# Thong Song
**"Thong Song"** is a 1999 song by the American R&B singer Sisqó, released on Def Soul as the second single from his debut solo album *Unleash the Dragon*. Written by Mark Andrews (Sisqó), Tim Kelley, Bob Robinson, Robi Rosa, and [Desmond Child](https://www.edgepedia.org/desmond-child), it became one of the biggest hits of 2000, peaking at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching the top ten in numerous countries.[1](https://www.shazam.com/en-us/song/1440918199/thong-song) • [2](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Thong_Song) • [3](https://www.musicchartsarchive.com/singles/sisqo/thong-song)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist / release | Sisqó; album *Unleash the Dragon*, released November 30, 1999 on Def Jam Recordings[1](https://www.shazam.com/en-us/song/1440918199/thong-song) |
| Single release | Second single from the album, released February 15, 2000[4](https://globalgrind.com/5009392/discover-how-sisqos-thong-song-came-about-in-vices-the-story-of-series/) |
| Songwriters | Mark Andrews, Tim Kelley, Bob Robinson, Robi Rosa, Desmond Child[2](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Thong_Song) |
| US peak | Number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100; 28 weeks on the chart[3](https://www.musicchartsarchive.com/singles/sisqo/thong-song) |
| International peaks | Number 2 in Australia, number 1 in New Zealand, number 3 in the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway[2](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Thong_Song) • [5](https://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?cat=s&interpret=Sisq%EF%BF%BD&titel=Thong+Song) |
| Awards | Four GRAMMY nominations; MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video[6](https://www.grammy.com/news/sisqo-talks-20-years-thong-song-sampling-beatles-getting-props-madonna/) • [7](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Hits/00s/2000/Hits-2000-09-29.pdf) |
| Later certification | Eligible for 2X Platinum RIAA certification on the basis of 365,720,249 Spotify streams as of September 2026[8](https://www.sotwe.com/RIAAPop) |
## Creation
The song began as a track sent to Sisqó by the production duo Tim & Bob (Tim Kelley and Bob Robinson), Atlanta-based songwriter-producers who had already worked with [Boyz II Men](https://www.edgepedia.org/boyz-ii-men), TLC, and Monica.[9](https://www.bmi.com/advice/20000901tim_bob) According to Sisqó's 2019 interview with the Recording Academy, the beat arrived as a 30-second snippet at the end of a CD containing about 23 songs, and it originally sampled the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" before the production moved in a classical direction with live strings.[6](https://www.grammy.com/news/sisqo-talks-20-years-thong-song-sampling-beatles-getting-props-madonna/) The VICE documentary *The Story of "Thong Song"* (2021) reports that the track was never meant for Sisqó at all: it was originally intended for [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson), and the producers were won over by Sisqó's enthusiasm once he heard it.[10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0S1buCBwGI)
Sisqó has described the lyrical spark as a friend's account of a date, delivered with the phrase "that thong-th-thong-thong-thong," which he set against the unchanging beat; because the music never changes, he said, all variation had to come from the vocals.[6](https://www.grammy.com/news/sisqo-talks-20-years-thong-song-sampling-beatles-getting-props-madonna/) The song has only one verse, which Sisqó repeats three times with different vocal treatments.[11](https://stereogum.com/2197070/the-number-ones-sisqos-incomplete/columns/the-number-ones)
A costly consequence followed from one line. The lyric "she was livin' la vida loca" referenced [Ricky Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/ricky-martin)'s 1999 hit, which Desmond Child had co-written. According to a Celebrity Net Worth report, the use was not cleared before release, and Child, as the writer of "[Livin' la Vida Loca](https://www.edgepedia.org/livin-la-vida-loca)," earns more from "Thong Song" than Tim, Bob, and Sisqó combined.[12](https://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/music-news/thong-song-la-vida-loca/)
## Chart performance
The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 74 in late January 2000 and climbed steadily, reaching number 3 in May and remaining on the chart for 28 weeks.[3](https://www.musicchartsarchive.com/singles/sisqo/thong-song) Billboard reported that it went to number 1 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart in April 2000.[13](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2006/BB-2006-07-22.pdf) Internationally it peaked at number 2 in Australia, number 1 in New Zealand, number 3 in the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway, and number 8 in Switzerland, with chart runs of 20 to 26 weeks in several markets.[2](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Thong_Song) • [5](https://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?cat=s&interpret=Sisq%EF%BF%BD&titel=Thong+Song)
In September 2000, [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) reported that DreamWorks Music Publishing presented Tim Kelley and Bob Robinson with a multi-platinum plaque for the song.[14](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2000/BB-2000-09-16.pdf) Sisqó followed it with "Incomplete," which reached number 1 on the Hot 100 a few months later, charting higher than "Thong Song" itself.[11](https://stereogum.com/2197070/the-number-ones-sisqos-incomplete/columns/the-number-ones)
