Boombastic (song)

"Boombastic" or "Mr. Boombastic" is a song by Jamaican musical artist Shaggy, released in May 1995 by Virgin Records as the second single from his third studio album, Boombastic (1995). The song was both produced and co-written by Shaggy. 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". 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.

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, El Salvador, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden, 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. 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. 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." 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." Heidi Siegmund Cuda from Los Angeles Times felt "Boombastic" "is by far this summer’s most enchanting radio tune." David Hemingway from Melody Maker deemed it "ragga ordinaire". 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"." John Kilgo from The Network Forty declared it a "reggae/rap masterpiece".

Johnny Cigarettes from NME said, "As chat-up lines go this is so simple, it's brilliant, basically saying 'I'm really rather fantastic in bed, pet, would you like to have intercourse?' As a pop record, however, it is spectacularly boring, like Shabba Ranks' little brother doing toasting practice while he's getting the piano tuned up." Gerald Martinez from New Sunday Times found that "with sparse, hypnotic backing, Shaggy's boastful rapping carries the song." 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." James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update described it as "gruffy twiddly-diddled". 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." Mark Sutherland from Smash Hits gave "Boombastic" two out of five, calling it a "gruff, grinding ragga-lite" track. 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."

Retrospective response
Bill Lamb from About.com said Shaggy "exhibits oodles of personal charm alongside the funky grooves" of "Boombastic", naming it one of the best songs from 1990s. 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!"."

Music video
The accompanying music video for "Boombastic" features Shaggy performing in and outside an old house, surrounded by dancing women and flickering lights. It was later made available by VEVO on Shaggy's official YouTube channel in 2009 and had generated almost 200 million views as of early 2024.

United Kingdom

 * CD single
 * 1) "Boombastic" (7-inch Original Edit) – 3:52
 * 2) "Boombastic" (StoneBridge Vocal Remix) – 5:59


 * Maxi single
 * 1) "Boombastic" (7-inch Original Edit) – 3:52
 * 2) "Boombastic" (StoneBridge Vocal Remix) – 3:52
 * 3) "Boombastic" (Wag Ya Tail Remix) – 4:19
 * 4) "Boombastic" (Firefox & 4Tree BassBoom Remix) – 6:32
 * 5) "Boombastic" (Sting vs. Shaggy Remix) – 5:59
 * 6) "Boombastic" (Boom the Dancehall Dub) – 6:05


 * Cassette
 * 1) "Boombastic" (7-inch Original Edit) – 3:52
 * 2) "Boombastic" (StoneBridge Vocal Remix) – 3:52
 * 3) "Boombastic" (Firefox & 4Tree BassBoom Remix) – 6:32
 * 4) "Boombastic" (Sting vs. Shaggy Remix) – 5:59


 * 7-inch vinyl
 * 1) "Boombastic" (7-inch Original Edit) – 3:52
 * 2) "Boombastic" (Sting vs. Shaggy Remix) – 5:59


 * 12-inch vinyl
 * 1) "Boombastic" (LP Version) – 4:08
 * 2) "Boombastic" (StoneBridge Vocal Remix) – 3:52
 * 3) "Boombastic" (Wag Ya Tail Remix) – 4:19
 * 4) "Boombastic" (Firefox & 4Tree BassBoom Remix) – 6:32
 * 5) "Boombastic" (Sting vs. Shaggy Remix) – 5:59
 * 6) "Boombastic" (Boom the Dancehall Dub) – 6:05


 * 12-inch vinyl – Jungle Mixes
 * 1) "Boombastic" (Firefox & 4Tree BassBoom Remix) – 6:32
 * 2) "Boombastic" (Boom the Dancehall Dub) – 6:05

United States

 * CD single
 * 1) "Boombastic" (LP Version) – 4:08
 * 2) "Boombastic" (Sting vs. Shaggy Remix) – 4:16
 * 3) "Boombastic" (Firefox & 4Tree BassBoom Remix) – 6:32
 * 4) "In the Summertime" – 4:00
 * 5) "Gal Yu a Pepper" – 4:16


 * Cassette
 * 1) "Boombastic" (LP Version) – 4:08
 * 2) "Boombastic" (Sting vs. Shaggy Remix) – 4:16
 * 3) "In the Summertime" – 4:00
 * 4) "Gal Yu a Pepper" – 4:16


 * 12-inch vinyl
 * 1) "Boombastic" (LP Version) – 4:08
 * 2) "Boombastic" (Sting vs. Shaggy Remix) – 4:16
 * 3) "Boombastic" (Boom the Dancehall Dub) – 6:05
 * 4) "In the Summertime" – 4:00
 * 5) "Gal Yu a Pepper" – 4:16

In popular culture
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.

It is also featured in the 2007 comedy film Mr. Bean's Holiday.