Patti LaBelle’s Top 10 Songs Cover Six Decades of Musical Journey
Patti LaBelle has influenced the music industry for over 60 years with her powerhouse vocals and iconic performances. LaBelle’s greatest hits highlight her vocal range, emotional delivery, and long-lasting ability to…
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 20: Singer Patti LaBelle rehearses during the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Delegates, politicians, and Democratic party supporters are gathering in Chicago, as current Vice President Kamala Harris is named her party’s presidential nominee. The DNC takes place from August 19-22. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Patti LaBelle has influenced the music industry for over 60 years with her powerhouse vocals and iconic performances. LaBelle's greatest hits highlight her vocal range, emotional delivery, and long-lasting ability to resonate with listeners across generations.
Patti LaBelle Over the Years
Several other standout performances began to shape her legacy. The 1974 release "Lady Marmalade" was an instant hit, introducing mainstream audiences to the New Orleans funk sound while motivating women to be empowered.
LaBelle's performance at the Apollo Theatre, in a purple silk jumpsuit, catered to their first black female lead cast. The record "Lady Marmalade" was the song that topped the Billboard Hot 100. Released in February 1978, "You Are My Friend" was written by Billy Henderson and LaBelle for a loved one and would eventually become a love letter to unconditional love during memorials and celebrations.
LaBelle released "If Only You Knew" in 1983, a passionate ballad about intense yearning that went on to top the Billboard R&B chart. Also released that year was "Love, Need and Want You," another silky ballad about yearning and desire that influenced many artists since its release.
In 1984, she used the momentum of these songs to transition to yet another sound with "New Attitude," featured in the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, before releasing the high-energy "Stir It Up" in 1985.
Belinda LaBelle's 1986 duet "On My Own" with Michael McDonald hit the charts at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, signifying the mixed feelings of heartbreak and the strength of personal power.
In the early '90s, LaBelle reprised her successes with the hit, "Somebody Loves You Baby (You Know Who It Is)" and the upbeat gospel song "When You've Been Blessed (Feels Like Heaven)," both hits from 1991. In 1994, "The Right Kinda Lover" proved LaBelle's confidence and longevity as an artist, cementing her timeless impact on the world of Rhythm and Blues and Soul music.
