‘Lady Marmalade’ – LaBelle
This No. 1 hit about a New Orleans streetwalker is still in rotation 35 years later. The band was from Philadelphia, but the horrible groove was straight out of New Orleans, thanks to producer Toussaint and his house band, the Meters, who are legendary R&B legends. Every disco fan now knows at least one line of French, thanks to the ladies of LaBelle: “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?”
‘Lady Marmalade’ LaBelle
‘Cry Me a River’ – Justin Timberlake
The structure of the Timberlake–Timbaland team, a perfect match in pop heaven, was marked by this breakup aria. The spectacular video, in which Justin chases an actress clothed as his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears, revealed the song’s inspiration. Timberlake informed Rolling Stone, “It’s a badass video.” “I didn’t want anyone to smell like roses when they left.”
‘Cry Me A River’ Justin Timberlake
