Poison (The Prodigy song)

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"Poison"
Poison Prodigy.jpg
Single by the Prodigy
from the album Music for the Jilted Generation
Released6 March 1995 (1995-03-06)[1]
GenreBig beat[2]
Length
  • 6:42 (album version)
  • 4:05 (95 EQ)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Liam Howlett
The Prodigy singles chronology
"Voodoo People"
(1994) 		"Poison"
(1995) 		"Firestarter"
(1996)
Music video
"Poison" on YouTube

"Poison" is a song by English electronic music group the Prodigy, released on 6 March 1995 as the fourth and final single from their second studio album, Music for the Jilted Generation (1994). Maxim Reality sings on this track.

Critical reception[]

John Bush from AllMusic called the song "excellent".[3] Larry Flick from Billboard stated that it "marks the rave outfit's first foray into hip-hop", adding that "it's an inspired move. The act's penchant for quirky loops and industrial sound effects melds perfectly with the track's approachable downtempo groove." He also described the track as a "juicy jam", voiced by new band member Maxim Reality.[4] Brad Beatnik from Music Week's RM Dance Update stated that "with its hard hip hop beats yet funky feel, [it] is the stunning stand-out track" of the album.[5] Another editor, James Hamilton deemed it a "ponderously rumbling reggae-ish dub joller".[6] James Hunter from Vibe described it as "an excellent post-techno techno thing that ought to become an enormous, obnoxious hit."[7]

Artwork[]

The packaging for the CD single follows a theme similar to the song: rat poison. The front cover features a box of said poison, the back shows a picture of a dead and decomposing rodent, and the CD itself has a rat superimposed onto it. The theme of rat poison ties into the music, as the official remix of the song is dubbed “Rat Poison”.

Composition[]

The drums in the song are samples from "It's a New Day" by Skull Snaps, "Amen, Brother" by the Winstons, and "Heavy Soul Slinger" by Bernard Purdie.

Music video[]

The music video was directed by Walter Stern. The band performs the track in a basement-like location. By the end of the video, the floor has turned into a mud-bath where Keith Flint is mud wrestling with other band members.

The music video was also shown on an episode of Beavis and Butt-head.

Soundtracks[]

The song is featured on the soundtracks for the 1999 film End of Days and the 1997 film The Jackal. It's also featured briefly in the 1999 Robbie the Reindeer film Hooves of Fire.

it also appeared on the FIFA 21 Volta football soundtrack.

Track listing[]

  1. "Poison" (95 EQ) – 6:12 [edited 4:05 version on CD edition]
  2. "Rat Poison" – 5:34
  3. "Scienide" – 5:54
  4. "Poison" (Environmental Science Dub Mix) – 6:18
  • Tracks 1-2 and 4 written by Liam Howlett and Keith Palmer. Track 2 remixed by Liam Howlett. Track 4 remix and additional production by Environmental Science
  • Track 3 written by Liam Howlett

Legacy[]

The spoken words on the introductory of the album version :

"Liam, someone on the phone for you / Aw fuck's sake, tryin' to write this fuckin' tune, man"

They were parodied by Clark on his remix of Milanese's “Mr Bad News”, where a voices with an affected received pronunciation English accent say “Christopher, somebody's on the telephone for you / Oh for fuck’s sake, I’m trying to write this fucking tune, man”.[8]

Electronic rock band Does It Offend You, Yeah? also make reference to the track's opening conversation on their song "We Are the Dead" from their album Don't Say We Didn't Warn You.

Chart performance[]

"Poison" reached number-one in Finland and was a top five hit in Norway. The song also reached #24 in Sweden, and #23 in Switzerland.[9]

Charts[]

Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[10] 64
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[11] 1
Ireland (IRMA) 3
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[12] 5
Netherlands (Dutch Single Tip)[13] 8
Norway (VG-lista)[14] 5
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 24
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 23
UK Singles (OCC)[17] 15

References[]

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 4 March 1995. p. 31. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  2. ^ Beaumont, Mark (December 20, 2012). "The Prodigy – review". Retrieved November 4, 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
  3. ^ Bush, John. "The Prodigy – Music for the Jilted Generation". AllMusic. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  4. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard magazine. April 15, 1995. p. 49. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  5. ^ Beatnik, Brad (July 9, 1994). "Hot Vinyl: Albums" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 6. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  6. ^ Hamilton, James (March 4, 1995). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 11. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  7. ^ "Single Files". Vibe. June 1, 1995. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  8. ^ Saxelby, Ruth. "Clark: Feast / Beast". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  9. ^ "australian-charts.com - The Prodigy - Poison". australian-charts.com. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  10. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 23 July 1995". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved 1 June 2017. N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached.
  11. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  12. ^ "The Prodigy – Poison" (in Dutch). top40.nl. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  13. ^ "THE PRODIGY - POISON" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  14. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Prodigy – Poison". VG-lista.
  15. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Prodigy – Poison". Singles Top 100.
  16. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Prodigy – Poison". Swiss Singles Chart.
  17. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.

External links[]

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