Sometimes you need everything to go right: the right singers, with the right song, the right band, and the right producer. Otherwise, you might never hear that song. And maybe you never hear that artist.

In 1962, The Blue Belles scored a Top 20 US hit with the now mostly forgotten “I Sold My Heart To The Junkman.” A couple of minor hits followed over the next few years, but as an earthier soul sound began to replace the girl group sound on the charts, the popularity of The Blue Belles began to fade. By 1970, Atlantic dropped the group from their label.

The trio found themselves a new manager who suggested they adopt a more contemporary style and sound, and while they were at it, change their name to Labelle (borrowed from lead singer Patti’s stage name). The makeover did lead to increased critical acclaim, but alas, no hits, and 1974 found Labelle signing with Epic Records, their fourth record label in as many years.

Little did they know, everything was about to change.

Enter Allen Toussaint, the New Orleans hitmaker who saved many an artist from obscurity over the years. Toussaint would serve as producer for Labelle’s Epic debut, and he had a little-known song in mind for them to record called “Lady Marmalade.”

“Lady Marmalade” was written by Kenny Nolan and Bob Crewe (we met Crewe here in the 50s and here in the 60s) and Nolan’s studio band, Eleventh Hour, had recently released the track to no attention whatsoever. The song was slow and stripped down and Nolan’s vocals lacked a certain something, but Allen Toussaint heard the potential. He recorded a rhythm track with his house band, The Meters — arguably the funkiest band on the planet — and then stacked Labelle’s powerhouse vocals on top of it.

Without Toussaint, it’s likely that the original “Lady Marmalade” languishes in obscurity, a title unknown to all. And without that song, it’s possible that Labelle languishes with it (after all, they never scored another Top 40 hit after 1975). But happily, everyone and everything came together at the right time, and when released as a single in November of 1974, “Lady Marmalade” strutted its way to #1 the following year. In the process, Nolan and Crewe became only the second songwriting team to replace themselves at #1 when “Lady Marmalade” took over from Frankie Valli’s “My Eyes Adored You,” which the pair had also written.

So gitchee gitchee ya ya here… with Labelle.

And here’s what Allen Toussaint heard before he, The Meters, and Labelle transformed it into a funk masterpiece: