| "Poison" | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Bell Biv DeVoe from the album Poison |
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| Released | 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 the 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 "you can't trust a big butt and a smile" would quickly became 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 #52 to #38 in the week of April 14, 1990, and eventually peaked at #3 for four consecutive weeks, beginning on June 9, 1990. "Poison" became one of the most successful singles of 1990, and was a staple on MTV and mainstream radio in the summer, spending ten weeks in the Top 10. The song finally fell out of the Top 50 the week of August 25, 1990. It has been used in film (Pootie Tang), television (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Scrubs), and videogames (2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, on New Jack Swing radio station CSR 103.9). It is also referenced in the Madvillain song "Fancy Clown."
Charts
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks | 1 |
| ARC Weekly Top 40 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Maxi Singles | 7 |
| UK Singles Chart | 19 |
| 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 |
