Poison (Alice Cooper song)

“Poison” is a song by American musician Alice Cooper. Written by Cooper, producer Desmond Child and guitarist John McCurry, the song was released as a single in July 1989 from Cooper’s eighteenth album, Trash. It became one of Cooper’s biggest hit singles in the United States, peaking at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. The song performed even better in the UK by peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart.

“Poison” marked a major comeback for Alice Cooper, becoming his first Top 10 hit in the US and UK for 12 and 16 years respectively, and remains one of his best known songs. It is ranked by Billboard as the “91st top song of 1989”, while Ultimate Classic Rock ranked it as the “7th best Alice Cooper song”, commenting “Poison sounds like a typical ’80s pop-metal number at times, but Cooper’s intensity brings it to a whole other level.” The song’s main riff was written by guitarist John McCurry, who two years earlier had used it for the John Waite track “Encircled”.

Music video

There are two versions of the video to the song, one of which shows Alice Cooper being chained to a bizarre mechanism and singing while a ghostly woman looms over him. The original video had to be censored for showings during the day, due to shots of a topless model. Rana Kennedy plays the roles of both women in the video but the topless scene were shot with a body double. This is notably visible in the video. The studios in which the video was filmed in spring of 1989 have since been torn down and are now a parking lot in Los Angeles. The video is still often played on MTV Classic’s Metal Mayhem.

Personnel

Alice Cooper – lead and backing vocals

John McCurry – lead and rhythm guitar

Hugh McDonald – bass guitar, backing vocals

Bobby Chouinard – drums

Alan St. James – keyboards

Charts

Certifications

Cover versions

The Vandals, 1993

Groove Coverage, 2003

Husky Rescue, 2007

Tarja, 2007

Baracuda, 2008 (sampled in “Where Is The Love”, alongside Amaranth by Nightwish)

Alex Day, 2013

Powerwolf, 2023

Exit Eden, 2024 (Femmes Fatales)

Film and media usage

Tango & Cash, 1989

The Jackal, 1997

End of Days, 1999

Mean Creek, 2004

Pineapple Express, 2008

A modified version of the song was featured in a February 2011 television ad campaign for the Volkswagen Passat.

Spartacus Vengeance, 2012

== References ==