Pretty Poison
Encyclopedia
Pretty Poison is a Dance
group based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. Group members are Jade Starling
(lead vocalist
); Whey Cooler (keyboardist
/guitarist
); and Kaya Pryor (percussionist
).
chart
. In 1987 their song "Catch Me (I'm Falling)
" was featured in the Jon Cryer
movie
Hiding Out
, and with heavy MTV
exposure, it became a top 10 U.S.
Billboard Hot 100
hit, peaking at #8. The song also went to #1 on the dance chart. The B-side
contained a shorter "Spanish Mix" vocal. A re-recorded version of "Nighttime" became their second Hot 100 hit, climbing to number 36. Pretty Poison opened for The Clockmen in May 1986 at Drexel University's "Battle of the Bands".
Pretty Poison had several more dance chart entries, the most recent being a new version of "Catch Me (I'm Falling)" which hit #43 in 1998.
February 2009 saw the release of new song "Finga Lickin' Good" on iTunes. A new CD was scheduled for release in the summer.
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
group based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Group members are Jade Starling
Jade Starling
Jade Starling is an American singer/songwriter, and the lead vocalist for 1980s band Pretty Poison. Born in New York City, NY, she moved to Philadelphia, PA and currently lives in New Jersey. Starling is a gay-rights activist and an avid supporter of same-sex marriage...
(lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
); Whey Cooler (keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
/guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
); and Kaya Pryor (percussionist
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
).
History
They charted for the first time in 1984 with the song "Nighttime", which hit number 14 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club PlayHot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. In 1987 their song "Catch Me (I'm Falling)
Catch Me (I'm Falling)
"Catch Me " is a dance-pop song released by the American group Pretty Poison in 1987. It was included on the soundtrack to the film Hiding Out, which starred Jon Cryer and came out the same year; the song later appeared on Pretty Poison's debut album, Catch Me I'm Falling...
" was featured in the Jon Cryer
Jon Cryer
Jonathan Niven "Jon" Cryer is an American actor, screenwriter and film producer. He is the son of actress–singer Gretchen Cryer. He made his motion picture debut in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair, but gained greater fame as "Duckie" in the 1986 John Hughes-scripted film Pretty in Pink...
movie
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
Hiding Out
Hiding Out
Hiding Out is a 1987 movie starring Jon Cryer as a Wall Street broker "hiding out" as a high-school student as the mob tries to kill him.- Plot :...
, and with heavy MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
exposure, it became a top 10 U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
hit, peaking at #8. The song also went to #1 on the dance chart. The B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
contained a shorter "Spanish Mix" vocal. A re-recorded version of "Nighttime" became their second Hot 100 hit, climbing to number 36. Pretty Poison opened for The Clockmen in May 1986 at Drexel University's "Battle of the Bands".
Pretty Poison had several more dance chart entries, the most recent being a new version of "Catch Me (I'm Falling)" which hit #43 in 1998.
February 2009 saw the release of new song "Finga Lickin' Good" on iTunes. A new CD was scheduled for release in the summer.
Singles
- "Gimme Gimme Your Autograph/Kill You" (1981 Poison Pops)
- "No Tears/Sakii" (1982 "The Bob Magazine" flexidisc)
- "Expiration/The Realm of Existence" (1983 Svengali Records)
- "Nighttime" (1984 Svengali Records)
- "Catch Me (I'm Falling)Catch Me (I'm Falling)"Catch Me " is a dance-pop song released by the American group Pretty Poison in 1987. It was included on the soundtrack to the film Hiding Out, which starred Jon Cryer and came out the same year; the song later appeared on Pretty Poison's debut album, Catch Me I'm Falling...
" (1987 Svengali Records/Virgin Records) - "Nighttime" (1988 Virgin Records)
- "When I Look Into Your Eyes" (1988 Virgin Records)
- "Catch Me I'm Falling '98" (1998 Svengali Records)
- "Better, Better, Be Good To Me" (1992 Svengali Records)
- "Finga Lickin' Good" (2009)
Albums
- Laced EP (1983 Svengali Records)
- Catch Me I'm FallingCatch Me I'm Falling (album)"Catch Me I'm Falling" is a 1984 song by Australian New Wave/Synthpop band Real Life, released on the album Heartland. It built on the success of "Send Me an Angel".The song is about living out one's dreams.- Music video :...
(1988 Virgin Records) - Deflowered (performing as Sex In Violets) (1995 Svengali Records)
- Greatest Hits vol. 1 (1997 Svengali Records)
- Euphoria (1998 Svengali Records)
Remixes
- "Let Freedom Ring" Josh WinkJosh WinkJosh Wink is an electronic music DJ, label owner, producer, remixer, and artist. He is a native of Philadelphia, United States. A pioneering DJ in the American rave scene during the early 1990s, Wink was the most prominent exponent of the tribal forms of techno and house in the U.S...
- "Better, Better, Be Good To Me" Anthony Cruise
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart