by singers Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa, and Pink, recorded for the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack was a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for 5 weeks. "Lady Marmalade" was also a song to reach number one by two different musical acts in America.

Labelle version

Background and release

Labelle's version of "Lady Marmalade" was produced by Allen Toussaint and Vicki Wickham. It was released on August 3, 1974 as the first single from the album Nightbirds. The song was inspired by Bob Crewe's first-hand observations of New Orleans. After it was first recorded by Kenny Nolan's group Eleventh Hour in 1974, on Eleventh Hour's Greatest Hits LP, Labelle's producer Allen Toussaint decided to record it for Nightbirds. Patti LaBelle sang lead vocals on "Lady Marmalade" with backing vocals being contributed by band mates Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash. The song's chorus, "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?", appeared previously in the play A Streetcar Named Desire, uttered by the promiscuous Blanche DuBois. Lyrically, "Lady Marmalade" is about a prostitute. Patti LaBelle, the lead female vocal of the band, expressed that, "I didn't know what it was about. Nobody, I swear this is God's truth, nobody told me what I'd just sung a song about."

Pink (singer)

Alecia Beth "Pink" Moore (born September 8, 1979) (stylized as P!nk) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Originally a member of the girl group Choice, Pink rose to fame as an R&B artist with her debut solo album, Can't Take Me Home (2000). The album was certified double platinum in the United States and spawned two Billboard Hot 100 top-ten hits, "There You Go" and "Most Girls". She gained further recognition with the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack "Lady Marmalade", which gave Pink her first Grammy Award as well as her first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. Pink took more artistic control and pursued pop rock direction for her second album, Missundaztood (2001). It sold more than 15 million copies worldwide and yielded three U.S. top-ten singles, "Get the Party Started", "Don't Let Me Get Me", and "Just Like a Pill".

Pink's third studio album, Try This (2003), generated considerably lower sales, but earned her the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Pink revived her popularity with her fourth and fifth studio albums, I'm Not Dead (2006) and Funhouse (2008), with the latter containing her second U.S. number-one hit, "So What". Pink concluded the first decade of her career with the compilation album Greatest Hits... So Far!!! (2010), which featured Fuckin' Perfect and the chart-topping single "Raise Your Glass". Her sixth studio album, The Truth About Love (2012), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and spawned the top-ten singles "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)", "Try", and "Just Give Me a Reason", with the latter becoming her fourth U.S. number-one single. In 2014, Pink recorded a collaborative album, rose ave., with Canadian musician Dallas Green under a folk music duo named You+Me.

Dobra, Hunedoara

Dobra (Hungarian: Dobra or Hunyaddobra) is a commune in Hunedoara County, Romania, close to the city of Deva. It is composed of thirteen villages: Abucea (Abucsa), Bujoru (Sztregonya), Dobra, Făgețel (Fazacsel), Lăpușnic (Lapusnyak), Mihăilești (Mihalesd), Panc (Pánk), Panc-Săliște (Pánkszelistye), Rădulești (Radulesd), Roșcani (Roskány), Stâncești (Sztancsesd), Stâncești-Ohaba (Sztancsesdohába) and Stretea (Sztrettye).

At the 2011 census, 97.8% of inhabitants were Romanians, 1.3% Roma and 0.7% Hungarians.

Stâncești village was part of the defunct Stâncești-Ohaba Commune until 1956, when it became independent. It then joined Lăpușnic in 1966 and Dobra in 1968. Its population was 172 in 1966, falling to 124 by 1992. During censuses taken in the period, over 98% of inhabitants declared themselves as Romanians.

References

Coordinates: 45°54′30″N 22°37′20″E / 45.90833°N 22.62222°E / 45.90833; 22.62222