Soundtrack of My Life

Song: Something to Believe In
Artist: Poison
Album: Flesh & Blood (1990)

Dropping Slaughter earlier in July was just because the song was fitting to my current state.

Pulling out some Poison is an ode to The Hair Metal Days that everyone went through - whether for or against - and it's all Chuck Klosterman's fault.

I'm currently reading Klosterman's first effort - Fargo Rock City - where he chronicles his growing up with Heavy Metal. Like all his work since, it's not one long narrative, but rather fractured, essay type pieces on different, related topics, including one simply titled "Poison."

I used to draw the Poison logo on just about everything. I loved these guys. How could you not?

Okay - you could easily have not, but still, I did and while there were more popular songs (Nothin' But A Good Time), better karaoke tunes (Every Rose...) and ridiculous up-beat stupidity (Unskinny Bop), this track actually has something to say.

For a Hair Metal / Glam Metal / Whateveryouwanttocallthem Metal band like Poison, that's pretty heady stuff.

I drive by the homeless sleeping on a cold dark street
Like bodies in an open grave
Underneath the broken old neon sign
That used to read jesus saves

A mile away live the rich folks
And I see how theyre living it up
While the poor they eat from hand to mouth
The rich is drinkin from a golden cup

And it just makes me wonder
Why so many lose, so few win

While the band went into serious decline following this album's release - and despite Rock of Love being a VH1 smash - Poison's best years are long behind them. Now they're that band you get to wax nostalgic about like I am now.

I remember when Poison was on top of the world - Get out your hair spray!