"Poison" is the debut single of American vocal group

Bell Biv DeVoe Bell Biv DeVoe, also known as BBD, is an American music group from Boston, Massachusetts, formed from members of New Edition, consisting of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe. The band is best known for their debut album, the multi-p ...

, 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, AKA 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 Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz ...

and

Mongo Santamaria Mongo may refer to: Geography Africa * Mongo, Chad, a Sahel city * Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo (Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction) * Mongo, Sierra Leone, a chiefdom * Mongo River (Little Scarces River), Guinea and Sierra Leone, a tributa ...

as influences on the song's sound and production.

Chart performance

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. "Poison" became one of the most successful singles of 1990 (see

1990 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1990. This year was the peak of cassette sales in the United States, with sales declining year on year since then. Specific locations * 1990 in British music * 1990 in No ...

), 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. "Poison" was certified platinum by the RIAA on June 1, 1990 for sales of over one million copies.

Music video

The official

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for the song was directed by Lionel C. Martin. The predominant color is purple. It takes place at a club, an old basketball court and a schoolyard.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1990 songs 1990 debut singles Bell Biv DeVoe songs MCA Records singles Music videos directed by Lionel C. Martin New jack swing songs Song recordings produced by Dr. Freeze Songs written by Dr. Freeze