In my quest for 7″ singles with Picture Sleeves, I found another great 80’s single and this one is for Poison. The song is a cover of Loggins & Messina’s “Your Mama Don’t Dance” and was released as a single for Poison on February 1, 1989. The song reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went Gold which the Loggins & Messina version also went Gold while their version went to #4. So, not too different from one another. The song can be found on Poison’s second album, ‘Open Up and Say…Ahh!’
My version of the single is the U.S. promo as it says “Not for Sale” on the 7″ single label. There is no B-Side as “Your Mama Don’t Dance” is on both sides of the single. If you were to find the actual single for the song, the B-Side would be “Tearin’ Down the Walls” also from the ‘Open Up and Say…Ahh!’ album.
The song is about the generational gap between kids and parents. The parents don’t agree with that rock & roll and all the degenerative behavior. It is based off what happened during the ’50’s and ’60’s with the onslaught of that new fangled thing called Rock & Roll. The lyrics are cliched with all stereotypes from that era. It was also based a little on what Jim Messina went through with his mom and step-father.
The Loggins & Messina version is a classic rock/blues track, but Poison bring it full fledged into the 80’s and glam it up. They turn up the electric guitars as C.C. really has a lot of fun with it. Rikki Rockett pounds away with that snare beat. Bobby Dall’s bass lays down a groovy blues bass line. Bret Michael’s sings it with a fun swagger and the band really has their way with turning this song into a big party song. It is not a favorite Poison song of mine, but it is a blast to listen to and would make a fun live song.
And there you have it. Another single in the collection has been brought to your attention. Not much to go through since it is a promo and only one song, but still cool to have for me. I am trying to save all the 80’s rock picture sleeves or at least as many as I can find when I’m out digging. Thanks for hanging around! Until next time, have a great day.
GOT IT! My first reaction? Thank God the makeup is gone.
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Yes, a step in the right direction by dropping that.
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They were ahead of the game in that regard. By 1990, everyone would drop the makeup, even EZO.
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Great stuff Snowman. This Thursday on Retro Throwdown, Jex shows up and we discuss Open Up … This song is discussed as well. Cheap plug…sorry. Crazy that the same song is on both sides. Guess It made it easier for the DJ’s back in the day.
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I saw that on YouTube. Can’t wait. Two great albums. And yes, DJ’s I guess were lazy back then.
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Wow, the members of Poison really did dress ridiculous back then! Also, I’m not the biggest fan of covers, so when I first found out that “You’re Mama Don’t Dance” was a cover, I was disappointed because the track was so good lol!
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It didn’t bother me too much that it was a cover, I just didn’t think it was the best song to cover.
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Ah interesting. What song would you have chosen then,
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I don’t know, but that wasn’t a good one is all I know.
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Well, it worked for them, at least!
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I wasn’t a fan of cover songs at this point in time, preferring original material over covers.
But Poison do make it their own and it’s perfect for their sound.
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