Talk Dirty to Me

Last updated
"Talk Dirty to Me"
Talk Dirty To Me.jpg
Single by Poison
from the album Look What the Cat Dragged In
B-side "Want Some, Need Some"
ReleasedFebruary 18, 1987
Recorded1986
Genre
Length3:44
Label Enigma/Capitol
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Ric Browde
Poison singles chronology
"Cry Tough"
(1986)		"Talk Dirty to Me"
(1987)		"I Want Action"
(1987)
Music videos
"Talk Dirty to Me" on YouTube

"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.

Contents

Origins

The exact origins of the song are unclear. The song, an ode to teenage love inspired by an Eddie Cochran riff, [2] was brought to Poison by guitarist C.C. DeVille when auditioning for the band in 1985. DeVille had refused to learn the band's material for the audition and instead insisted that they play a song he claimed to have written while with his previous band The Screaming Mimis, which turned out to be a primitive early version of "Talk Dirty To Me". Though the band was turned off by DeVille's brash personality, they saw tremendous potential in the song and hired the guitarist largely to get it into their repertoire. [6]

The song's origins became murky when a defunct glam metal band called Kid Rocker sued Poison in 2011, claiming the song had in fact been written by them in the early 1980s. Kid Rocker were a Chicago band who, like Poison, moved to Los Angeles in search of fame. They signed with Atlantic Records in 1984 and had been a fixture on the Sunset Strip club scene at that time before breaking up. [7] According to the lawsuit, DeVille had auditioned for Kid Rocker in 1984 and "Talk Dirty To Me" was one of their songs that DeVille had been asked to learn for the audition. Former Kid Rocker members Billy McCarthy (later of D'Molls) and James Stonich also alleged in the suit that the Poison songs "I Won't Forget You", "Fallen Angel" and "Ride The Wind" were also written by them and later stolen by DeVille. Lawyers for Poison dismissed the suit as "baseless", noting that if the allegation was true, the plaintiffs would be extremely unlikely to wait 25 years to seek remedy to the situation. [8] The judge ultimately ruled in Poison's favor on April 8, 2013, ruling that the statute of limitations on copyright infringement had long since run out. [9]

Reception

The song was a smash hit upon its release in the winter of 1987, making it to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and establishing Poison as one of America's most popular acts of the eighties. In 2017, Billboard and OC Weekly ranked the song number one and number three, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest Poison songs. [10] [11]

Music video

Classic Rock magazine ranked the music video for the song at No. 7 on their list of "The Top 10 Best Hair Metal Videos". The magazine declared that "If you really want to know why hair metal was so big, then this (song) is all you need." [2]

Charts

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poison (band)</span> American glam metal band

Poison is an American glam metal band formed in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania in 1983. The most successful incarnation of the band consists of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Bret Michaels, drummer Rikki Rockett, bassist Bobby Dall and lead guitarist C.C. DeVille. The band achieved huge commercial success in the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s and sold over 40 million records and DVDs worldwide.

Glam metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam rock.

<i>Look What the Cat Dragged In</i> 1986 studio album by Poison

Look What the Cat Dragged In is the debut studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released on August 16, 1986, by Enigma Records and Capitol 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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C.C. DeVille</span> American guitarist (born 1962)

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<i>The Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock</i> 2006 greatest hits album by Poison

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Won't Forget You</span> 1987 single by Poison

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fallen Angel (Poison song)</span> 1988 single by Poison

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Your Mama Don't Dance</span> 1972 single by Loggins and Messina

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ride the Wind (song)</span> 1991 single by Poison

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nothin' But a Good Time</span> 1988 single by Poison

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References

  1. ↑ Christopher, Michael (May 25, 2017). "Rock Music Menu: Chris Cornell: The last great rock star". Delaware County Daily Times . Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Johnson, Howard (July 21, 2016). "The Top 10 Best Hair Metal Videos". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  3. ↑ Talk Dirty to Me - Poison | Song Info | AllMusic , retrieved 2021-04-06
  4. ↑ "Poison's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard .
  5. ↑ Molanphy, Chris (April 27, 2018). "You Give Rock a Bad Name Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate . Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  6. ↑ "POISON Drummer Rikki Rockett Recalls SLASH Almost Being In The Band – "CC (Deville) Auditioned And He Just Made More Sense"". Decibel Geek Podcast. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  7. ↑ Gardner, Eriq. "Poison Responds to Song Theft Allegations". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 29 October 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "POISON Responds To Song Theft Allegations". Blabbermouth.net. 27 October 2011. Archived from the original on 29 October 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  9. ↑ Tanos, Lorenzo (11 March 2021). "All The Times Poison Has Been Sued". Grunge. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  10. ↑ Titus, Christa (July 5, 2017). "Poison's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard . Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  11. ↑ Silver, Michael (June 13, 2017). "The 10 Best Poison Songs". OC Weekly . Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  12. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 36. ISBN   0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was authorized by ARIA from 1970 to 1988.
  13. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0820." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Poison Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  16. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits: 1952-1996. Record Research.
  17. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0920." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
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