1990Released
4:21

Did You Know?

Interesting facts and trivia about Poison. By Songfacts®.

This #1 R&B hit was Bell Biv DeVoe's first single. The group was comprised of New Edition members Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe. New Edition split up in 1989 after touring to promote their Heart Break album - they went out on a high note, with the album selling over 2 million copies and the tour very successful. The split was instigated by former member Bobby Brown's solo success, which New Edition lead vocalists Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill were looking to replicate. Bell, Bivins and Devoe were mostly background singers in New Edition, and when they group ended they didn't have big plans until producer Jimmy Jam suggested they make an album together (Jam was already working with Tresvant and Gill). The trio agreed, and Bell Biv Devoe was formed. Bell was the lead vocalist, with Bivins and DeVoe handling the rapping and background vocals. This sound fit the new jack swing template that Bobby Brown was using so effectively. This genre was a blend of R&B, hip-hop, and urban contemporary, typically with an unapologetically prominent drum machine (usually an SP-1200 or a Roland 808). The term itself was coined by writer-filmmaker Barry Michael Cooper, who also wrote the script for the film New Jack City.

Bell Biv DeVoe used several songwriters and producers on the Poison album, including Hank Shocklee and the Wolf & Epic team. This track was written and produced by Elliott Straite, who goes by "Dr. Freeze." Straite, who was making a name for himself in New York City, also wrote the Color Me Badd hit "I Wanna Sex You Up." Straite wrote the song about five years before submitting it to New Edition - he was planning to use it on a solo album. He explained the lyrical inspiration in the Billboard Book of #1 Hits: "Most of the girls out there with nice shapes, they take advantage of that and they take a lot of people's money. They use a lot of guys and that's why I call them 'Poison.' Poison might look like a piece of candy and look really good, and when you bite into it, you're dead."

At the end of this song, the guys give shout-outs to their pals from New Edition: Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill (Ralph-T, Johnny G, and Bobby Brown). They stayed on good terms, and the group would reunite from time to time in the ensuing years.

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Song Analysis

Key, BPM (tempo) and time signature of Poison.
F♯Key
MinorMode
4/4Time Signature
112BPM

Album

The album Poison is released on.

Released By

The record label that has released Poison.
Geffen*
© 1990 Geffen Records
℗ 1990 Geffen Records

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