Boombastic (song)

"Boombastic" or "Mr. Boombastic" is a song by Jamaican musical artist Shaggy, released on May 1995 as the second single from his third studio album, Boombastic (1995). After being used in an ad for Levi's, it achieved commercial success in many countries, including Ireland, UK, Sweden, New Zealand, and Australia, where it topped the singles charts. It spent a week at number one on both the US Billboard R&B chart and the UK Singles Chart. It also reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The track contains a sample from King Floyd song "Baby Let Me Kiss You".[1] A remix featuring Sting International, which features a sample of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On", was released in January 1996. The latter is featured on some versions of the Boombastic album as a bonus track.

"Mr. Lover Lover" redirects here. For Shaggy's greatest hits album, see Mr. Lover Lover: The Best of Shaggy...part 1.

"Boombastic"
Single by Shaggy
from the album Boombastic
B-side"In the Summertime" (remix)
ReleasedMay 1995 (1995-05)
Genre
Length
  • 4:10 (original version)
  • 3:52 (Sting International remix)
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Shaggy
Shaggy singles chronology
"In the Summertime"
(1995)		 "Boombastic"
(1995)		 "Why You Treat Me So Bad"
(1996)
Music video
"Boombastic" (remix featuring Sting International) on YouTube

Chart performance

"Boombastic" was a major hit all over the world, becoming Shaggy's most successful song to date. It peaked at number one in Australia,[2] El Salvador,[3] Ireland,[4] Italy,[5] New Zealand,[2] Sweden,[2] and the UK, where it topped the UK Singles Chart in September 1995. In Europe, the song entered the top 5 also in Austria (2), Belgium (4), Denmark (2), Finland (2), Germany (2), Iceland (4), the Netherlands (4), Norway (2), Spain (3), and Switzerland (3). In France, it was a top 10 hit (7). On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Boombastic" also reached number one in November 1995.[6] In the US, the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number three on the Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, it reached number eight on the RPM Dance/Urban chart.

"Boombastic" earned a Gold record in Austria (25,000), France (250,000) and Germany (250,000), while receiving a Platinum record in Australia (70,000), New Zealand (10,000), Norway (10,000), the UK (600,000), and the US (1,200,000).

Critical reception

"Boombastic" received mainly favorable reviews from music critics. AllMusic editor David Jeffries viewed the song as "pivotal" for the musician.[7] Larry Flick from Billboard noted that it "jerks about with a hypnotic groove that owes as much to hip hop and rave/pop as it does to traditional island music. Shaggy's toasting is quite friendly to mainstream pop ears, and he masterfully twists and bends the chorus. Primed for immediate picking by jeep listeners, smoking track comes in two radical versions that are designed to lure both street kids and their more mature counterparts."[8] Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News Sentinel declared it as "a confident come-on" driven by the singer's "gravelly purr". He added that it's "making a deeper mark on the American psyche. Unfortunately for Shaggy, the song sounds more like a summer novelty hit than a trendsetting milestone."[9] Heidi Siegmund Cuda from Los Angeles Times felt "Boombastic" "is by far this summer’s most enchanting radio tune."[10] A reviewer from Music Week gave the track four out of five, stating that being used in the latest Levi's ad, it's "guaranteeing the Shagster another UK smash with this slo-mo pop ragga which samples Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On"."[11] John Kilgo from The Network Forty declared it a "reggae/rap masterpiece".[12]

Gerald Martinez from New Sunday Times found that "with sparse, hypnotic backing, Shaggy's boastful rapping carries the song."[13] A reviewer from People Magazine opined that the album "is more like the real reggae thing", and "the raw title song is the style's most uncompromising Top 10 trip yet."[14] James Hamilton from the RM Dance Update described it as "gruffy twiddly-diddled".[15] Al Weisel from Rolling Stone viewed it as "a stripped-down dub masterpiece, a percussive cacophony of samples, sound effects and a clanging piano. Shaggy's baritone growl oozes a sexuality that recalls both the dance-hall swagger of Shabba Ranks and theatrical self-deprecation of ska king Prince Buster."[16] Mark Sutherland from Smash Hits gave "Boombastic" two out of five, calling it a "gruff, grinding ragga-lite" track.[17] David Sinclair from The Times described it as "an entertaining tribute to the singer's boundless sex appeal", noting Shaggy's "mischievous glee, the Rs rolling off his tongue like the purr of a big cat." He added, "Set to a plonking, one-note piano riff and minimalist reggae beat, Boombastic is one of those feelgood dance records that seems to conjure a special magic out of thin air. Like the hero in the ad, it will be flying out of shops everywhere."[18]

Retrospective response

Bill Lamb from About.com said Shaggy "exhibits oodles of personal charm alongside the funky grooves" of "Boombastic", picking it as one of the best songs from 1990s.[19] Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger said the musician is "the benevolent monarch of this world, giving a comical, flirtatious, crowd-tickling performance, his army of mechanical instruments dancing in and out of his phrasing. His main trick here is using his voice like a yo-yo, winding his vowels out on "rohhhhhh-" before he flicks the word back "-mantic!"."[20]

Music video

A music video features him performing in and outside an old house, surrounded by dancing women and flickering lights.

Track listings

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[51] Platinum 70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[53] Gold 25,000*
France (SNEP)[54] Gold 250,000*
Germany (BVMI)[55] Gold 250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[56] Platinum 10,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[57] Platinum 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[58] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[59] Platinum 1,200,000[60]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States May 1995
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Virgin
United Kingdom 11 September 1995 [61]
Japan 27 September 1995 CD [62]

The song was featured in the 2006 animated film Barnyard, sung by the character "Biggie Cheese". Alongside its corresponding scene, the song subsequently became an internet meme about a decade later.[63]

References
  1. [https://www.originelehits.nl/track/shaggy-boombastic-1995/
  2. "Boombastic", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved 21 January 2009)
  3. "Discos populares en Latinoamérica". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish): 39. 9 December 1995. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  4. Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ieArchived 5 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 21 January 2009)
  5. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 44. 4 November 1995. p. 21. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  6. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 44. 4 November 1995. p. 21. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  7. Jeffries, David. "Shaggy / Chaka Demus & Pliers / Aswad - The Very Best of Shaggy, Chaka Demus & Pliers, Aswad". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  8. Flick, Larry (15 April 1995). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 49. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  9. Campbell, Chuck (28 July 1995). "Morissette's 'Pill' Is Easy To Swallow". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  10. Siegmund Cuda, Heidi (20 August 1995). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  11. "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 2 September 1995. p. 10. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  12. Kilgo, John (28 July 1995). "Mainstream: Music Meeting" (PDF). The Network Forty. p. 20. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  13. Martinez, Gerald (18 February 1996). "Wistful delivery of ironic lyrics". New Sunday Times. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  14. "Picks and Pans Review: Boombastic". People. 14 August 1995. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  15. Hamilton, James (16 September 1995). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 11. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  16. Weisel, Al (7 September 1995). "Recordings". Rolling Stone.
  17. Sutherland, Mark (13 September 1995). "Singles". Smash Hits. p. 58. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  18. Sinclair, David (16 September 1995). "Pop Single; Recordings". The Times.
  19. Lamb, Bill (7 September 2019). "The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s". About.com. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  20. Ewing, Tom (15 July 2013). "SHAGGY – "Boombastic"". Freaky Trigger. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
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  63. Hathaway, Jay (30 November 2016). "How the Rapping Mouse From 'Barnyard' Mounted a Meme Comeback". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
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