Sometimes your songs lead an unexpected life after you release them into the world. All you can do is try to raise them right and then trust them to do well on their own. It’s out of your hands.

In the early 1970’s, Marcia Griffiths sang as one half of popular reggae duo Bob & Marcia (not that Bob), scoring a couple of big hits in the UK, before joining Bob Marley’s (this time it’s that Bob) backing singers, The I Threes, for the second half of the decade. She released the occasional album on her own, but upon Marley’s death in 1981, she embarked on a full-time solo career, beginning with a little help from Bob’s former bandmate, Bunny Wailer.

Griffiths bought herself a Rhythm Box, an early drum machine, while on tour in Canada and was messing around with it back in Jamaica, showing it to Wailer, when they came across a pattern they liked. Wailer took inspiration from a recent hit by Eddie Grant called “Electric Avenue,” and wrote a song for Griffiths titled “Electric Boogie,” based on the rhythm pattern and a piano motif. Griffiths released “Electric Boogie” as a single in 1983 and it hit #1 in Jamaica, but unfortunately, like many Jamaican #1s, it didn’t reach the charts anywhere else in the world.

Time elapsed. Griffiths continued to release music, touring the world and continuing her reign as the Queen of Reggae. While on one of these tours in the US in the late 1980’s, a friend informed her that shortly after the release of “Electric Boogie,” a choreographer created a dance to go along with the song, and unbeknownst to Griffiths, it had slowly and quietly gained momentum and popularity over the years, especially at wedding receptions. The dance was called The Electric Slide.

Griffiths quickly learned the moves and performed the steps at one of her concerts while the audience enthusiastically joined in. It seemed only natural to take advantage of this groundswell and release a new version so she contacted the head of her label, Chris Blackwell. He suggested working with members of current hitmakers Miami Sound Machine to help zhuzh up the original and that idea sounded good to Griffiths. The new version of “Electric Boogie” was released in 1989 and became the bestselling reggae song ever by a female artist. Wedding parties would now be even more electric.

So prepare to go on a party ride … with Marcia Griffiths.