Top 10 Alert!
Song#: 3493
Date: 04/23/1988
Debut: 82
Peak: 6
Weeks: 19
Genre: Hard Rock, Glam Metal
Pop Bits: Poison's debut album, Look What the Cat Dragged In, had a rough start. Released in the fall of '86, its first single tanked and it left the LP and the band hanging on by a thread. A second single was finally released in March of '87 and it quickly turned things around for Poison. "Talk Dirty to Me" would become an unexpected #9 Pop hit that turned the band into stars. The album would get to #3 thanks to that hit along with the #13 "I Won't Forget You." It would eventually sell over three million copies. After a tour supporting the album, the band got back into the studio to record a follow-up that would be titled Open Up and Say...Ahh! This first single was released and thanks to their newfound popularity along with heavy MTV rotation for the video, the song moved on up to become their second Pop Top 10. Surprisingly, it became their first track to make the Rock chart where it got to #19. By June, the LP would already be certified platinum and the following month it would reach its peak of #2.
ReduxReview: I really wasn't on the Poison band wagon at the time and this party anthem didn't do much to get me on board. I was a good boy, so this loud, raucous music by hoodlums was not in my wheelhouse. Of course things change over time and I stopped being such a prude after getting some life experience, so years later this song made a lot more sense to me and I developed an appreciation for it. The song was prime for the pop/metal crowd and had a sing-a-long hook that could shake an arena apart. It came along at the exact right time when glam metal was gaining more acceptance at pop radio. The tune was ear candy for a wide ranging audience and it was any easy Top 10'er. The band had certainly upped their game.
ReduxRating: 7/10
Trivia: Poison were not shy when it came to their hard partying ways or anything that might cause a stir and for their second LP, they certainly courted controversy with their cover art selection. The original album cover featured a fiery red demonic looking woman with wild hair and green eyes. If left to just that, there probably wouldn't have been an issue. However, what pushed the image into controversial territory was that the woman had a huge, pointed tongue that she was sticking out. That along with the album's title, Open Up and Say...Ahh!, was enough to rankle some folks. In particular, those who ran large chain stores that carried music. Walmart in particular was not happy with the image and refused to stock the LP. A few other retailers followed suit. Of course most anytime when something like this gets banned, it only generates extra publicity and makes people want it more. For the band, it boosted their bad boy image, which only heightened their popularity, but there was a downfall. These major retailers were often the only place people could get records at the time, especially in rural areas so a ban on an album could certainly cut into sales. Because of that, the band and their label decided to change the cover. The new design basically put black bars across the top and bottom third of the original image so that the center strip just featured the creature's eyes. This seemed fine for retailers who then began to stock the album. It would end up being the right call because the album would eventually sell over five million copies.
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