## Sound and arrangement
A production analysis published by The Mix Review describes the track's quickfire, multi-layered staccato programming, comparing its machine-gun rhythmic approach to [Destiny's Child](https://www.edgepedia.org/destinys-child) songs of the same period such as "Bills Bills Bills" and "Say My Name." The arrangement uses only two chords and one set of verse-prechorus-chorus lyrics, placing the burden of momentum on the vocal arrangement: the first pass keeps the vocal low with sparse doubling, the second adds upper-octave doubling and more elaborate backing vocals, and the third mutes the bass for a solo rap with lo-fi sonics. A four-bar breakdown of percussion and strings precedes the final choruses, which arrive with an up-a-half-step key change around the 2:47 mark.[15](https://themixreview.org/reviews/thong-song/)
The strings were performed by hired session musicians; the VICE documentary's chapter list includes a segment on "Hiring Star Wars Musicians," and the Shazam credits list violinist Bruce Dukov.[10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0S1buCBwGI) • [1](https://www.shazam.com/en-us/song/1440918199/thong-song)
## Reception and legacy
The song earned four GRAMMY nominations and won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video.[6](https://www.grammy.com/news/sisqo-talks-20-years-thong-song-sampling-beatles-getting-props-madonna/) • [7](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Hits/00s/2000/Hits-2000-09-29.pdf) Sisqó has claimed the song increased [Victoria's Secret](https://www.edgepedia.org/victorias-secret)'s sales by 80 percent, noting that the company's first-quarter 2000 net sales showed $499 million.[16](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/sisqo-claims-smash-hit-thong-song-increased-victorias-secrets-sales-by-80-percent-223013981.html)
**Later life.** [Matthew Morrison](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthew-morrison) performed the song as Will Schuester in the *Glee* episode "Mash-Up," aired October 21, 2009, and the Glee cast version charted in the UK.[2](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Thong_Song) • [17](https://www.musicvf.com/song.php?id=37979&title=Thong+Song+by+Sisq%C3%B3) The song appeared in "Pitch Perfect 2" and has remained a streaming fixture: by September 2026 it had accumulated roughly 365 to 375 million Spotify streams and was eligible for a 2X Platinum RIAA certification.[6](https://www.grammy.com/news/sisqo-talks-20-years-thong-song-sampling-beatles-getting-props-madonna/) • [8](https://www.sotwe.com/RIAAPop) • [18](https://chartex.com/song/sisqo-thong-song-71164) Sisqó still performs it live; Operabase lists a January 2027 production, *The History of R&B Starring Dru Hill*, at Hard Rock Live Sacramento with SisQo as soloist.[19](https://www.operabase.com/thong-song-andrews-mark-child-d-longo-m/en)
## References
1. [Thong Song – Sisqó, Shazam](https://www.shazam.com/en-us/song/1440918199/thong-song)
2. [Thong Song – informasilengkap.com](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Thong_Song)
3. ["Thong Song" Song by Sisqo – Music Charts Archive](https://www.musicchartsarchive.com/singles/sisqo/thong-song)
4. [Watch: How Sisqó's "Thong Song" Came About In VICE's 'The Story Of' Series – Global Grind](https://globalgrind.com/5009392/discover-how-sisqos-thong-song-came-about-in-vices-the-story-of-series/)
5. [Sisqó – Thong Song, swedishcharts.com](https://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?cat=s&interpret=Sisq%EF%BF%BD&titel=Thong+Song)
6. [Sisqó Talks 20 Years Of "Thong Song," Sampling The Beatles & Getting Props From Madonna – Grammy.com](https://www.grammy.com/news/sisqo-talks-20-years-thong-song-sampling-beatles-getting-props-madonna/)
7. [Hits magazine, September 29, 2000 – World Radio History](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Hits/00s/2000/Hits-2000-09-29.pdf)
8. [RIAAPop on Sotwe](https://www.sotwe.com/RIAAPop)
9. [Tim & Bob – BMI Career Advice](https://www.bmi.com/advice/20000901tim_bob)
10. [The Story of 'Thong Song' by Sisqó – VICE, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0S1buCBwGI)
11. [The Number Ones: Sisqó's "Incomplete" – Stereogum](https://stereogum.com/2197070/the-number-ones-sisqos-incomplete/columns/the-number-ones)
12. [How The Guy Who Wrote "Livin' La Vida Loca" Ended Up Owning Sisqó's "Thong Song" Royalties – Celebrity Net Worth](https://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/music-news/thong-song-la-vida-loca/)
13. [Billboard, July 22, 2006 – World Radio History](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2006/BB-2006-07-22.pdf)
14. [Billboard, September 16, 2000 – World Radio History](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2000/BB-2000-09-16.pdf)
15. [The Mix Review – Thong Song](https://themixreview.org/reviews/thong-song/)
16. [Sisqo claims 'Thong Song' increased Victoria's Secret's sales – Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/sisqo-claims-smash-hit-thong-song-increased-victorias-secrets-sales-by-80-percent-223013981.html)
17. [Thong Song (song by Sisqó) – Music VF](https://www.musicvf.com/song.php?id=37979&title=Thong+Song+by+Sisq%C3%B3)
18. [Thong Song – TikTok, Spotify & YouTube Analytics, Chartex](https://chartex.com/song/sisqo-thong-song-71164)
19. [Thong Song, Andrews, Mark, Kelley, Timothy – Operabase](https://www.operabase.com/thong-song-andrews-mark-child-d-longo-m/en)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › R&B and soul songs › Contemporary R&B songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license