All About: Sisqo's Thong Song

The Thong Song was a hugely popular and successful hit for the American R&B singer, Sisqo. The song is seen as an appreciation of women who choose to wear thong underwear and bikinis. Read on to find out all about the Thong Song.

About the artist

Born Mark Althavean Andrews in Baltimore, Maryland on 9 November 1978, Sisqo shot to fame as the co-founder of the R&B and Hip-hop band, Dru Hill. The name Sisqo is rumoured to mean sweet but strong, an apt name for an artist who is small in stature, yet often in the mix of controversy. As a member of Dru Hill, Sisqo experienced a large amount of success during the 1990s and achieved seven Top 40 records. These include the number 1 hits In My Bed, Never Make a Promise and How Deep Is Your Love. However, Sisqo's career really took off following the break-up with Dru Hill in 1999, when the members decided to pursue solo careers. To date, Sisqo has released two studio albums, Unleash the Dragon and Return of Dragon, which both broke into the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 Charts.

The song and lyrics

Sisqo's Thong Song was released in January 2000, and is the second single from the Unleash the Dragon album. The song was co-written by Sisqo in conjunction with Tim Kelley and Bob Robinson. The strings section is taken from Wes Montgomery's version of Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles. Rumours abound that Sisqo was inspired to write the song following a conversation with some friends. One friend is said to have been discussing a date with a girl wearing a thong. Apparently, the friend then went on to sing "Thong tha thong tha thong." The Thong Song's lyrics basically involve Sisqo narrating a story of how men appreciate seeing women dressed in scantily-clad bikinis and thongs. Instantly recognisable lines are "Let me see that thong" and "Dumps like a truck truck truck", with the latter still open to interpretation. A remixed version of the song was recorded for the movie, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps and features singer Foxy Brown.

The video

The original Thong Song video shot for MTV was directed by Joseph Kahn. It is set on a beach in Miami and features Sisqo dancing with numerous women at a Spring Break party. The main aspect of the video is that the women are all wearing skimpy bikinis and thongs. Cameo rolls are played by members of Dru Hill plus Ja Rule and LL Cool J. An alternative uncensored video was shot co-staring Foxy Brown who takes Sisqo to a fashion show, featuring models decked out in similarly small bikinis.