Poison (The Prodigy song)

"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.

"Poison"
Single by the Prodigy
from the album Music for the Jilted Generation
Released6 March 1995
Recorded1994
GenreBig beat[1]
Length4:05 (95 EQ)
6:42 (album version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Liam Howlett
The Prodigy singles chronology
"Voodoo People"
(1994)		 "Poison"
(1995)		 "Firestarter"
(1996)

Critical reception

Billboard wrote that the song "marks the rave outfit's first foray into hip-hop. They commented further 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." They also described the track as a "juicy jam", voiced by new band member Maxim Reality.[2] James Hunter from Vibe noted it as "an excellent post-techno techno thing that ought to become an enormous, obnoxious hit."[3]

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.

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”.[4]

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.[5]

Charts
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[6] 64
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[7] 1
Ireland (IRMA) 3
Norway (VG-lista)[8] 5
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[9] 24
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] 23
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[11] 15
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References
  1. Beaumont, Mark (December 20, 2012). "The Prodigy – review". Retrieved November 4, 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
  2. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard magazine. April 15, 1995. p. 49. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  3. "Single Files". Vibe. June 1, 1995. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  4. Saxelby, Ruth. "Clark: Feast / Beast". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  5. "australian-charts.com - The Prodigy - Poison". australian-charts.com. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  6. "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.
  7. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  8. "Norwegiancharts.com – The Prodigy – Poison". VG-lista.
  9. "Swedishcharts.com – The Prodigy – Poison". Singles Top 100.
  10. "Swisscharts.com – The Prodigy – Poison". Swiss Singles Chart.
  11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
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