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Cathy Wurzer

'Lady Marmalade's' formal French

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Forty years ago Thursday the top song on the U.S. pop chart was "Lady Marmalade" by LaBelle.

The song is perhaps best known for the provocative French refrain "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)," which translates into English as "do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

French speakers point out that it is a very formal way to say something that is more likely to be said in an informal setting.

The phrase had appeared in popular culture before the song was written. Blanche DuBois says it in the Tennessee Williams play "A Streetcar Named Desire." It's also in a poem by e.e. cummings.

Video: 'Lady Marmalade' performed live on 'Soul Train'