Electric Slide Song Meaning + History (2023 UPDATED)

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Even if you are unfamiliar with the dance steps known as “The Electric Slide”, you are likely to recognize them. You may have even danced “The Electric Slide” without recognizing it at weddings, social parties, or dance clubs. The dance became a significant sensation; its popularity faded for a few years, but it has recently resurfaced. Many modern pop stars have included a couple of dance elements in their performances.

The History of the Electric Slide

The tune ” The Electric Slide” is where “Electric Boogie.” gets its start. Marcia Griffiths’ “Electric Boogie”, also known as “The Electric Slide”, was a successful cover in 1989. Griffiths has been a backup singer for Bob Marley and the Wailers since 1964. Bunny Wailer penned and sang “The Electric Boogie” for the first time in 1976, and it charted at number 51 on the Billboard Top 100. This version was likewise a small hit, ranking at number 78 on the Hot Black Singles list. It is still the best-selling female reggae singer’s album. Ric Silver, a choreographer, was commissioned to develop a new dance for the relaunch of Vamp’s Disco in New York City. Based on the song’s appealing tune and mid-tempo rhythm, he designed a simple but groovy dance. Even though it was never truly a disco tune, “The Electric Boogie” became one of the most popular dance obsessions during the disco period. It’s closely linked to the “Electric Slide” line dance, and it’s since become a popular party dance. In North America, the song is frequently performed at weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, and other important occasions.

The Years of Decline

“The Electric Slide” vanished from the music landscape when disco died since it was associated with it. As the 1970s arrived, disco’s popularity began to wane. While ” Saturday Night Fever” helped popularize disco, it was widely rejected and mocked by the end of the decade. On July 12, 1979, two Chicago rock disc jockeys, Steve Dahl and Garry Meier, planned an anti-disco demonstration at Comiskey Park during a White Sox doubleheader. The event’s climax was torching disco records on the baseball diamond, dubbed “the day disco died.” The popularity of “The Electric Slide” plummeted at the end of the 1970s, although it never entirely vanished. In the 1980s, New York City dancer Ric Silver and the dance were included in various films and television series.

The Dance Makes a Comeback

In the 1990s, “The Electric Slide” was given new life, and it resurfaced in a significantly altered form. Because of its line-dancing appeal, it became a popular dance in country dance halls in the 1990s. Part of the appeal is the dance’s simplicity, with simple steps that almost anyone can master in a matter of minutes. Grapevine right, grapevine left, three steps backwards with a rock back and forth, and a toe touch is the moves in dancing terminology. A grapevine is a dancing move in which one foot moves to one side while the other moves behind it. The “Electric Slide” was re-invented as a popular dance thanks to online video sites, resulting in a legal battle.

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Interpretation vs Choreography

Ric Silver, a dancer from New York City, registered the dance with the Library of Congress in 2003 and requested a copyright in 2006. This set the scene for Silver’s claims against internet video users who posted video copies of “The Electric Slide” in 2007. Silver claimed that the web videos were not genuine copies of “The Electric Slide” since they only have 18 dance steps instead of the traditional 22. The court reached a split decision. Silver’s lawyer said in an NPR interview that “The important legal notion is that choreographic works can be protected. Steps from social dances are not protected by copyright.” People who post online copies of “The Electric Slide” have the freedom to do so, and Silver has the right to claim credit for his dance.

The Electric Slide is a lot of fun to learn and takes very little time. To maximize your enjoyment and rehearse how you will be synchronizing with others on the dance floor, try learning these routines with at least two or three other dancers. It is also entirely acceptable to travel alone!

How to do the Electric Slide in Steps

To do the grapevine, “weave” your feet together in the following manner. This is followed by a turn and some additional footwork, which is repeated until the song ends.

Grapevine Right

1. With your right foot, take one step to the right.

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2. Bring your left foot behind your right foot and cross it to the right.

3. Take another step to the right with your right foot to uncross your feet.

4. Close your feet together by bringing your left foot to your right foot.

Grapevine on the Left

5. With your left foot, take one step to the left.

6. Bring your right foot behind your left foot and cross it to the left.

7. Take another step to the left with your left foot to uncross your feet.

8. Close your feet together by bringing your right foot to your left foot.

Rock forth and back with a toe touch.

Rock forth and back with a toe touch.

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9. Take a step back with your right foot, then meet it with your left.

10. Take a step backwards on your right foot, then tap your left foot down.

11. With your left foot, take a step forward, then tap your right foot to the back.

12. Step back with your right foot once more, then tap your left foot in front. Make sure your weight is on your right foot while you do this.

Quarter Repeat on the other side.

13. With your right foot, take one step forward. While doing this, turn your body a quarter turn (or 90 degrees) to the left.

14. Continue the dance for as long as the group is moving, or the music is playing.

Note: In Step 13, you are supposed to turn left; however, depending on the song and the person leading the dance, it could be right. If you are unsure, double-check. Because the rest of the line dancers will be turning, you must also turn in the same direction. Turning the incorrect way in a line dance can be embarrassing and dangerous, as participants may collide.

