More than 50 years after “Lady Marmalade” became a defining hit, Patti LaBelle is revealing that she and her bandmates didn’t fully understand what they were singing about when they first recorded it. Speaking on Angie Martinez’s IRL podcast , the legendary singer said Labelle had “no clue” that the song’s famous French refrain referenced sex work until after the record became a major success. LaBelle explained that the group only learned the meaning of “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?” (“Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”) after the song was already climbing the charts. Looking back, she laughed at the realization that one of the most recognizable songs of the 1970s centered on a woman working in the sex trade. “She’s a hooker,” LaBelle said, recalling how the lyrics eventually made sense once someone translated them. The revelation is drawing fresh attention to a song that has remained part of popular culture for decades.…