"Poor Georgie"
Cover of the single in cassette format
Single by MC Lyte
from the album Act Like You Know
B-side"Search 4 The Lyte"
ReleasedDecember 12, 1991[1]
GenreGolden age hip hop
Length4:30
LabelFirst Priority, Atlantic Records
Songwriter(s)Lana Moorer, Ivan Antonio Rodriguez, David Paich[2]
Producer(s)DJ Doc
MC Lyte singles chronology
"When in Love"
(1991)		 "Poor Georgie"
(1991)		 "Eyes Are the Soul"
(1992)
Music video
"Poor Georgie" on YouTube

"Poor Georgie" is the second single from hip-hop artist MC Lyte's third album Act Like You Know (1991). The song was produced by Ivan 'Doc' Rodriguez, and released on December 12, 1991.[1] The song seeks to convey an anti-addiction message, through the story of George and the dysfunctional relationship MC Lyte has with this individual with self-destructive behaviors.[3][4] It features a sample of "Georgy Porgy" by rock band Toto.

"Poor Georgie" become Lyte's first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 83 in March 1992.[5] It also reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart,[6] and became her second chart topping single on the Hot Rap Singles chart.[7] The accompanying music video featured an appearance by a then 16-year-old Lauryn Hill.

Conception and composition

During an interview with Vibe in 2011 Lyte stated on the composition of the song:

“‘Poor Georgie’ was straight up storytelling. I just put every possible bad thing that could happen to someone in one song [laughs]. That was in itself humorous. With that song, I just wanted to paint a picture and have it hit people on all fronts. So if you don’t drink, well what about if you smoke? You don’t smoke, what about if you drink? This is what you stand to face if you do harmful things to your body.”[8]

During another interview in 2013 she says:

“So there are times with songs like “Poor Georgie” that when I heard it, it made me feel like oh my god this is a story about a man who has some deep problems and deep issues(...) To a large degree I knew I needed to talk about drugs and the effect it had on people. In Brooklyn there were weed smokers, dope dealers and people dying. In Harlem, where I would spend my weekends, there was heroin and you’d see people nodding out in the middle of the damn street. You would see people with holes in their arms or their legs because they couldn’t find anymore veins to put something into. In Queens there was crack and in Harlem as well. I just knew my mission would be to try to educate my generation about the usage of drugs, selling it or being the drug dealer’s girlfriend and you wind up shot or in jail because of it. So I did make a conscious effort of that at a very young age.”[9]

The song was produced by Ivan 'Doc' Rodríguez, who had previously worked remixed other songs by MC Lyte, including Cappucino.[10]

The music video for "Poor Georgie" was released in September 1991 and features an appearance by 16-year-old Lauryn Hill.[11]

Samples

The song contains multi-element samples from Toto's "Georgy Porgy", vocals from The Supremes' "My World Is Empty Without You", Michael Jackson's "I Wanna Be Where You Are", Jimmy Spicer's "The Bubble Bunch" hook. The song also samples the drums from Eric B. & Rakim's "Eric B. Is President". Additionally, MC Lyte interpolates "Just Be Good to Me" from the S.O.S. Band, from the second verse ("I don't care about the other girls, just be good to me!").

Appearances

"Poor Georgie" was included the compilation albums The Very Best of MC Lyte (2001), The Shit I Never Dropped (2003),[12] Rhyme Masters (2005),[13] Rhino Hi-Five: MC Lyte (2007),[14] and Cold Rock a Party - Best Of MC Lyte (2019).[15]

In February 1992, Lyte performed the song on the dance and music show Soul Train. In May 1992, she performed the song on In Living Color.[16]

Reception and influence

Gil Griffin of The Washington Post highlighted the song in the album review, commenting that it "brilliantly incorporates an old Toto sample."[17] In 1999, Ego Trip's editors ranked "Poor Georgie" at No. 22 in their list of Hip Hop's 40 Greatest Singles by Year 1991 in Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists.[18] In April 2015, the song was ranked No. 3 on VH1's list "The 25 Dopest Female Rap Tracks Of The Last 25 Years", noting that "Lyte’s cautionary tale of drunk driving once again proved that you could make folks dance and think at the same damn time."[19]

In a conversation about her influences, Grammy-nominated rapper Rapsody mentioned Poor Georgie as "the first song that made me wanna be a part of it."[20]

Accolades

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Ego Trip U.S. Hip Hop's 40 Greatest Singles by Year 1980–98[21] 1999 #22
The Boombox 20 Classic Hip-Hop Summer Love Song 2018 #18
uDiscoverMusic Best Hip-Hop Love Songs: 25 Tracks For 808s And Soulmates 2021 #23
VH1 The 25 Dopest Female Rap Tracks Of The Last 25 Years 2015 #3
(*) designates lists which are unordered.

