For those of us from a particular generation, the word “thong” brings back fond memories of Sisqo. The Dru Hill frontman’s 1999 hit is a classic and helped revolutionize the way women wear their undergarments. For years “that thong-tha-thong-thong-thong” was the primary way ladies wanted to sport their underwear, and we can thank a silver-haired Sisqo for solidifying the butt floss trend.

 

In a chat with Def Jam, Sisqo recounts how the “Thong Song” came to be as he shared an “Oral History” of crafting the Unleash the Dragon track. The singer stated that back in the day he was on a date with a woman and they were getting a little hot and heavy at his home. When she began to take her clothes off she was wearing a thong, and he’d never seen one before.

“The next day I’m working on the song. My boy comes in like he just saw an accident or something. He’s like, ‘Yo turn off the music! I went out with this girl last night and guess what she gave me? When we got back to the crib, she gave me that thong-tha-thong-thong-thong,’” Sisqo claimed his friend said. “He literally said it just like that. And I was rolling, I thought it was so funny. He was like, ‘Plus she had them dumps.’ I was like, ‘Dumps? Like a dump truck? Like she was backing it up on you?’ He said, ‘Exactamundo.’”

The “Thong Song” became a massive hit worldwide, so it only made sense that Sisqo partner with the largest lingerie company at the time. “I was like we need to go and talk to Victoria’s Secret. But everything was moving so fast, it got away from us,” he said. “By the time the song had blown up, we went to go have a meeting with Victoria’s Secret. They were like, ‘As much as we love the song, and you seem like a great guy… but thong sales have already gone up 80 percent.’ They had got their bag already. But fast forward 20 years later and we laughed all the way to the bank too.”

For your listening and viewing pleasure, check out the music video for the “Thong Song” below.