What is the significance of using interpolations in this song?

They reflect the Moulin Rouge's role as a cultural blender, combining old and new, glamor and grit. The mashup underscores how nothing here is singular — it’s all remix, all performance.

Who is Harold Zidler and why is he important in the song?

He’s the MC, the showman, the puppet master. Zidler introduces the cast, the club, and the chaotic energy. His flamboyant narration acts as both exposition and comic relief.

Why does the song contrast aristocrats and bohemians?

This dichotomy is central to the story. The rich buy fantasy, while the poor live for art. Moulin Rouge is their meeting point, and this song sets that ideological conflict in motion.

How does the song’s musical structure support its meaning?

With abrupt switches between musical styles — funk, pop, jazz, rock — the structure mirrors the chaotic, hyperactive vibe of the Moulin Rouge club itself. It’s not smooth, it’s spectacular.

Is the line "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?" just provocative?

It’s provocative, yes, but also historical. It calls back to the original “Lady Marmalade,” adding sensuality and French flair. It’s playful, iconic, and immediately locates us in the world of risqué cabaret.

Welcome to the Moulin Rouge! Lyrics – Moulin Rouge!

Welcome to the Moulin Rouge! Lyrics

[WOMEN]
Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, flow sister
Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, flow sister

[ENSEMBLE #1]
He?met?marmalade down in?old Moulin Rouge
Struttin' her stuff on?the street
She said, "Hello, hey Joe, you wanna give it a go?"

[WOMEN]
Gitchie gitchie ya ya da da
Gitchie gitchie ya ya here
Mocha-choca-lata ya ya
Creole Lady Marmalade

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?

[ENSEMBLE #2 (WOMEN)]
He sat in her boudoir while she freshened up (hey sister, go sister, soul sister, flow sister)
That boy drank all that magnolia wine (hey sister, go sister, soul sister, flow sister)
On her black satin sheets, where he started to freak

[WOMEN]
Gitchie gitchie ya ya da da
Gitchie gitchie ya ya here
Mocha-choca-lata ya ya
Creole Lady Marmalade

[HAROLD ZIDLER, spoken]
Hello, chickens!

Yes! It’s me
Your own beloved Harold Zidler
In the flesh!
Welcome...
To the Moulin Rouge!

[ZIDLER (ENSEMBLE)]
Because we can can-can
(Because we can can-can)

Because we can can-can
(Because we can can-can)

Hi de hi de hi de hi
(Hi de hi de hi de hi)
Ho de ho de ho de ho
(Ho de ho de ho de ho)

Because we can can-can
(Because we can can-can)
Because we can can-can
(Because we can can-can)

Because we can can-can can can can can can
Everybody can-can!

(Woo! Woo! Woo!)

(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)

Everybody can can!
(Because we can can-can)
(Because we can can-can)
(Because we can can-can)
(Because we can can-can)
(Because we can can-can)

[WOMEN]
Gitchie gitchie ya ya da da
Gitchie gitchie ya ya here
Mocha-choca-lata ya ya
Creole Lady Marmalade

[ENSEMBLE]
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Hey, hey, hey, hey

Everybody can-can

[ZIDLER, spoken]
For the gallery
It’s peanuts and lager
But for the aristocracy
It’s quail eggs and caviar

Ladies and gentlemen
May I introduce
The Duke du Monroth

[ENSEMBLE]
Who do you think you are?
Ain't nobody dope as me, I'm dressed so fresh so clean
(So fresh and so clean clean)
Don't you think I'm so sex,y I'm dressed so fresh, so clean
(So fresh and so clean clean)

The best things in life are free
But you can keep them for the birds and bees
I got money
(That’s what I want)
That’s what I want
(That’s what I want)
That’s what I want
That’s what I want
(That’s what I want)
That’s what I want
(That’s what I want)

Your love gives me such a thrill
But your love doesn't pay my bills
Money don't get everything, it's true
But what it doesn't get, I can't use
I got money
(That's what I want)
That's right, money
(That's what I want)
I got money
(That's what I want)

Why must I live this way?
(Hey, must be the money)

[ZIDLER, spoken]
But there is another Paris, yes?
These are the rats of the Latin Quarter
The starving artists and thieves of Montmartre
Our own
Beloved
Bohemians!

