| "Poison" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Bell Biv DeVoe | ||||
| from the album Poison | ||||
| Released | March 27, 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1989 | |||
| Genre | New Jack Swing | |||
| Length | 4:21 | |||
| Label | MCA Records | |||
| Producer | Dr. Freeze | |||
| Certification | Platinum | |||
| Bell Biv DeVoe singles chronology | ||||
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"Poison" is a 1990 single by the New Edition spinoff group, Bell Biv DeVoe. This song—in the style of New Jack Swing, a late-80s hybrid of R&B and hip hop—was the group's most successful, and sings of the dangers of falling in love.
While the song samples from hip hop (Kool G. Rap's "Poison"), the line "Never trust a big butt and a smile" would quickly become a staple of hip hop. In the outro, BBD gives shout-outs to their former New Edition bandmates, Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill.
On the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, "Poison" rose from number fifty-two to number thirty-eight in the week of April 14, 1990, and eventually peaked at number three for four consecutive weeks, beginning on June 9, 1990. The single also peaked at number one on the Hot Black Singles chart for two weeks [1]. "Poison" became one of the most successful singles of 1990 (see 1990 in music), and was a staple on MTV and mainstream radio in the summer, spending ten weeks in the Top 10. The single peaked at number seven on the dance charts[2].
It has been used in film (Pootie Tang, Pineapple Express), television (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Scrubs, Glee), and videogames (2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, on New Jack Swing radio station CSR 103.9, 2009's DJ Hero). It is also referenced in the Madvillain song, "Fancy Clown". "Poison" was named #60 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90's.
Charts
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles & Tracks | 1 |
| ARC Weekly Top 40 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Maxi Singles | 7 |
| UK Singles Chart | 19 |
External links
- Music video for "Poison" at YouTube (requires Adobe Flash)
- Music video for the remix version of "Poison" at YouTube (requires Adobe Flash)
References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 52.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 32.
| Preceded by "Ready or Not" by After 7 |
Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one single May 5, 1990 |
Succeeded by "Rub You the Right Way" by Johnny Gill |
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