Creator of 'Electric Slide' Has to Debunk Bizarre Rumor

Ah, the internet. This week, it gave birth to a rumor about the legendary song "The Electric Slide" that became so widespread the songwriter had to come forward to officially debunk it. No, says Bunny Wailer, the song isn't about a woman's vibrator. "At no time have I ever lent credence to a rumor that the song was inspired by anything other than [Eddy] Grant's Electric Avenue," Wailer, aka Neville Livingston, tells EDM. "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." Well.

As HuffPost (which cops to being among the sites to report the rumor as truth) explains, it's not crystal clear where it all started, but the rumor officially kicked into gear when the LGBTQ website Aazios ran a story with a definitive-sounding headline of "Writer Confirms 'The Electric Slide' Is About a Vibrator." The story, which includes the lyrics, has a quote from an anonymous source who says Wailer confirmed the rumor. That story set off a social media frenzy, which the real Wailer is now trying to shut down. Myth-busting site Snopes digs into the whole mess and concludes the rumor is indeed "False." (More Electric Slide stories.)