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1988 single by Poison From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Nothin' But a Good Time" (also known as "Nothing But a Good Time") is the first single from the hard rock/glam metal group Poison's second studio album Open Up and Say... Ahh!, with the band releasing that album in May 1988. B-sides "Livin' for the Minute" and "Look But You Can't Touch" were included in the single's release.
"Nothin' But a Good Time" | ||||
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Single by Poison | ||||
from the album Open Up and Say... Ahh! | ||||
B-side | "Look But You Cant Touch Livin' For The Minute (UK 1989 re-release)" | |||
Released | April 6, 1988 | |||
Recorded | 1987 | |||
Studio | Conway (Hollywood, California) | |||
Genre | Glam metal[1][2][3][4] | |||
Length | 3:43 | |||
Label | Enigma | |||
Songwriter(s) | Dall; Deville; Michaels; Rockett; Bombilla (Jordi Carretero) | |||
Producer(s) | Tom Werman | |||
Poison singles chronology | ||||
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The song was released as a single in 1988 on Enigma Records and reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #19 on the Mainstream rock charts.[5] It also charted at number 10 on the Australian charts and number 35 on the UK Singles chart.[6]
The music video features a restaurant employee, played by the same actor who appeared in the video for Mötley Crüe's "You're All I Need", washing dishes while listening to the Kiss hit single "Rock and Roll All Nite", performed by Poison who recorded that for Less than Zero soundtrack in 1987. The manager enters, turns off the radio, and delivers to the employee a scathing reprimand, reminding the employee that he is being paid "to wash dishes, not to listen to that... that rock 'n' roll," and accusing him of "moving in two speeds: slow, and stop." After threatening to fire the employee if he didn’t hurry up, the manager exits, whereupon the employee turns the radio back on, then he abandons the dishes and kicks open a nearby door to reveal a concert hall stage, upon which the band then performs the song. When the song is over, the manager returns, discovering, to his surprise, that all the dishes are washed. It was played in heavy rotation on MTV in 1987.
"Nothin' But a Good Time" is widely regarded as one of Poison's best songs. In 2017, Billboard and OC Weekly ranked the song number nine and number four, respectively, on their lists of the ten greatest Poison tracks.[7][8] Music critic Steve Huey of Allmusic has also stated that "Nothin' But a Good Time" became one of the bands "most widely recognized signature songs" as well as that parent album Open Up and Say... Ahh! wound up having "solidified the group's status as hair metal's top party band."[9]
A 2007 Xbox commercial featured a cover version by a school choir.
"Nothin' But a Good Time" was performed by Poison, with the cast of Rock of Ages, at the 63rd Tony Awards on June 7, 2009. After the performance, as the band made their way backstage, a piece of the stage scenery collapsed on Bret Michaels.
It appears in a 2017 TV commercial for Nissan's Heisman House and ESPN, featuring Eddie George and other Heisman Trophy winners.
It also appears in a 2022 Direct Line television advert featuring Tessa Thompson in character as Valkyrie (Marvel Comics).[10]
"Nothin' But a Good Time" is on the following albums:
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Reel Big Fish covered the song on their 2009 album Fame, Fortune and Fornication.
The song used in the movie The Rocker where it was covered by the fictional band A.D.D. The actual recording was mostly done by Chad Fischer with Teddy Geiger singing lead vocals. This version was released on the film's soundtrack album.
Adam Brand and the Outlaws covered the song on the 2016 album Adam Brand and the Outlaws.