Bug-a-Boo was a term first used in 1598. It was originally, I guess, an imaginary something which causes great fear. A ghost, poltergeist, bogeyman…a spirit. Most famously, it was the pre-Beyonce song by her group Destiny's Child in 1999. She was great then too. Incredible great, actually. Already a Star, but not yet Stratospheric. She would be. I believe, actually, that Beyonce is today the most famous woman in the world.
Forbes puts her just below that creep Meg Whitman (who helped invent eBay then helped ruin it) on their list of "Most Powerful Women" for some absurd, scary reason which makes no sense, but it isn't a fame list. Ask someone in the rest of the world who Meg Whitman is, and then ask them who Beyonce Knowles Jay-Zee is. I guarantee you will get A. puzzled looks. B. EVERY SINGLE HAND raised. For some ill-informed reason, the New York Times, "paper of record" once said Meg Whitman had a good chance of one day being the first woman president. Shudder. At least THAT notion has evaporated, along with her reputation, if not her billions. I'll wait for the Times retraction. Beyonce, on the other hand, had earned her billions. Here she is, below, her destiny awaiting her in 1999.
I found the lyrics to Bugaboo on one of those sites which freeze your computer, so don't bother. In the song, Beyonce breaks her lease to get away from her bugaboo. They sample TOTO of all things. The Merriam-Webster, hoping to get into the social-sharing data collection game, I guess, now asks "What made you want to look up Bugaboo? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible). Here are a few of them. Sure enough, the song sent some searching, but you'll see also stories of Dr. Phil, the graft policy of Nigeria, and one plaintive comment query "my co-worker told me it was a racial slur."
I appreciate that the young woman above took the time to look it up. She has my vote. The little lapel pin sent ME on my search, but I didn't take the time to let the cyber-dictionary know.
If it is a slur, it would be yet more bad news for the makers of the Bugaboo baby stroller, which was once recalled by the Consumer Product Safety folks because it spilled your baby on the concrete.
Enjoy Destiny's Child. Don't be scared.
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