Unskinny Bop

"Unskinny Bop"
Single by Poison
from the album Flesh and Blood
B-side	"Valley of Lost Souls"
Released	June 18, 1990 (1990-06-18)
Genre	Glam metal[1][2][3] pop metal[4]
Length	3:48
Label	Capitol Enigma
Songwriter(s)	C.C. DeVille Bret Michaels Bobby Dall Rikki Rockett
Producer(s)	Bruce Fairbairn
Poison singles chronology
"Your Mama Don't Dance" (1989) "Unskinny Bop" (1990) "Something to Believe In" (1990)
Music videos
"Unskinny Bop" on YouTube

"Unskinny Bop" is a song by American glam metal band Poison, released as the first single from their third studio album, Flesh & Blood (1990), on June 18, 1990. The song peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, number five on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, and number one on Canada's The Record chart. It also entered the top 20 in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Background

The meaning of "Unskinny Bop" has always been shrouded in obscurity. C.C. DeVille later confessed that the phrase "unskinny bop" has no particular meaning: he invented it as a temporary measure while writing the song, before vocalist Bret Michaels had begun working on the lyrics.^[5] The phrase was used on the basis that it was phonetically suited to the music. The song was later played to producer Bruce Fairbairn, who stated that, although he did not know what an "unskinny bop" was, the phrase was perfect.^[5]

Music video

The music video for the song features Bret Michaels, dancing with a couple of animated neon cowgirls next to him.

Track listings

7-inch and cassette single^[6][7]

1. "Swampjuice (Soul-O)" – 1:26
2. "Unskinny Bop" – 3:47
3. "Valley of Lost Souls" – 5:37

12-inch and CD single^[8][9]

1. "Swampjuice (Soul-O)" – 1:26
2. "Unskinny Bop" – 3:47
3. "Valley of Lost Souls" – 5:37
4. "Poor Boy Blues" – 5:19

Japanese mini-CD single^[10]

1. "Unskinny Bop"
2. "Valley of Lost Souls"

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1990) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[11] 7 Canada (The Record)[12] 1 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] 3 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[14] 42 Ireland (IRMA)[15] 24 Italy (Musica e dischi)[16] 36 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] 34 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18] 3 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[19] 19 UK Singles (OCC)[20] 15 US Billboard Hot 100[21] 3 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[22] 5

Year-end charts Chart (1990) Position Australia (ARIA)[23] 28 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[24] 31 US Billboard Hot 100[25] 32 Decade-end charts Chart (1990–1999) Position Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[26] 62

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[27]	Gold	35,000^^
Canada (Music Canada)[28]	Gold	50,000^^
United States (RIAA)[29]	Gold	500,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	June 18, 1990	12-inch vinyl CD cassette	Capitol Enigma	[30]
	June 25, 1990	12-inch picture disc		[31]
Japan	June 29, 1990	Mini-CD	CBS/Sony	[32]

See also

• List of glam metal albums and songs

References

1. Earnest, Mark (April 18, 2018). "Coming Reno concerts: Melissa Etheridge, Kiefer Sutherland". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
2. Matt, Metal (February 21, 2014). "Achy-Breaky Too: Five Hair Metal Jams Destined For Rap Redux". MetalSucks. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
3. "Poison's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
4. Titus, Christa (July 5, 2017). "Poison's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard.
5. "In Samantha 7 Heaven: An Interview with C.C. DeVille of Samantha 7, by Cindy Harper, " Ink 19, Retrieved October 18, 2005.
6. Unskinny Bop (US 7-inch single vinyl disc). Poison. Capitol Records, Enigma Records. 1990. NR-44584.
7. Unskinny Bop (US cassette single sleeve). Poison. Capitol Records, Enigma Records. 1990. 4JM-44584.
8. Unskinny Bop (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). Poison. Capitol Records, Enigma Records. 1990. 12CL 582, 20 3923 6.
9. Unskinny Bop (UK CD single liner notes). Poison. Capitol Records, Enigma Records. 1990. CDCL582, 20 3923 2.
10. Unskinny Bop (Japanese mini-CD single liner notes). Poison. CBS/Sony. 1990. CSDS 8143.
11. "Poison – Unskinny Bop". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
12. Nanda Lwin (1999). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
13. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1286." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
14. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 29. July 21, 1990. p. IV.
15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Unskinny Bop". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
16. https://www.hitparadeitalia.it/indici/per_interprete/ap.htm
17. "Poison – Unskinny Bop" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
18. "Poison – Unskinny Bop". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
19. "Poison – Unskinny Bop". Singles Top 100. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
20. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
21. "Poison Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
22. "Poison Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
23. "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1990". ARIA. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
24. "End of Year Charts 1990". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
25. "1990 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 102, no. 51. December 22, 1990. p. YE-14.
26. Lwin, Nanda. "Top 100 singles of the 1990s". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 29, 2000. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
27. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1990 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
28. "Canadian single certifications – Poison – Unskinny Bop". Music Canada. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
29. "American single certifications – Poison – Unskinny Bop". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
30. "New Singles". Music Week. June 16, 1990. p. 31.
31. "New Singles". Music Week. June 23, 1990. p. 37.
32. "アンスキニー・バップ | ポイズン" [Unskinny Bop | Poison] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 23, 2024.