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The Electric Slide Dance Music

Original Song – “Electric Boogie” By Marcia Griffiths

Other Alternative songs

• “Arrepegaito” by Raza Obrera
• “Anything, Anything” by Dramarama
• “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen
• “And the Beat Goes On” by The Whispers
• “All She Wants to Do Is Dance” by Don Henley
• “All Night Long” by Lionel Ritchie
• “Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer
• “A Night to Remember” by Shalamar
• “A Mover La Colita” by Sonora Dinamita
• “A Little Less Talk & A Lot More Action” by Toby Keith
• “Bust a Move” by Young MC
• “California Dreamin'” by Mamas & the Papas
• “Can’t Feel my Face” by The Weeknd
• “Caribbean Queen” by Billy Ocean
• “Cleopatra Queen of Denial” by Pam Tillis
• “Come on Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners
• “Crazy” by Gnarles Barkley
• “Cruel Summer” by Bananarama
• “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)” by The Four Seasons
• “Dime Quien Es” by Los Rieleros del Norte
• “Disco Inferno” by Bee Gees
• “Down on the Corner” by Credence Clearwater Revival
• “Drinkin’ Bone” by Tracy Byrd
• “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” by Rod Stewart
• “Enjoy the Silence” by Depeche Mode
• “Escandalo” by Sonora Dinamita
• “Even Flow” by Pearl Jam
• “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” by Backstreet Boys
• “Everyday People” by Sly & the Family Stone
• “Fast as You” by Dwight Yoakum
• “Feels Good” by Tony Toni Tone
• “Feels Like the First Time” by Foreigner
• “Forget Me Nots” by Patrice Rushen
• “Fuego” by Kumbia Kings
• “Funky Cold Medina” by Tone Loc
• “Get Down on It” by Kool & the Gang
• “Get Up” by James Brown
• “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” by Will Smith
• “Got to Be Real” by Cheryl Lynn
• “Habits (Stay High)” by Tove Lo
• “Hangman” by Styxx
• “Heart of Glass” by Blondie
• “Here for the Party” by Gretchen Wilson
• “Hick Chicks” by Cowboy Troy
• “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani
• “Hot in Here” by Nelly
• “Humpin’ Around” by Bobby Brown
• “Hungry Heart” by Bruce Springsteen
• “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice
• “I Feel Lucky” by Mary-Chapin Carpenter
• “I Like It, I Love It” – Tim McGraw
• “I’m Gonna Getcha Good” by Shania Twain
• “Indian Outlaw” by Tim McGraw
• “Island in the Sun” by Weezer
• “It Takes Two” by Rob Base
• “I Want Candy,” Bow Wow Wow
• “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor
• “Jolene” by Dolly Parton
• “Just a Girl” by No Doubt
• “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” by Georgia Satellites
• “Kiss” by Prince
• “Ladies Love Country Boys” by Trace Adkins
• “Ladies Night” by Kool & the Gang
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• “Larger Than Life” by Backstreet Boys
• “Lean Like a Cholo” by Down AKA Kilo
• “Legs” by ZZ Top
• “Let’s Talk About Sex” by Salt N Peppa
• “Life in the Fast Lane” by The Eagles
• “Like a Prayer” by Madonna
• “Little Sister” by Dwight Yoakum
• “Looking for a New Love” – Jody Watley
• “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” by Shania Twain
• “Mustang Sally” by Wilson Pickett
• “My Eyes Don’t Cry” by Stevie Wonder
• “My Kind of Girl” by Collin Raye
• “My Prerogative” by Bobby Brown
• “Na Na Hey Hey-Kiss Him Goodbye” by Paul Leka
• “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” by Beatles
• “Obsession” by Animotion
• “Old Time Rock & Roll” by Bob Segar
• “One in Every Crowd” by Montgomery Gentry
• “Only in America” by Brooks & Dunn
• “Open Your Eyes” by Staind
• “Outta My Head” by Craig Campbell
• “Play Something Country” by Brooks & Dunn
• “Play that Funky Music” by White Cherry
• “Poison” by Bel Biv Devoe
• “Prison Sex” by Tool
• “Put Some Drive in Your Country” by Travis Tritt
• “Rhythm Nation” by Janet Jackson
• “Rock My World Little Country Girl” by Brooks & Dunn
• “Rollin’ in the Deep” by Adele
• “Sabes a Chocolate” by Kumbia Kings
• “Shake a Pudding” by Dub Narcotic Sound System
• “Shake Your Booty” by KC & the Sunshine Band
• “Sharp-Dressed Man” by ZZ Top
• “She Drives Me Crazy” by Fine Young Cannibals
• “She Hates Me” by Puddle of Mud
• “Sideways” by Dierks Bentley
• “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours” by Stevie Wonder
• “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell ft. Michael Jackson
• “Summer in the City” by Lovin’ Spoonful
• “That’s the Way I Like It” by KC & the Sunshine Band
• “The Power” by Snap!
• “The Wanderer” by Dion
• “Think” by Aretha Franklin
• “Tuff Enuff” by The Fabulous Thunderbirds
• “Turn Me On” by Kevin Lyttle
• “Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House” by Garth Brooks
• “Upside Down” by Diana Ross
• “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith
• “Wannabe” by Spice Girls

Movies

Many films have featured “The Electric Slide. Two of the major characters dance “Nobody’s Baby” while the credits roll at the end of Skeet Ulrich’s film “The Slide”. The football squad dances “The Replacements” in jail and on the football field starring Keanu Reeves. As the credits roll in the movie “The Best Man,” the entire wedding party is on the dance floor executing The Electric Slide to Cameo’s “Candy”. “Candy” is a song by the funk band Cameo from their Word Up! It was released as the second single. In the United States, it peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B charts in 1987. Since then, it has been the go-to tune for the Electric Slide.

Final Thoughts

Learning is just as much fun as performing. Play some lively music and dance along when you have learnt the steps. The Electric Slide is a popular dance because it is a simple and joyful dance that can be performed occasionally.

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