Poison Ivy (song)
Encyclopedia
"Poison Ivy" is a popular song by American songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
. It was originally recorded by The Coasters
in 1959. It went to #1 on the R&B chart and #7 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart. This was their third top-ten hit of that year following "Charlie Brown
" and "Along Came Jones
".
The song discusses a girl named Ivy, calling her "Poison Ivy" because of her reputation
with men as a player. The song makes references to other flowers such as a rose
and a daisy
, and diseases like measles
, mumps
, chickenpox
, the common cold
, and whooping cough. In a recently published biography about Jerry Lieber & Mike Stoller, the song's authors, it was revealed that the song's lyrics are about sexually-transmitted disease, not the illnesses previously thought.
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Jerome "Jerry" Leiber and Mike Stoller were American songwriting and record producing partners. Stoller was the composer and Leiber the lyricist. Their most famous songs include "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock", "Kansas City", "Stand By Me" Jerome "Jerry" Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011)...
. It was originally recorded by The Coasters
The Coasters
The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group that had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller...
in 1959. It went to #1 on the R&B chart and #7 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart. This was their third top-ten hit of that year following "Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown (song)
"Charlie Brown" is a popular Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller song that was a top-ten hit for The Coasters in the spring of 1959 . It went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts, and was the first of three top-ten hits for the Coasters that year...
" and "Along Came Jones
Along Came Jones (song)
"Along Came Jones" is a comedic song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and originally recorded by The Coasters, but covered by many other groups and individuals.-The song:...
".
The song discusses a girl named Ivy, calling her "Poison Ivy" because of her reputation
Reputation
Reputation of a social entity is an opinion about that entity, typically a result of social evaluation on a set of criteria...
with men as a player. The song makes references to other flowers such as a rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
and a daisy
Bellis perennis
Bellis perennis is a common European species of Daisy, often considered the archetypal species of that name. Many related plants also share the name "Daisy", so to distinguish this species from other daisies it is sometimes qualified as Common Daisy, Lawn Daisy or occasionally English daisy. It is...
, and diseases like measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
, mumps
Mumps
Mumps is a viral disease of the human species, caused by the mumps virus. Before the development of vaccination and the introduction of a vaccine, it was a common childhood disease worldwide...
, chickenpox
Chickenpox
Chickenpox or chicken pox is a highly contagious illness caused by primary infection with varicella zoster virus . It usually starts with vesicular skin rash mainly on the body and head rather than at the periphery and becomes itchy, raw pockmarks, which mostly heal without scarring...
, the common cold
Pertussis
Pertussis, also known as whooping cough , is a highly contagious bacterial disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. Symptoms are initially mild, and then develop into severe coughing fits, which produce the namesake high-pitched "whoop" sound in infected babies and children when they inhale air...
, and whooping cough. In a recently published biography about Jerry Lieber & Mike Stoller, the song's authors, it was revealed that the song's lyrics are about sexually-transmitted disease, not the illnesses previously thought.
Cover versions
- The Dave Clark FiveThe Dave Clark FiveThe Dave Clark Five were an English pop rock group. Their single "Glad All Over" knocked The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the top of the UK singles charts in January 1964: it eventually peaked at No.6 in the United States in April 1964.They were the second group of the British Invasion,...
recorded and released a version in 1963. It was released as part of an E.P.
- The ParamountsThe ParamountsThe Paramounts were an English beat group, based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. They had one hit single with their cover version of "Poison Ivy", which reached #35 on the UK Singles Chart in 1964, but are primarily known as the fore-runner to Procol Harum....
recorded and released a version in 1963. It released as both a single (1963) and as part of a E.P (released 1964). The single version got to #35 on the U.K Charts. - The Rolling StonesThe Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
recorded two different versions in 1963, the second version appeared on the EP The Rolling Stones, released early 1964. The first version appeared on a 1972 compilation of the Rolling Stones called More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies)More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies)More Hot Rocks is the second compilation album of Rolling Stones music released by former manager Allen Klein's ABKCO Records after the band's departure from Decca and Klein...
