"Poison" is the debut single of American vocal group Bell Biv DeVoe, released as the first single from their debut album of the same name. The song, in the style of new jack swing, a late-1980s/early-1990s hybrid of R&B, hip hop and swing, was the group's most successful.
Background and information The song was written and produced by Elliot Straite (Dr. Freeze). Straite had originally planned to feature the song on his own album, but plans changed when the members of Bell Biv DeVoe heard his demo version. "When the guys heard it, they went nuts. I didn't think that record was going to be that big because it was a personal love letter to my ex-girlfriend at the time. It wasn't a song at first. It was a letter. When I wrote it as a song, I let a lot of my friends hear it, and they said it was weird. After that, I put the music together. I was thinking I wasn't going to be on the album because such heavyweights were already on it. I ended up having two songs on the album: 'Poison' and 'She's Dope!'." Straite cited German electronic group Kraftwerk and Latin musicians Tito Puente and Mongo Santamaria as influences on the song's sound and production.
Chart performance On the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, "Poison" rose from number 52 to number 38 on 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 Billboard Hot Black Singles chart for two weeks. "Poison" became one of the most successful singles of 1990 and was a staple on MTV and mainstream radio in the middle of the year. The single peaked at number seven on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart. "Poison" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on June 1, 1990, for sales of over one million copies.
Music video The official music video for the song was directed by Lionel C. Martin.
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1990)PeakpositionAustralia (ARIA) 64Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) 57US 12-inch Singles Sales (Billboard) 3US Dance Club Play (Billboard) 7US Hot Black Singles (Billboard) 1US Top 40/Dance (Billboard) 1US Cash Box Top 100Cash Box Chart Entries 1990-1996 2
Year-end charts Chart (1990)PositionNew Zealand (RIANZ) 32US Billboard Hot 100 4US 12-inch Singles Sales (Billboard) 18US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard) 10US Cash Box Top 100 9
Certifications
Release history RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United StatesMarch 6, 1990MCAUnited KingdomMay 21, 1990JapanJune 10, 1990Mini-CDUnited KingdomJune 11, 1990CDJune 18, 1990CassetteJuly 2, 199012-inch remix vinylAustralia12-inch vinylNovember 5, 1990Cassette
See also List of number-one R&B singles of 1990 (U.S.)
References
External links