[BOHEMIANS]
Watch out, you might get what you're after
Rouge, baby
Strange but not a stranger
I'm an ordinary guy
Burning down the house

My house! Out of the ordinary
That's right! Don't wanna hurt nobody
Some things sure can sweep me off my feet
Burning down the house

Here's your ticket, pack your bag
Time for jumpin' overboard
Transportation is here
Close enough but not too far
Maybe you know where you are
Fightin' fire with fire

Let’s dance
Let’s sway
Let’s dance
Let’s sway

[ZIDLER]
And now it’s time for the breakdown

[BOHEMIANS]
Watch out you might get what you're after
Shakedown! Dreams walking in broad daylight
Hold tight, wait till the party's over
Burning down the house (burnin’)
Burning down the house (burnin’)
Burning down the house (burnin’)
Burning down the house (burnin’)

[ZIDLER, spoken]
This is where all your dreams come true
You are the Moulin Rouge!

[WOMEN]
Marmalade
Lady marmalade
Marmalade
Hey, hey, hey

[WOMEN (MEN)]
Gitchie gitchie ya ya da da (You spin me right round, baby right ‘round)
Gitchie gitchie ya ya here (Like a record baby when you go down, down)
Mocha-choca-lata ya-ya (You spin me right 'round, baby)
Creole Lady Marmalade
Ah, Ah
Creole Lady Marmalade

Whooo!
Last Update: May, 31st 2025

Song Overview

Screenshot from Welcome to the Moulin Rouge! lyrics video by Original Broadway Cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical — Original Broadway Cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical is singing the 'Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!' lyrics in the music video.

Song Credits

Producers: Baz Luhrmann, Alex Timbers, Matt Stine, Justin Levine
Writers: Fatboy Slim, Tina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison, Chris Frantz, David Byrne, David Bowie, Berry Gordy, Janie Bradford, Mr. DJ, Big Boi, André 3000, Kenny Nolan, Bob Crewe
Release Date: 2019-08-30
Genre: Broadway, Pop
Album: Moulin Rouge! The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Featured Artists: Aaron Tveit, Danny Burstein, Holly James, Jacqueline B. Arnold, Jeigh Madjus, Ricky Rojas, Robyn Hurder, Sahr Ngaujah, Tam Mutu
Interpolations: "Lady Marmalade", "You Spin Me Round", "Let's Dance", "Money (That's What I Want)", "Burning Down the House", among others
Style: Mash-up musical number with glam, funk, and classic pop elements

Song Meaning and Annotations

Original Broadway Cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical performing song Welcome to the Moulin Rouge! — Performance in the music video.

Welcome to the surreal, neon-bathed world of “Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!” — a track that isn’t just a song, but a whole sensory rollercoaster. Serving as the glittering gateway into the spectacle that is Moulin Rouge! The Musical, this number doesn’t just open a show — it kicks the door off its hinges and flings you headfirst into a whirlwind of color, decadence, and contradiction.

Layered Introductions and Musical Collage

The piece stitches together iconic pop anthems like “Lady Marmalade” and “Money (That’s What I Want)” with irreverent flair. Every lyric is a wink, a shimmy, a seductive nod to both the audience and the wild world behind the curtain. From the flirtatious repetition of

Gitchie gitchie ya ya da da / Mocha-choca-lata ya ya

to the chaotic cries of

Because we can can-can!

the cast builds a cabaret mosaic brimming with personality. Harold Zidler, our mustachioed ringleader, breaks the fourth wall in his spoken interludes, painting a vivid tableau of duality — “peanuts and lager” for the gallery, “quail eggs and caviar” for the aristocrats.

Who do you think you are?

From “Mr. Big Stuff” by Jean Knight

Hey, must be the money

From “Ride Wit Me” by Nelly featuring City Spud

I got money

From the song “Money (That’s What I Want)” by Barrett Strong

Watch out you might get what you're after Rouge, baby

From “Burning Down the House” by Talking Heads

Let’s dance Let’s sway

From “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie

And now it’s time for the breakdown

From “My Lovin' (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” by En Vogue

You spin me right round, baby right ‘round

From “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)” by Dead or Alive “Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!” from Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a vibrant tapestry woven from numerous iconic songs. Here are additional interpolations featured in this opening number: “So Fresh, So Clean” by OutKast. “Walk This Way” by Run-D.M.C. featuring Aerosmith. “Where It's At” by Beck. “Galop Infernal” by Jacques Offenbach (commonly known as the "Can-Can"). “Minnie the Moocher” by Cab Calloway. “Because We Can” by Fatboy Slim. “Amores Como El Nuestro” by Jerry Rivera. These selections span a diverse range of genres and eras, from classic French opera to 2000s hip-hop, reflecting the show's eclectic and dynamic musical landscape.

