| "Fallen Angel" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Poison | ||||
| from the album Open Up and Say... Ahh! | ||||
| B-side | "Bad to Be Good" | |||
| Released | July 6, 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Genre | Glam metal [1] [2] [3] | |||
| Length | 3:56 | |||
| Label | Enigma; Capitol Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Dall; Deville; Michaels; Rockett | |||
| Producer(s) | Tom Werman | |||
| Poison singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Fallen Angel" is the second single from Open Up and Say...Ahh! , American glam metal band Poison's second studio album. The B-side of the seven inch was "Bad to Be Good".
Released as a single in 1988 on Capitol Records, the track reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #32 on the Mainstream Rock charts and has since gone Gold in the US. [4] This made it the only single from the album not to reach the Top Ten. It also charted at number 21 on the Australian charts and number 59 on the UK Singles chart. [5]
The song is about a young girl who grew up in a small town and goes to Los Angeles to try to make it as an actress. While there, she abandons her old life.
This theme is a reference to the history of the band Poison itself: Bret Michaels, Bobby Dall and Rikki Rockett all left their native Pennsylvania for Los Angeles in their quest for fame.
Cash Box said that "once again the boys bash and thrash their way through a good tune about the small-town girl gone bad in the big city." [6]
"Fallen Angel", along with "Talk Dirty to Me", "I Won't Forget You" and "Ride the Wind", was the subject of a lawsuit in 2011 by members of the defunct band Kid Rocker, who claimed that the songs were based on Kid Rocker songs played to Poison guitarist C.C. DeVille before he was a member of Poison. [7] On April 8, 2013, a California federal judge said that the plaintiffs waited too long to file their lawsuit, stating, "It is totally implausible that plaintiff did not discover the alleged infringement until 2011." The judge ruled that the plaintiffs could only sue for damages dating back three years from the date of the lawsuit (following a three-year statute of limitations), and no more. [8]
The music video to "Fallen Angel" mostly follows the lyrics to the song, and was in heavy rotation on MTV. In the video, a young blonde (portrayed by Bret's then-girlfriend, model and then aspiring singer/actress Susie Hatton) tells her family, at dinner, that she is leaving for California at the end of the week, a statement that surprises and silences them. She arrives in Los Angeles with a suitcase in tow, eventually catching the attention of a sleazy manager (played by Anthony James). She becomes a success as a lingerie model, but feels like she is selling out her morals for fame. She begins dating her manager, but when he starts getting friendly with other ladies at a club, she leaves. He tries to get her back, but the girl gives him a kick in the groin and walks off. She is back on the streets, but is picked up by Bret Michaels on a Harley-Davidson Softail on Hollywood Boulevard and rides off into an unknown future. As her story ends, another girl, played by Michelle Davis, arrives on the bus hoping to find fame and fortune...
Rikki Rockett's white tee-shirt was blurred in several scenes, as it contained the Vision Street Wear logo, a popular brand with skate-boarders; Rikki was an avid skate-boarder. Two other logos, one being on a store window and another being a bus logo were also blurred as well perhaps for product brand issues.
"Fallen Angel" is widely regarded as one of Poison's best songs. In 2017, Billboard and OC Weekly each ranked the song number seven on their lists of the 10 greatest Poison songs. [9] [10]
"Fallen Angel" is included on the following albums:
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) [11] | 21 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM) [12] | 55 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [13] | 32 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [14] | 59 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 [15] | 12 |
| US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [16] | 32 |
Punk rockers MxPx released a cover of the song on their 2009 album On the Cover II. Their version featured guest appearances by Craig Owens of Chiodos and Stephen Egerton of Descendents.
Poison is an American glam metal band formed in 1983 in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The most successful incarnation of the band consists of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Bret Michaels, drummer Rikki Rockett, lead guitarist and backing vocalist C.C. DeVille, and bassist Bobby Dall. The band achieved huge commercial success in the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s and has sold 18 million records in the United States and over 55 million albums worldwide.
Look What the Cat Dragged In is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released on May 23, 1986 through Enigma Records. Though not a success at first, it steadily built momentum and peaked at #3 on the US Billboard 200 on May 23, 1987. The album spawned three successful singles: "Talk Dirty to Me", "I Want Action", and "I Won't Forget You".
