We Thought 'The Electric Slide' Was About Vibrators And It's Sadly Not (UPDATE)

Songwriter Neville Livingston, aka Bunny Wailer, told EDM that none of the stories were true.

Lots of songs are about sex and orgasms, but “Electric Boogie (The Electric Slide)” is not one of them.

No, despite rumors that made their way this week across social media and into some news outlets ― including HuffPost ― that song you danced to at your niece’s bat mitzvah and your cousin Sara’s wedding is not about a vibrator.

The outlet Aazios, an online source of LGBTQ news and entertainment, got the ball rolling on Tuesday when it reported an unnamed source “close to” the songwriter Neville Livingston, aka Bunny Wailer, had confirmed the song was about a vibrator. The publication said the source reached out to Wailer in Kingston, Jamaica, where he lives, to find the real meaning.

“I’m surprised it took people this long to figure out,” Aazios reported the source said.

But that interpretation is apparently not true. Livingston adamantly denied the rumor in a statement to EDM:

“At no time have I ever lent credence to a rumor that the song was inspired by anything other than Eddie Grant’s Electric Avenue,” he said. “To state otherwise is a falsehood and offends my legacy, the legacy of the singer Marcia Griffiths, and tarnishes the reputation of a song beloved by millions of fans the world over.”

Despite the truth being out there, people were rattled (yet excited) by the idea that the song could possibly have been about a sex toy:

CORRECTION: A previous version of this piece reported as fact a story from another outlet indicating “The Electric Slide” was written about vibrators. The song’s writer later publicly stated the song was not about vibrators.

Before You Go

Dr. Macaura's Pulsocon Blood Circulator (1880-1920)

Antique Vibrators Get Their Own Museum In San Francisco

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot