Sisqo claims smash hit 'Thong Song' increased Victoria's Secret's sales by 80 percent
Twenty years ago, society, as we knew it, changed forever with the release of Sisqo's eternal classic, "Thong Song." Released on the artist's debut studio album, Unleash the Dragon, in November of 1999, the song introduced many to the concept of the thong, and, according to the singer himself, boosted Victoria's Secret's sales by 80 percent.
In a conversation with Def Jam Recording, Sisqo waxed poetically about the inspiration to his now-iconic song and the album that earned five platinum certifications and three Grammy nominations.
"Once I realized how big the song was. I was like we need to go and talk to Victoria's Secret. But everything was moving so fast, it got away from us," Sisqo 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%.’ They had got their bag already. But fast forward 20 years later and we laughed all the way to the bank too."
To his credit, according to Securities and Exchange Commission archives, Victoria's Secret showed a net sale of $423 million in the first quarter of 1999. In 2000, in the first quarter, the net sales showed $499 million. But that is only an 18 percent increase.
Sisqo went on to describe the inspiration of the song itself.
"Now, ever since the ‘How Deep’ record I had been freestyling in the studio. From that day I had never really written down a song again. Everything was just kinda off the dome... I pretty much freestyled everything up until the [pre-chorus of "Thong Song"]. I couldn't really think of anything to go right there so I decided to blow off some [steam] and go on a date," Sisqo said.
"I'm rounding second base and next thing you know she starts to come up out of her clothes and I see this... this... THING. I was like, 'What is that?!' She was like, 'It's a thong!' I was like, 'A THONG?!'" Sisqo said. "The next day I call all my boys and I'm like, ‘Gather around let me tell you [a] tale. I saw this THING. It was like dental floss, but it was underwear.’"
The next day, while working on the song, his friend came into the studio to tell him that he was with a girl the previous night who gave him that "thong-tha-thong-thong-thong."
The chart-topping songwriter even clarified what, precisely, "dumps like a truck" is referencing.
"[My friend] 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.'"
Poetry, pure poetry!
Representatives for Victoria's Secret did not immediately respond to Yahoo’s requests for comment.
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