Single track listing

7" Vinyl

    A-Side

    1. "Poor Georgie" (4:10)
      • Music By – DJ Doc

    B-Side

    1. "Search 4 The Lyte" (3:21)
      • Music By – King Of Chill

    12" Vinyl

    A-Side

    1. "Poor Georgie (LP Version)" (4:30)
    2. "Poor Georgie (Instrumental)" (4:30)

    B-Side

    1. "Search 4 The Lyte (LP Version)" (3:21)
    2. "Search 4 The Lyte (Instrumental)" (3:21)

    Cassette

    A-1

    1. "Poor Georgie (Edit)" (4:05)

    A-2

    1. "Search 4 The Lyte (LP Version)" (3:21)

    Personnel

    Credits are taken from the liner notes.[22]

    • Engineer – Ivan "Doc" Rodriguez (tracks: A1, A2), Yorum Vazan (tracks: B1, B2)
    • Lyrics By – MC Lyte
    • Producer – King Of Chill (tracks: B1, B2)
    • Producer, Mixed By – Dee Jay Doc (tracks: A1, A2)

    Charts

    Chart (1991–92) Peak
    position
    US Billboard Hot 100[23] 83
    US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[24] 11
    US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[25] 1

    See also

    References

    1. 1 2 "MC Lyte- Poor Georgie [Vinyl Single] (12 inch Vinyl Single - Atlantic #96230)". AllMusic.
    2. ↑ "ASCAP Repertory entry for this song". ASCAP. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
    3. ↑ "MC Lyte has words for a new generation". Chicago Tribune (website). May 6, 2003. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
    4. ↑ Mickey Hess (November 2009). Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide: Volume 1: East Coast and West Coast. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313343216. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
    5. ↑ "MC Lyte Album & Song Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
    6. ↑ "MC Lyte Album & Song Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
    7. ↑ "MC Lyte - US Hot Rap Songs". billboard.com. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
    8. ↑ MC Lyte (January 7, 2011). "Full Clip: MC Lyte Breaks Down Her Entire Catalogue (Brandy, Janet Jackson, LL Cool J & More)". Vibe.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
    9. ↑ "MC Lyte - The Classic Hip Hop Interview Archives". halftimeonline.net. January 14, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
    10. ↑ "iDoc , the Story of Ivan 'Doc' Rodriguez". Impose. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
    11. ↑ "MC Lyte". IMVDb. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
    12. ↑ "MC Lyte - The Shit I Never Dropped". AllMusic. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
    13. ↑ "MC Lyte - Rhyme Masters". AllMusic. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
    14. ↑ "Rhino Hi-Five: MC Lyte EP - MC Lyte - Release Info". Apple Music. 24 April 2007.
    15. ↑ "Cold Rock a Party Best Of - MC Lyte - Release Info". Apple Music. 6 January 1997.
    16. ↑ "In Living Color - Season 3 Episode 29 - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.
    17. ↑ Griffin, Gil (September 27, 1991). "RAPPING NOT ONLY ABOUT OPPOSITE SEX" – via The Washington Post (website).
    18. ↑ "Hip-Hop's Greatest Singles By Year (Ego Trip Magazine)". Genius. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
    19. ↑ "The 25 Dopest Female Rap Tracks Of The Last 25 Years". VH1 (website). April 30, 2015. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
    20. ↑ "Rapsody On How Queen Latifah, MC Lyte Influenced Her Music Career". O4L Online Network. February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
    21. ↑ "Hip-Hop's Greatest Singles By Year (Ego Trip Magazine)". Genius. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
    22. ↑ Poor Georgie / Search 4 The Lyte (track listing). M C Lyte. First Priority Music, Atlantic Street. 1991. 0-96230.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
    23. ↑ "MC Lyte Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
    24. ↑ "MC Lyte Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
    25. ↑ "MC Lyte Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
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