On the Charts 51 Years Ago, This Underrated Girl Group Scored Their Only No. 1 Hit With a Song Later Covered by Early 2000s Divas

Patti LaBelle certainly isn’t underrated, but her girl group Labelle could be seen that way. Also known as The Blue Belles as well as Patti LaBelle & The Blue Belles, the group’s founding members were the incomparable Patti LaBelle, Sundray Tucker, Sarah Dash, and Nona Hendryx. The group had some success in their early years in the 1960s. But nothing compared to their breakthrough in 1974 with the release of the album Nightbirds under the name Labelle. On that album, the group was comprised of Labelle, Dash, and Hendryx.

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Nightbirds was a No. 7 hit on the Billboard 200, and it was a No. 4 hit on the US R&B charts. And from that very album came the band’s legendary song and only No. 1 hit, “Lady Marmalade”. The track hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on this very day, March 29, 1975.

Labelle’s Hit “Lady Marmalade” Topped the Hot 100 in 1974 and Again in 2001

“Lady Marmalade” would stay at No. 1 on the Hot 100 for one week and remain on the chart for 18 weeks in total in 1974. The song remains the girl group’s only No. 1 hit on the Hot 100, and it was followed by the minor hit “What Can I Do For You?” in 1975, peaking at No. 48. The vocal group would later break up in 1976 but would briefly reunite in the mid-2000s.

This wouldn’t be the end of “Lady Marmalade”, though. The song was so good that a number of musicians outside of disco and funk would cover it. Italian pop singer Sabrina would cover the song in 1987, and it would chart well in Europe. The girl group All Saints would cover the song after that in 1998 with racier lyrics. All Saints’ version would top the UK Singles and UK Hip Hop/R&B charts. It wouldn’t quite break through in the US.

Then, in 2001, “Lady Marmalade” was given the breath of life yet again with a smash hit version by famed pop divas Lil Kim, Pink, Mya, and Christina Aguilera. These four famous early 2000s crooners would score a No. 1 hit with their version on the Hot 100. The song would also top the charts internationally.

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