. - The song was also a massive nationwide hit for Australian group Billy Thorpe & The AztecsBilly Thorpe & the AztecsBilly Thorpe and the Aztecs were an Australian pop and rock group dating from the mid-sixties. The group enjoyed huge success in the mid-1960s, but split in 1967. They re-emerged in the early seventies to become one of the most popular Australian hard-rock bands of the period...
in 1964, famously knocking The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
off the #1 spot on the charts there, even though they were touring the country at the time. - The HolliesThe HolliesThe Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
recorded a version in the 1960s. - HansonHanson (band)Hanson are an American pop rock band formed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by brothers Isaac , Taylor , and Zac Hanson . They are best known for the 1997 hit song "MMMBop" from their major label debut album Middle of Nowhere, which earned three Grammy nominations...
recorded a version included on their first independant album, Boomerang. - Versions were also later recorded by The PuppetsThe PuppetsThe Puppets were an English pop/beat group from Preston, Lancashire, that were managed and recorded by Joe Meek. They backed artists such as Brenda Lee, The Ronettes, Dee Dee Sharp, Gene Vincent, Vince Eager,Marty Wilde,Michael Cox,Duffy Power,Jess Conrad Crispian St. Peters, Billy Fury and...
, Manfred MannManfred MannManfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band...
and The Lords in the mid-1960s. - The LambrettasThe LambrettasThe Lambrettas were an English mod revival band, active in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Named after the iconic Italian Lambretta scooter brand popular among Mods, the band was formed in Lewes...
in 1980, who performed a "Mod" version of the song which reached #7 in the British charts. - Linda McCartneyLinda McCartneyLinda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
recorded the song in 1987 and her cover was released on her posthumous album Wide PrairieWide PrairieWide Prairie is a posthumous compilation by Linda McCartney. The album was compiled and released in 1998 by Paul McCartney after his wife's death, after a fan wrote in enquiring about "Seaside Woman"; a reggae beat type song which Wings had recorded in 1977, under the name Suzy and the Red...
in 1998. - A hip-hop version was also recorded in 1988 by Young & Restless.
- It was also covered by Chris BurkeChris Burke (actor)Christopher Joseph "Chris" Burke is an American actor, living with Down syndrome, who has become best known for his character Charles "Corky" Thacher on the television series Life Goes On.- Early Years :...
. - In 1997, a trip-hop version of the song with slightly altered lyrics was recorded by Meshell Ndegeocello. Her cover was included on the Batman & Robin soundtrack, in which Poison Ivy the villainess, was a main character.
- In 2007 Los StraitjacketsLos StraitjacketsLos Straitjackets is an American instrumental rock band that formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1988. Originally comprising guitarists Danny Amis and Eddie Angel and drummer L. J. "Jimmy" Lester under the name The Straitjackets, the band split up soon after forming and reunited as Los Straitjackets...
released a Spanish-language cover of the song titled "La Hiedra Venenosa," on their album Rock en Español, Vol. 1. - 60s Brazilian artist Rita LeeRita LeeRita Lee Jones Carvalho , simply known as Rita Lee, is a Brazilian rock singer and composer. Lee continues to be a popular figure in Brazilian entertainment, where she is also known for being an animal rights activist and a vegetarian...
has recently released a cover version of "Poison Ivy" translated to Portuguese and titled "Erva Venenosa". Rita's version features a more modern approach and have played a lot on Brazilian radio. - In 2008 the Italian ska band Giuliano Palma & the BluebeatersGiuliano Palma & the BluebeatersGiuliano Palma and the Bluebeaters are a rising cover band in Italy and perform a mix of reggae, ska and rocksteady. Formed in 1994, the Bluebeaters comprises musicians of the Italian groups Casino Royale , of Africa Unite and of the Fratelli di Soledad .-Members as of 2005:* Giuliano...
recorded a version of this song in their album Boogaloo. - In 1964 Turkish musician Baris Manco recorded a French version for Henri Salvadors Rigola label
- It was also covered by The Romantics on the 1985 LP: "Rhythm Romance".
Popular culture references
- The song is sung by Rack 'Em Rack Willie from The Damn Show on numerous occasion
- The song was included in the musical revue "Smokey Joe's CafeSmokey Joe's CafeSmokey Joe's Cafe is a musical revue showcasing 39 pop standards, including rock and roll, rhythm and blues songs written by songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller...
" - An instrumental only version of the song features distinctly in the soundtrack playing during the first appearance of the villain Poison Ivy in the 1997 film 'Batman and Robin'