Symbolism and Dichotomy

Everything here drips with symbolism. Moulin Rouge is both paradise and prison, a sanctuary for dreamers and a den for the corrupt. The song plays with this duality — not just through its rich lyrics, but in the musical contrast between the polished “Duke du Monroth” verses and the ragtag “Bohemians” bursting with Talking Heads’ manic energy:

Watch out you might get what you're after / Burning down the house

The club is both fire and escape — a furnace that consumes and a hearth that warms. It’s capitalism, romance, hedonism, and revolution — all tangled in one red velvet ribbon.

Cultural Sampling and Musical Alchemy

This is more than a song — it's musical alchemy. By interpolating pieces of David Bowie, Dead or Alive, and En Vogue, the composition becomes a mirrorball of cultural references. The pastiche never feels forced. Instead, it mimics the real-life Moulin Rouge’s chaotic blend of elegance and raunch, desire and detachment.

Similar Songs

Thumbnail from Welcome to the Moulin Rouge! lyric video by Original Broadway Cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical — A screenshot from the 'Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!' music video.

"Cell Block Tango" – Chicago (Original Broadway Cast)
Just like “Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!”, this number is more theatrical punch than melodic serenade. Both use ensemble vocals, rhythmic repetition, and spoken interludes to reveal the dual lives of women in glamour and danger. Murder and makeup co-exist — only in musicals.
"Rocky Horror Picture Show – Time Warp"
The surreal camp of “Time Warp” parallels Moulin Rouge’s aesthetic. Each song serves as a party invitation and initiation rite into their respective worlds, turning the bizarre into the new normal through zany lyrics and unpredictable sonic swings.
"Vogue" – Madonna
Though from different genres, “Vogue” and “Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!” both celebrate artifice and identity. They revel in the masquerade — whether it’s a ball or a stage show — and offer glamor as both shield and sword in a world of scrutiny.

Questions and Answers

Scene from Welcome to the Moulin Rouge! track by Original Broadway Cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical — Visual effects scene from 'Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!'.

What is the significance of using interpolations in this song?: They reflect the Moulin Rouge's role as a cultural blender, combining old and new, glamor and grit. The mashup underscores how nothing here is singular — it’s all remix, all performance.
Who is Harold Zidler and why is he important in the song?: He’s the MC, the showman, the puppet master. Zidler introduces the cast, the club, and the chaotic energy. His flamboyant narration acts as both exposition and comic relief.
Why does the song contrast aristocrats and bohemians?: This dichotomy is central to the story. The rich buy fantasy, while the poor live for art. Moulin Rouge is their meeting point, and this song sets that ideological conflict in motion.
How does the song’s musical structure support its meaning?: With abrupt switches between musical styles — funk, pop, jazz, rock — the structure mirrors the chaotic, hyperactive vibe of the Moulin Rouge club itself. It’s not smooth, it’s spectacular.
Is the line "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?" just provocative?: It’s provocative, yes, but also historical. It calls back to the original “Lady Marmalade,” adding sensuality and French flair. It’s playful, iconic, and immediately locates us in the world of risqué cabaret.

Fan and Media Reactions

"This is not just a musical number – it's an explosion of color and chaos. You can't blink or you'll miss something amazing!" – Broadway Buzz

"I got chills the second Zidler said ‘Hello, chickens!’ This opening number sets the bar so high." – @BroadwayQueen91

"Every line is iconic, every outfit a masterpiece. I live for the energy of this!" – @StageLightsOn

"You think it’s chaotic until it clicks and suddenly it’s genius. So layered and theatrical." – TheaterCriticNY

"If this number doesn’t make you wanna dance on tables, are you even alive?" – @RazzleDazzleDan

Critics and fans have called it "a maximalist fever dream with a pulse." The response has been electric — a shared agreement that this opening number pulls the curtain not just on a show, but on an entire universe of spectacle, contradiction, and dazzling excess.

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