Lady Marmalade | Chords + Lyrics
Intro
| Gm7 | C9 | Gm7 | C9 | Gm7 | C9 |
Hey Sister, go sister, soul sister, go sister.
| Gm7 | C9 N.C |
Hey Sister, go sister, soul sister, go sister.
Verse 1
| Gm7 | C9 |
He met Marmalade down in old New Orleans.
| Gm7 | C9 |
Struttin’ her stuff on the street.
| Cm7 | Dm7 |
She said: ‘Hello, hey Joe, you wanna give it a go? Mmm, mmm.
Bridge 1
| Gm7 | C9 | Gm7 | C9 |
Itchi Gitchi Ya Ya Da Da. Itchi Gitchi Ya Ya here.
| Gm7 | C9 | C9 N.C | Gm (pent riff) | Gm (pent riff) |
Mocha-choca-lata Ya Ya. Creole Lady Marmalade.
Chorus 1
| Gm7 | C9 |
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?
| Gm7 | C9 |
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
Verse 2
(Hey Sister, go sister, soul sister, go sister) He sat in her boudoir while she freshened up.
(Hey Sister, go sister, soul sister, go sister) The boy drank all her magnolia wine.
On the black satin sheets where he started to freak.
Bridge 2
Itchi Gitchi Ya Ya Da Da. Itchi Gitchi Ya Ya here.
Mocha-choca-lata Ya Ya. Creole Lady Marmalade.
Chorus 2
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
Instrumental
| Gm F/A Ebmaj7 Dm7 | Gm7 | Ebmaj7 | Ebmaj7 |
| Gm7 | Gm7 | Ebmaj7 | Ebmaj7 | D7 | D7 |
Hey, hey, hey.
Verse 3
Touching her skin feelin’ silky smooth.
The color of cafe au lait.
Made the savage beast inside roar until it cried, more, more, more.
Verse 4
Now he’s back home doing 9 to 5.
Living his grey flannel life.
But when he turns off to sleep, old memories creep. More, more, more.
Bridge 3
Itchi Gitchi Ya Ya Da Da. Itchi Gitchi Ya Ya here.
Mocha-choca-lata Ya Ya. Creole Lady Marmalade.
Chorus 3
| Gm7 | C9 |
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?
| Gm7 | C9 |
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?
| Gm7 | C9 |
Voulez-vous couchez avec moi, ce soir?
| C9 N.C | Gm (pent riff) | Gm (pent riff) |
Creole Lady Marmalade
Breakdown chorus
||: Gm7 N.C C9 | N.C :|| x4
||: Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? :|| x4
Outro
||: Gm7 | C9 :|| to fade
Itchi Gitchi Ya Ya Da Da. Itchi Gitchi Ya Ya here.
Mocha-choca-lata Ya Ya. Itchi Gitchi Ya Ya here.
Itchi Gitchi Ya Ya Da Da.
Lady Marmalade Chords: A Classic Female Anthem
The chords in Lady Marmalade revolve around a modal interchange between a II – V progression and a minor blues movement (VI – II – III), both in the key of Gm.
The II – V progression—Gm7 – C9—dominates most of the song. This is the same classic dance progression found in Good Times, I Wish, and Le Freak, among many others. I’ve even ranked it #4 on my Top 10 chord progressions list.
The second movement—Cm7 – Dm7—appears at the end of the verse. These chords function as II – III from the Aeolian key of Gm, shifting the tonal centre from Dorian to Aeolian and introducing tension.
Instrumental Section
The instrumental section also follows an Aeolian progression, treating Gm as chord VI:
| Gm (VI) F/A (I/3) Ebmaj7 (IV) Dm7 (III) | Gm7 | Ebmaj7 | Ebmaj7 |
| Gm7 | Gm7 | Ebmaj7 | Ebmaj7 | D7 (IIIx) | D7 |
Guitar Arrangement & TAB
I’ve put together a TAB lesson designed for playing this classic in a band setting. In it, we:
- Lock in with the bassline
- Explore chord inversions
- Integrate licks into the rhythm part
- Play the horn line during the instrumental section
You can check out the full TAB lesson here: Lady Marmalade – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Once you’ve worked through the lesson, use the chord chart to bring these ideas to life at the gig!
Lady Marmalade Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Lady Marmalade chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Lady Marmalade chord chart iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Lady Marmalade – A Female Anthem!
LaBelle, a female vocal group that began in 1962, found their formula with the smash hit Lady Marmalade after several name and genre changes.
Since its release in 1974, this classic tune has sold over a million copies in the U.S. alone. More importantly, it has been covered by countless bands eager to get people dancing.
Several versions have helped keep Lady Marmalade alive in the public consciousness. Sabrina’s 1987 cover introduced it to a new generation with the title Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? (Lady Marmalade), while the U.K. girl band All Saints offered their take in 1998.
However, the most famous cover remains the 2001 version by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa, and Pink, performed for the film Moulin Rouge!.
As a female anthem, Lady Marmalade holds its own alongside classics like Respect and I Will Survive. I’m sure it will continue to be played by DJs and working bands for many decades to come.
Lady Marmalade Chords | Related Pages
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Lady Marmalade (LaBelle) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy: