| "Thong Song" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single bySisqó | ||||
| from the albumUnleash the Dragon | ||||
| Released | 1999 | |||
| Recorded | 1999 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:12 | |||
| Label | Def Soul | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Sisqó singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Thong Song" onYouTube | ||||
"Thong Song" is a song recorded by AmericanR&B singerSisqó. It was released in 2000, as the second single from his solo debut studio album,Unleash the Dragon (1999). "Thong Song" garnered four Grammy nominations and numerous other awards.[1] The song peaked at number one on theBillboard Rhythmic top 40 chart and number three on theBillboard Hot 100, Sisqó's second highest-peaking hit behind "Incomplete".[2] It was a major success worldwide as well, reaching the top ten throughout European charts and reaching number three in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Denmark. The song also topped the charts in New Zealand.
The instrumental was originally produced withMichael Jackson in mind[3] (Jackson later worked with the producers after hearing "Thong Song"[4]). The song waswritten and produced by Sisqó, andTim & Bob, the duo of Tim Kelley and Bob Robinson. SongwritersDesmond Child andDraco Rosa receive songwriting credit because of the interpolation of part of their composition, "Livin' la Vida Loca" (originally recorded byRicky Martin), in the song's lyrics. Theobbligato strings that are heard throughout the song, performed for the record by violinist Bruce Dukov,[5][6] are inspired byWes Montgomery's cover ofThe Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" which Tim originally sampled in its origin.
The impetus for the song came from when the then 19-year-old singer Sisqó joked that his hair turned white the first time he saw athong, similar toCharlton Heston in the filmThe Ten Commandments.[7][8]
RapperLil' Kim was originally supposed to be included on the album version but declined.[9] However, Kim and Sisqó collaborated on her second albumThe Notorious K.I.M. a year later.
The alternate version, the official remix to the original version, "Thong Song Uncensored", features a guest rap fromFoxy Brown in the spot where Sisqó whispers the main verse for the third time, and is included on the soundtrack forNutty Professor II: The Klumps. A second, more urban-themed[clarification needed] video was shot for the remix byLittle X.
The song was composed in a key ofC-sharp minor, and has a tempo of 130 beats per minute. The final chorus is set inD minor.
Sisqó has said that the lyrics of "Thong Song" were inspired by a woman he went on a date with, who stripped to reveal a thong underneath her dress.[6] They consist of a verse, a pre-chorus, and a chorus, which are repeated with variations in style and perspective. In the first repetition, Sisqó sings the verse, which paints a picture of a sexy woman in a "scandalous" dress with a penchant for dancing. The pre-chorus hones in on her body, particularly her legs, with "dumps like a truck" and "thighs like what." The chorus is in two main parts: pulsing backing vocals which describe a love for certain beats and the dances that come with them accompany Sisqó's plea to see "That thong-th-thong-thong-thong." In the second repetition, the melody of the verse is layered in octaves, and the perspective shifts from second to third person. In the third, it is rapped rather than sung. A short, swelling instrumental section punctuated by Sisqó chanting "come on" leads into the climactic key change. Sisqó repeats the chorus once more, riffing dramatically over the backing vocals.
InVice'sThe Story Of documentary on Thong Song, it was revealed that producers Bob Robinson and Tim Kelly warned Sisqó of using the lyrical reference to "Livin' La Vida Loca", which was interpolated at the end of each of the three verses. Songwriter Desmond Child later received a significant writing credit, owning a majority of the publishing for "Thong Song" as a result.[4][10]
Despite commercial success, "Thong Song" was largely panned bymusic critics. The song placed first in aSt. Paul Pioneer Press reader poll to determine the worst song in history.[11] Other retrospective reviews have labelled the song as sexist ormisogynistic.[12]
The video was released in 2000 and directed byJoseph Kahn. Set inMiami, Sisqó is on the phone with one of his friends. His daughter and his wife return from shopping, and his daughter finds and shows him the thong. Sisqó is frightened and looks at his wife in a confused manner, and his wife shrugs her shoulders. It then switches to Sisqó going to the beach from his home to participate in aSpring Break party with a large number of young women who are generally wearingbikinis andthongs, with the exception of one woman who wears aG-string. There are also scenes with Sisqo and his backup dancers driving aBentley Azure down the Florida Keys, and cameos from the other three members of Sisqó's group,Dru Hill,Method Man & Redman,Ja Rule, as well asLL Cool J. Sisqó performs acrobatic feats atop the crowd that contradict the laws of physics, culminating in a stage performance lit withblacklights and with an orchestra in the background.
The video is credited for kickstarting a new wave of "booty" music videos, where women and their butts are prominently featured. It drew criticism for its sexualized nature, with accusations of the style being exploitative of and objectifying towards women.Joseph Kahn is quoted saying, "I listen to 'Thong Song', and I say, 'Well, this song is about asses.' So you can either accept it and do something like I did, or you can go and try and turn the 'Thong Song' into some kind ofChemical Brothers video and make it all pretentious; about some fucking communist upheaval or something. Let's just relax and make a booty video, and let's make a really good one, and make it fun."[13]
Sisqó stated the video was carefully shot not to reveal too many buttocks in thong swimsuits but allowed with unorthodox camera angles.
In the alternative version of the video, after giving a radio interview with Nokio and Jazz of Dru Hill in his hometown ofBaltimore, Sisqó escapes from a group of fans with the help ofFoxy Brown to a fashion show. Here, models strut in sexy costumes, which (again) all consist of bikinis just as in the original video, this time with the exception of two women in thongs. The video also features a cameo byprofessional wrestlerBig Show. The song was done for the soundtrack ofNutty Professor II: The Klumps. The video was directed byLittle X.[14]
In 2017, Sisqó remade the song and music video withJCY, which was released on July 18, 2017. The video was released onYouTube andWorldStarHipHop with the video in its first week hitting over one million views.[15]
Matthew Morrison performed "Thong Song" as his characterWill Schuester in the episode ofGlee titled "Mash-Up", aired on October 21, 2009.[16] The song was also prominently featured in movies likePitch Perfect 2 (2015)[17] andY2K (2024),[18] and the season 5 finale of DC's Legends of Tomorrow.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Thong Song (Radio Edit)" | 3:30 |
| 2. | "Thong Song (Artful Dodger Remix)" | 5:40 |
| 3. | "Thong Song (Instrumental)" | 4:11 |
| 4. | "Thong Song (Video)" | 4:34 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Thong Song (LP Version)" | -- |
| 2. | "Thong Song (Instrumental)" | -- |
| 3. | "Thong Song (Artful Dodger Remix)" | -- |
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofUnleash the Dragon.[21]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[69] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Belgium (BEA)[70] | Gold | 25,000* |
| France (SNEP)[71] | Gold | 250,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[72] | Gold | 5,000* |
| Sweden (GLF)[73] | Gold | 15,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[74] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
In 2000, Chicago female rapperStrings released a single entitled "Tongue Song", which was a female response to "Thong Song".[75] It peaked at number 24 on theBillboardBubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart and number 13 onBillboardHot Rap Singles chart.
Reggaeton artistsDaddy Yankee andNicky Jam sampled "Thong Song" for their 2001 song "Tu Cuerpo En La Cama" on Yankee's albumEl Cartel II.
Britishgirl groupLittle Mix interpolated various elements of the song for their song "Love a Girl Right" from their albumLM5.
TheMad TV season 6 premiere featured a "Wrong Song" music video parody in whichAries Spears as Sisqó ridicules obese women for wearing thongs and bikinis.
In 2015,WTMD commissioned reinterpretations by seven artists in Sisqó's native Baltimore, includingHorse Lords andTT The Artist.[76]
In 2016, Australian pop singer and songwriterSia releasedThis Is Acting, featuring the track "Sweet Design," which samples and references the "Thong Song."[77]
ForJimmy Kimmel Live's Mash-Up Monday segment, Sisqó teamed up withPanic! at the Disco in a joint performance of "Thong Song."[78] The combined act was aptly named "Panic! at the Sisqo."
In 2017, American rapperLudacris released a duet song "Vitamin D" featuring American singerTy Dolla Sign. This song featured samples and rhythm of the "Thong Song".
On the February 11, 2020 episode ofThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Fallon along with theBackstreet Boys as the "Ragtime Gals" sang the song in the style of abarbershop quartet.[79]
Sisqó appeared as himself in the fifth-season finale ofLegends of Tomorrow, titled "Swan Thong", where the song played in the background as the Legends fight various villains of history when a button was pressed on the Sisqó display. The singer agreed to wear the same outfit from the music video, as well as dying his hair platinum.[80]
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)... the retro flair of 'Sweet Design,' which samples the hook of Sisqo's infamous 'Thong Song.'
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