Bret Michael Sychak known professionally as Bret Michaels, is an American singer, musician, actor and filmmaker. He gained fame as the frontman of rock band Poison who has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted 10 singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, including six Top 10 singles and a number-one single, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn".
Open Up and Say... Ahh! is the second studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released on April 27, 1988, through Enigma Records. It proved to be the band's most successful release, and spawned four hit singles: "Nothin' But a Good Time", "Fallen Angel", "Your Mama Don't Dance" and their only #1 single to date, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". The album peaked at #2 on the US Billboard 200.
Richard Allan Ream, better known by the stage name Rikki Rockett, is an American drummer for rock band Poison. The band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the United States alone.
Flesh & Blood is the third studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released on July 2, 1990, through the Enigma label of Capitol Records. It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard charts and more than 7.2 million copies were sold worldwide. It peaked at number 1 on the Cash Box charts.
Hollyweird is the sixth studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released on May 21, 2002, through Cyanide Music and debuted at No. 103 on the Billboard 200 chart and No. 8 on the Independent Albums chart and sold 11,000 copies in its first week. As of 2022, it is the band's most recent album of original material.
Native Tongue is the fourth studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released in 1993 through Capitol Records. It peaked at #16 on the Billboard 200, #20 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA on April 21, 1993. It has also been certified by CAN platinum. This is the only album to feature lead guitarist Richie Kotzen. Kotzen was hired as the band's guitarist following the firing of C.C. DeVille in late 1991. The album features the singles "Stand", "Until You Suffer Some " and "Body Talk".
Swallow This Live is the first live album by American glam metal band Poison. It was released in 1991 by Capitol Records. The album peaked at number 51 on the Billboard 200, number 42 on the Cash Box albums chart, and was certified Gold in 2001 by the RIAA.
Power to the People is an album by the American rock band Poison, released on June 13, 2000, on the band's independent label, Cyanide Music. It marked the return of the original lineup, together for the first time since 1991's Swallow This Live with the return of C.C. DeVille who replaced Blues Saraceno.
Poison's Greatest Hits: 1986–1996 is the first greatest hits compilation CD from the glam metal band Poison. The album was released on November 26, 1996, by Capitol Records. The album contains 16 tracks from the band's first four studio albums and also the live double-album Swallow This Live.
Best of Ballads & Blues is a greatest hits compilation album from the American hard rock band Poison. It was released on August 5, 2003 on Capitol Records.
"Talk Dirty to Me" is a single from American glam metal band Poison. Released on February 18, 1987, it was the second single from their debut album Look What the Cat Dragged In. The song peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's first top 40 hit in the United States and establishing Poison as one of the top-selling rock acts of the decade.
Poison'd! is the seventh and most recent studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released June 5, 2007. The 14-track album features recordings of Poison's favorite rock classics. Nine new tracks and five previously released covers make up the album.
Seven Days Live is the fourth video/DVD album from the American heavy metal/glam metal Poison, featuring a live concert at the Hammersmith Odeon, in London England, from the Native Tongue world tour in 1993, in support of the fourth Poison studio album Native Tongue, which was certified Gold by the RIAA on April 21, 1993.
"I Won't Forget You" is a power ballad by the American glam metal band Poison, originally from the album Look What the Cat Dragged In.
"Your Mama Don't Dance" is a hit 1972 song by the rock duo Loggins and Messina. Released on their self-titled album Loggins and Messina, it reached number four on the Billboard pop chart and number 19 on the Billboard Easy Listening Chart as a single in early 1973.
"Shooting Star" is a song by American rock band Poison. It is the third and final single released from Poison's 7th studio album Hollyweird, which debuted at #103 on the Billboard 200 and #8 on the Independent Albums chart. The song was released as a single in November 2002.
"Nothin' But a Good Time" is the first single from the hard rock/glam metal group Poison's second studio album Open Up and Say... Ahh!, with the band releasing that album in May 1988. B-sides "Livin' For the Minute" and "Look But You Can't Touch" were included in the single's release.
Poison - Double Dose: Ultimate Hits is a double disc greatest hits compilation album released May 3, 2011 by the hard rock band Poison to celebrate the band's 25th anniversary. The career-spanning collection features thirty-five of the multi-platinum band's top hits and fan favorites. The album charted at #23 on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums chart and #17 in Canada.
the adrenalized pop-metal anthems "Nothin' But a Good Time" and "Fallen Angel"
