B-side "Valley of Lost Souls" Recorded 1990 Length 3:48 | Released June 27, 1990 Genre Hard rock, glam metal Label Capitol | |
"Unskinny Bop" is a song by American glam metal band Poison, which was released as the first single from their 1990 Flesh & Blood album.
The song peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 5 on the Mainstream rock charts, number 15 in the UK and #7 on the Australian charts. This made it the band's second highest success, after "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". The music video for the song has Bret Michaels dancing with a couple of animated neon cowgirls next to him.
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. The phrase was used on the basis that it was phonetically suited to the music. The song was later played to producer Fairbairn, who stated that, although he did not know what an "unskinny bop" was, the phrase was perfect.