Shaggy, the reggae artist known for his hit song “It Wasn’t Me,” recently clarified the misunderstood meaning behind the 2000 classic.
Despite its portrayal of a conversation between Shaggy and RikRok about infidelity, Shaggy revealed that the song is actually intended as an “anti-cheating” anthem. He expressed his frustration, stating, “It’s just that nobody listened to the record to the end.”
In the track, Shaggy advises RikRok to deny the allegations of cheating. However, towards the end of the song, RikRok sings a bridge that acknowledges his wrongdoing and apologizes for the pain he has caused.
“Gonna tell her that I’m sorry for the pain that I’ve caused. I’ve been listening to your reasonin’, it makes no sense at all.” RikRok tells Shaggy, “You may think that you’re a player but you’re completely lost.”
Shaggy emphasized that this part of the song often goes unnoticed. He explained, “It’s an anti-cheating song. No one ever really buys into that, and I keep explaining it to people. Then, they go listen to it back and be like, ‘Oh dude, I totally missed that.'”
“It Wasn’t Me” became Shaggy’s breakthrough hit, reaching number one on charts worldwide. The song, along with his album “Hot Shot,” achieved remarkable success, selling over 2.4 million copies in the United Kingdom alone. Shaggy’s clarification sheds new light on the song’s intended message and highlights the importance of listening to the full story behind the lyrics.
