Boombastic

Album: Boombastic (1995)
Charted: 1 3
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In this song, Shaggy brags on his lovemaking prowess, which has earned him the nickname "Mr. Boombastic." It's all good fun, with Shaggy going way over the top to make his case.

    Shaggy lived in America, but his breakthrough was in the UK, where he had a #1 hit with "Oh Carolina" in 1993. In America, the name Shaggy is associated with the Scooby-Doo character (which is where he got his stage name from), but "shag" means something different in Britain, where it's a term for sex, giving "Shaggy" a rather amusing meaning. When he found out, Shaggy embraced it, writing wild, amusing songs in character as an ego-drenched ladies' man. "Boombastic" was the first of these tunes; another famous one is "It Wasn't Me," where he plays a guy who gets caught cheating and denies it despite overwhelming evidence of his misdeeds.
  • "Boombastic" isn't a real word, but it's pretty close to "bombastic," which means highly exaggerated for dramatic effect; a good description of this song.
  • True to this song, "Mr. Boombastic" did indeed become Shaggy's nickname. He's also known as "Mr. Lover."
  • This is built on a sample from "Baby Let Me Kiss You," a 1971 song by the New Orleans soul singer King Floyd.
  • Many know this song from its use in popular 1995 claymation commercial for Levi's jeans, where it plays throughout the spot.
  • Several remixes of this song were released, including one called the "Sting/Shaggy remix" that's slower and samples Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On." This is the one used in the video.

    "Sting" refers to a producer Shaggy worked named Shaun Pizzonia, who goes by Sting International. This got really confusing when the Sting of "Every Breath You Take" fame teamed up with Shaggy in 2018 for an album called 44/876.
  • This was Shaggy's breakthrough hit in America, where it rose to #3. His next album, Midnite Lover, didn't do very well and his label, Virgin Records, dropped him. He made a triumphant return on MCA with his 2000 album Hot Shot, which sold over 6 million copies in the US.
  • Shaggy worked on this song with the dancehall producer Robert Livingston, who got a writing credit on it.
  • The Boombastic album won the Grammy in 1996 for Best Reggae Album.
  • This has been used in these movies:

    Barnyard (2006)
    After the Sunset (2004)
    George of the Jungle (1997)

Comments: 4

  • AnonymousOn this day in 1995 {September 30} Shaggy performed "Boombastic" on the nationally syndicated television program, 'Soul Train'...
    At the time "Boombastic" was at position #9 on Billboard's Top 100 chart, six weeks earlier it was in it's first of two weeks at #3, which was also its peak position on the chart, and it spent over a half-year on the Top 100...
    And on August 20th, 1995 "Boombastic" peaked at #1 {for 1 week} on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, and it also reached #1 in Australia, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom...
    Shaggy, born Orville Richard Burrell, will celebrate his 52nd birthday next month on October 22nd, 2020...
    R.I.P. Don Cornelius {1936 - 2012}...
  • Siahara Shyne Carter from United StatesMr. Ben dance this! When I was kid I don't know the tittle of this song but I search it by myself and It was "BOOMBASTIC" lol Shaggy’s voice also crazy
    I don't know what he singing or Language lol But Mr. Ben
    made this song Famous! ;-)
  • Bertrand from Paris, FranceHere is where the dancehall sub-genre of reggae broke through to the American pop charts. Shaggy's personal charm shines through in the funky grooves.
  • Krie from Ft. Drum, NyThe remix version, used in the video, was a sample from Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On."
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine Band

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine BandSongwriter Interviews

Harry Wayne Casey tells the stories behind KC and The Sunshine Band hits like "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," and "Give It Up."

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.