Shaggy, Marcia Griffiths Remix ‘Electric Boogie’ For Jeep’s 2023 Super Bowl Ad — Watch
Shaggy’s back at the Super Bowl! The It Wasn’t Me singer’s voice is again part of a major commercial aired to millions of viewers during the national sporting event.
Car brand Jeep tapped Shaggy to remix Marcia Griffiths’ Electric Boogie, which was first recorded as a duet by herself and Reggae legend Bunny Wailer in 1983. Bunny, who passed away at age 73 in 2021, was also the writer and producer of the original song.
The new Electric Boogie, which is available on streaming platforms today (February 12), also includes vocals from three female Jamaican artists, Jamila Falak, Amber Lee, and Moyann.
Footage of Griffiths and Shaggy, recording the song in a Jamaican studio, will be released on their social media pages in the coming days, according to Jeep’s parent company Stellantis.
The one-minute commercial, which promotes Jeep’s electric models, features species from across the animal kingdom dancing along to Electric Boogie.
“Authenticity is one of the Jeep brand’s core pillars, so it was extremely important to us to release this modernized version of ‘Electric Boogie’ with singer Marcia Griffiths, whose first recording of the song nearly 40 years ago made a huge impact on popular culture,” said Olivier Francois, global chief marketing officer at Stellantis.
“We’d like to think of the commercial as a natural extension of our acclaimed ‘Earth Odyssey’ spot with our Jeep 4xe vehicles and the animal kingdom getting in rhythm with nature.”
A version of the song, which was propelled by music mogul Chris Blackwell of Island Records in 1989, had inspired the global dance the Electric Slide, which to this day is still very popular at weddings and parties.
Recently, it was sampled by rapper Cardi B in her Hot Sh*t song with Kanye West and Lil Durk, and it was featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)’s She-Hulk TV series.
Shaggy spoke on the cultural importance of Electric Boogie, which coincidentally is also marking its 40th anniversary.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to produce a new, updated version of this iconic song. I grew up hearing ‘Electric Boogie’ often; it was a family favorite in my household. The version performed by yet another legend, Marcia Griffiths (formally of I-Threes – the background singers with Bob Marley and the Wailers) and remixed by the Miami Sound Machine became a worldwide hit,” Shaggy said.
Added Shaggy, “Over the years I’ve become close friends with Marcia so I was very excited when the Jeep brand asked me to remake a 2023 updated version of this classic for their new campaign. Our collective aim was to put the spotlight on Marcia and her remarkable voice while capturing the authentic culture that the song represents. By also including the talented voices of three emerging artists, Amber Lee, Jamila and Moyann, who compliment Marcia’s original iconic vocal, the result feels fun, fresh and energetic.”
“When I first recorded a remixed version of ‘Electric Boogie’ in the ’90s, I never could have imagined that it would inspire a dance that still resonates with fans many decades later,” said Marcia Griffiths.
“Having the opportunity to bring the song back in a modern style to new audiences in collaboration with the amazingly talented Shaggy and together with Amber, Jamila and Moyann during one of the biggest television events around the world has provided me with another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Bunny Wailer’s son Abijah Livingston said the family was proud of the collaboration.
“Having Jeep use our father’s classic composition ‘Electric Boogie’ in their Big Game spot is a massive collaboration,” Livingston said. “To see our father’s musical legacy and one of his most iconic songs associated with such a great event and brand is very exciting and makes us all very proud.”
This isn’t the first time that Shaggy has reimagined a classic for a Super Bowl commerical.
He appeared in a Cheetos spot during the 2021 Super Bowl LV for alongside actors and couple Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis in a parody remixing one of his own classics, It Wasn’t Me, right after the track’s 21st anniversary.
The commercial was regarded by many as a highlight of the 2021 Super Bowl, which received over 99 million viewers, according to the German statistics platform Statista.
Jeep’s last Super Bowl commercial was in that same year starring American musician Bruce Springsteen, known for hits like Dancing in the Dark and Born to Run, in a monologue-style ode to unity.