"I Want Action" is the third single from
Glam metal
Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam ...
band
Poison
Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...
, originally from the album ''
Look What the Cat Dragged In''.
The song was released as a single in 1987 on the Enigma label of
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
, and peaked at number 50 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. "I Want Action" was the first party anthem from the band and was followed by their first ballad, the top 20
''Billboard'' hit single "
I Won't Forget You".
Reception
''
Cash Box'' said that the song has Poison "at their resounding best," saying that "the tune is every bit as suggestive as its title, pouring on sex and incendiary guitars with a trowel."
Music video
The music video begins at a diner where a waitress is serving food to the band. After a groupie asks for a backstage pass, the band performs on stage.
Albums
On the 2006 re issue of ''
Look What the Cat Dragged In - 20th Anniversary Edition'' the 7" single remix of the song was released.
"I Want Action" is on the following albums.
* ''
Look What the Cat Dragged In''
* ''
Swallow This Live'' (live version)
* ''
Poison's Greatest Hits: 1986-1996''
* ''
Power to the People'' (live version)
* ''
The Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock''
* ''
Look What the Cat Dragged In - 20th Anniversary Edition''
* ''
Poison – Box Set (Collector's Edition)''
* ''
Double Dose: Ultimate Hits''
Charts
Uses in Media
*Featured during the opening credits of the 2003 comedy film
Pauly Shore Is Dead
''Pauly Shore Is Dead'' is a 2003 American mockumentary comedy film directed, produced, co-written by, and starring Pauly Shore. The film is a fake documentary that begins as a semi-autobiographical retelling of Shore's early success and dwindl ...
.
*Featured in the 2009 indie dramedy
Adventureland (film)
''Adventureland'' is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart and co-starring Ryan Reynolds, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Martin Starr, and Margarita Levieva. Set in the s ...
.
References
1986 songs
1987 singles
Songs written by Bobby Dall
Songs written by Bret Michaels
Songs written by Rikki Rockett
Songs written by C.C. DeVille
Poison (American band) songs
Enigma Records singles
Capitol Records singles
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