Bug A Boo

Album: The Writing's On The Wall (1999)
Charted: 9 33
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • A Bug A Boo is a pest, someone who won't leave you alone. It can be a man or a woman.
  • This was written by Kandi Burruss, who also wrote "Bills, Bills, Bills" for Destiny's Child and "No Scrubs" for TLC. She was a member of the group Xscape and later became one of the Real Housewives of Atlanta.

    The song was produced by Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, who was Burruss' boyfriend. When they took the beat to Destiny's Child, the ladies weren't feeling it, but when Burruss started singing the melody and hashing out lyrics with the girls, the song came together and they got onboard. The four Destiny's Child members are credited as writers along with Burruss and Briggs.
  • When this was released, it popularized yet another term for an undesirable man. Between Destiny's Child and TLC, the terms "Scrub," "Buster," and "Bug A Boo" all came to describe these unfortunate guys.
  • Many of the references will make little sense to modern listeners. The girls use MCI for phone calls, AOL for email, and a beeper so they can be paged. These were all valid forms of communication in 1999, but obsolete just a few years later.
  • Kelly Rowland admitted in a 2008 interview with Pop Justice that she thinks this is the worst Destiny's Child song. She admitted: "It annoys me so much now, some of the stuff in that song makes me feel like I'm 17 years old, especially the line 'So what? You bought a pair of shoes' - it's such a bad line to have to sing in concert. 'You bought a pair of shoes'? What terrible lyrics. At the time we were so into it but now - what on earth were we thinking?"
  • Darren Grant directed the video, which features an appearance by NBA star Kobe Bryant in a scene where the girls somehow end up in his locker room.
  • This was the last video in which the original lineup of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett appear. Roberson were Luckett replaced by Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin, with Franklin leaving a short time later.

Comments: 3

  • Lawanna from Los Angeles, California"Every"... Female no matter her age has dealt with a bug-a-boo!!...Unfortunately. Everything Destiny's Child sung is true! Bug-a-boo!
  • Annabelle from Eugene, OrThis song reminds me of Calvin, a guy that claimed he was my boyfriend, but when we were together, he would always bug me! He would cuss at me, and he would say things to me that were extremely hurtful! Worst of all, he would follow me wherever I went! Then he'd call me on the phone once every hour! He's definitely a bug-a-boo!
  • Danielle from Richmond, KyThis song is old but will always be remebered~!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Andy McClusky of OMD

Andy McClusky of OMDSongwriter Interviews

Known in America for the hit "If You Leave," OMD is a huge influence on modern electronic music.

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-Nighters

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-NightersSong Writing

These Three famous songs actually describe how they were written - late into the evening.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Michael Sweet of Stryper

Michael Sweet of StryperSongwriter Interviews

Find out how God and glam metal go together from the Stryper frontman.