| "Poison" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bell Biv DeVoe | ||||
| from the album Poison | ||||
| Released | March 6, 1990 [1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:21 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Dr. Freeze | |||
| Producer(s) | Dr. Freeze | |||
| Bell Biv DeVoe singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"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. Kwame wrote poison.
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!'." [5] Straite cited German electronic group Kraftwerk and Latin musicians Tito Puente and Mongo Santamaria as influences on the song's sound and production. [5]
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. [6] "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. [7] "Poison" was certified platinum by the RIAA on June 1, 1990 for sales of over one million copies.
The official music video for the song was directed by Lionel C. Martin. [8] The predominant color is purple. It takes place at a club, an old basketball court and a schoolyard.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) [21] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA) [1] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | March 6, 1990 |
| MCA | [1] |
| United Kingdom | May 21, 1990 |
| [22] | |
| Japan | June 10, 1990 | Mini-CD | [23] | |
| United Kingdom | June 11, 1990 | CD | [24] | |
| June 18, 1990 | Cassette | [25] | ||
| July 2, 1990 | 12-inch remix vinyl | [26] |
New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, new jack swing was most popular from the late 1980s to early 1990s.
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.
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{{Infobox song | name = Do Me! | cover = DoMe! Bell Biv DeVoe album cover.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Bell Biv DeVoe | album = Poison | released = June 10, 1990 | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = New jack swing | length = 4:33 | label = MCA
The discography of Johnny Gill, an American R&B singer, consists of eight solo studio albums, thirty-seven singles, and three official compilation albums. In addition to solo albums, he has recorded one duet album with Stacy Lattisaw, as well as three albums as a member of New Edition and two albums as a member of supergroup LSG. Gill is also a member of supergroup Heads of State, but the group has yet to release an album.
"When Will I See You Smile Again?" is a song performed by American contemporary R&B group Bell Biv DeVoe, issued as the fourth single from the group's debut studio album Poison. The song peaked at #63 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991, while reaching number three on the American R&B charts.
"She's Dope!" is a song performed by American contemporary R&B group Bell Biv DeVoe. It is the opening track on the group's debut studio album Poison and serves as the album's fifth single. In early pressings of Poison, the song was simply titled "Dope!", but the title was changed due to the increasing drug epidemic among children at the time. The song peaked at #9 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1991. The EPOD Mix version of the song is the version used in the music video & released as a single.
"Gangsta" is a song performed by American contemporary R&B group Bell Biv DeVoe, issued as a stand-alone single in 1993 via MCA Records. The song peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was also featured on an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
"Something in Your Eyes" is a song co-produced and performed by American contemporary R&B group Bell Biv DeVoe, issued as the second single from the group's second studio album, Hootie Mack. It was the only song from the album to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 38 in 1993.
Three Stripes is the fourth studio album by American R&B trio Bell Biv DeVoe. It was released on January 27, 2017 through Entertainment One. Recording sessions took place at 916 Music Studios, at Divine Mill Studios in New Jersey, at Hot Beats Studios and Studio Crib Zeno in Atlanta, at The Lab in New York City, at Nu Shoez Studios, at Forge Recording in Oreland, at Studio At The Palms in Las Vegas. Production was handled by several record producers, including Carvin & Ivan, Cyrus Deshield, DJ Battlecat, Doug E. Fresh, Erick Sermon, KayGee, Lil' Ronnie, LRoc, Rance, and BBD member Michael Bivins, with associate co-producer Gee Spin. It features guest appearances from Boyz II Men, Doug E. Fresh and SWV. The album peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200, number 10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and topped the Independent Albums in the United States.
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