Album: Ginuwine...The Bachelor (550 Music/ Epic)
Songwriters: Elgin Lumpkin, Timothy Mosley and Sean Garrett
Hit #1: November 16th, 1996 (2 Weeks)
Only a couple weeks after resuscitating Aaliyah's career with her sinewy #1 "If Your Girl Only Knew", Timbaland was back on top of the charts, this time thanks to an insane, syncopated belch bounce and a singer who slid and gyrated across the stage like an exotic dancer who had studied performance tapes of Michael Jackson and Bobby Brown ad nauseum.
The 1990's had birthed it's share of naughty R&B male crooners but few could touch the libidinous Ginuwine (government name: the very un-sexy Elgin Lumpkin), who had girls perfecting their bull-riding skills with his first single, "Pony", featuring the metaphorically thin chorus: "If you're horny/ Do it/ Ride it/ My pony".
With Timbaland waving his maestro wand over a futuristic beat-box orchestra embedded with cartoon-ish sound effects, Gin somehow manages to not acknowledge the track's alien-like outrageousness, too busy with his randy requests. "I'm just a bachelor/ Looking for a partner," he notes in this steamy want ad, "Someone who knows how to ride/ Without even falling off". Cue millions of freaky gals answering back in hopes of being the target of his sexual promises, mouths left dry with talk of tingling spines and juice-stained thighs.
Though his light tenor isn't all that distinguishing, Gin strains his plain croon with a growling sense of desperation, like he'll spontaneously combust if he doesn't find a girl right now that's fitting enough to join his "jockey team".
Beyond reigning supreme as one of Timbaland's best productions ever, "Pony"'s raunchy lyric and oft-kilter beat helped make Ginuwine an instant star as well as heavily-desired bachelor. Later releases would flesh out his sex-addict persona in a more ballad-y direction (a smart move that helped transition him into his less Timbaland-reliant years), but he would never again bring the thrills the way he did with this XXX-rated, club-friendly monster.
Best Moment: The keyboard tones that pop up near the end, closing things out with a tender edge (3:50).
DL: "Pony" (YFH)
3 comments:
I'm glad to have found this blog. The 90s definitely tops my list as one of the best decades in music.
Yea, I was a naughty teenager. I loved this song when it came out! I used to sing along "If you're horny, let's dooo it!" But um, I actually wasn't unlike a lot of teens today. *eye roll*
"metaphorically thin"... hahaha, you're very droll.
A true classic!
Post a Comment