Patti LaBelle Street Naming Ceremony In Philadelphia

Patti LaBelle is undoubtedly one of these most iconic musical figures that we have today. A true living legend. Recognized as the “Godmother of Soul Music” Patti LaBelle has been rocking our bells with her sweet sound since the 1960’s.

Her breakout record “Lady Marmalade” was a smash hit in the 70’s. He bilingual lyrics were catchy and her performances were captivating.

There was a group of nuns who were furious at the popularity of this song. The sexual innuendos were disguised with a foreign language. “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?” translates to “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”. As they were floored with the translation of lyrics, controversy arose with the record, leaving LaBelle flabbergasted that she was delivering such a message with her music.

“We really didn’t know at first. We thought it was a woman just walking down the street – it didn’t register that it might be about something else.”Patti LaBelle said an interview with The Guardian. “We were very innocent, and I had no clue. I was very naive”

“I didn’t know we were singing about a lady of the evening. Young girls today are so well versed because of the internet, so they’d never not realize, but it was different then.” She continued. “Thank God we did the song, anyway!”

LaBelle’s ability to take full ownership and accountability for her artistry and offering condolences to those she offended was just a small testament to LaBelle not only as an artist but as a human being. Being able to say ‘I made a mistake’, learning how to pivot, and continue to make music that was not only entertaining to a worldwide audience is a feat not many of today’s artists would be able to adjust to.

As this record stood the test of time. Patti LaBelle made sure that was not the only song you knew her for, as she flooded us with hits to last a lifetime

So much content from the golden era that she was brought back to bring us the essence of her time with a NPR Tiny Desk Concert

With Patti LaBelle’s musical achievements, it was only fitting that she was issued her own street in her hometown of Philadelphia. One of the most important streets in the city, she can now call her own, as the 200 block of Broad street is now known as Patti LaBelle Way.