Boombastic – Shaggy | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#3) & R&B (#1); 1995
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Where others tried, Shaggy succeeded, becoming the biggest dancehall reggae artist in the U.S. and overseas. However, Shaggy’s career in music wasn’t the only interesting event in his life.
Born Orville Robert Burrell in Kingston, Jamaica – where friends nicknamed him “Shaggy” after a Scooby-Doo character – he moved to Brooklyn as a teen. There he performed dancehall reggae.
With his reputation growing, Shaggy signed on with the Marines as a steady job, then shuttled back to NYC from NC to attend recording sessions. Several indie singles had put him on the map, when he was shipped out to fight in Operation Desert Storm.
After his tour of duty ended, Shaggy released his debut album, Pure Pleasure, which included the #1 UK smash, Oh Carolina. Pleasure became a Top 10 reggae charter and Carolina a #14 Modern Rock track.
The stage was set for 1995’s Boombastic. The single was an across-the-board smash, while the album raced to #1 reggae, #11 R&B/Hip-Hop and won a Best Reggae Album Grammy.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Shaggy
Lyrics Written by:
- Orville Burrell
- Robert Livingston
- King Floyd III
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).