I Won't Forget You

"I Won't Forget You"
Single by Poison
from the album Look What the Cat Dragged In
B-side"Blame It on You"
ReleasedAugust 5, 1987
Recorded1986
Genre
Length3:38
LabelEnigma/Capitol Records
Songwriter(s)Dall; Deville; Michaels; Rockett
Producer(s)Ric Browde
Poison singles chronology
"I Want Action"
(1987)
"I Won't Forget You"
(1987)
"Rock and Roll All Nite"
(1987)

"I Won't Forget You" is a power ballad by the American glam metal band Poison, originally from the album Look What the Cat Dragged In.

Released as a single in 1987 on the Enigma label of Capitol Records, the song peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in The US, and is considered one of Poison's best songs.[1]

Background

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The song, along with "Talk Dirty to Me", "Fallen Angel" and "Ride the Wind", was the subject of a lawsuit in 2011 by members of the defunct band Kid Rocker, who claimed that the songs were based on Kid Rocker songs played to the Poison guitarist C.C. DeVille before he was a member of Poison.[2]

The live, daytime concert footage for the official music video for "I Won't Forget You" was recorded at the 1987 Texxas Jam in Dallas, Texas. Nighttime concert footage was filmed at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine. Despite the song's success, it was dropped from the band's live shows in 1988 and did not return to the setlist until 2003, as noted by the vocalist Bret Michaels that year when the band was about to play the song.

Reception

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"I Won't Forget You" is widely regarded as one of Poison's best songs. In 2017, Billboard and OC Weekly ranked the song number eight and number six, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest Poison songs.[3][4]

Personnel

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  • Bret Michaels - Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals
  • C.C. DeVille - Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar (Used in the choruses and sporadically in the verses), Backing Vocals
  • Bobby Dall - Bass, Backing Vocals
  • Rikki Rockett - Drums, Backing Vocals

Charts

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Chart (1987) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[5] 38
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[6] 37
US Billboard Hot 100[7] 13

References

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  1. ^ "Poison's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Poison Responds To Song Theft Allegations". Blabbermouth. 27 October 2011. Archived from the original on 29 October 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
    - Crawford, Allyson B. (24 October 2011). "Poison Face Copyright Lawsuit". Noisecreep. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
    - Sciarretto, Amy (22 October 2011). "Poison Accused of Plagiarism on Their Biggest Hits". Loudwire. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
    - "Poison May Have Stolen Some of Their Songs After All". Metal Sucks. 17 November 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  3. ^ Titus, Christa (5 July 2017). "Poison's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  4. ^ Silver, Michael (13 June 2017). "The 10 Best Poison Songs". OC Weekly. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0905." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  6. ^ "Poison – I Won't Forget You". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  7. ^ "Poison Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2024.