“Poison” by Aaliyah & The Weeknd

Even though thematically “Poison” evolves around a metaphor, the lyrics are actually pretty simple. And that is perhaps to be expected considering they were for the most part written for a young female singer. 

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Aaliyah & The Weeknd's Poison at Lyrics.org.

Indeed The Weeknd is only tasked with adlibbing and holding down a terse chorus, and it would have perhaps been more accurate to list him as a feature of Aaliyah’s as opposed to a co-headliner. 

Lyrics of “Poison”

But in any event, what we are dealing with here is your standard heartbreak song. The primary vocalist has reached a point where, despite clearly being in love, she has concluded it is for the best that she and her lover for some unspecified amount of years, the addressee, go their separate ways. And it is with much remorse that she is making this final conclusion known to him.

Song’s Title (“Poison”)

Then as far as the title goes, the vocalist is proclaiming that addressee is ‘her poison’. And maybe that metaphor isn’t as simple as alluded to earlier. But let’s just say that such an assertion reads like a late-20th century way of saying that the addressee has proven to be a toxic partner. 

And adding salt to the emotional wound is the fact that the vocalist’s loved ones have told him/her not to give their heart away like that. Furthermore, in the aftermath of things having gone awry, on top of having a broken heart, the narrator is left “wondering where it all went wrong” in the first place.

Takeaway

So perhaps the biggest difference between “Poison” and your standard heartbreak song is that usually the vocalist can at least ascertain the cause of why the romance got messed up. But in this case it reads like one day everything was all good, and the next it’s like the two parties involved simply can’t get along. 

And despite the nature of the title/chorus, there really isn’t anything else contained in the lyrics which actually illustrates that the addressee is toxic. So this may be a case of, as implied, two lovers growing apart. 

But at the same there is definitely a sentiment of victimization being relayed by the vocalist, if nothing else having been blindsided by this sudden and seemingly irrevocable less-than-favorable emotional change in circumstances.

Aaliyah & The Weeknd, "Poison" Lyrics

Release Date of “Poison”

This track was issued on 17 December 2021. This was over 20 years after Aaliyah tragically died in mid-2001 at the age of 22. And the label that put it out is Blackground Records. The said label was founded by a couple of Aaliyah’s family members.

Aaliyah died at the time her fame was at its peak and was still set to rise even more. Usually in such cases, the music industry would be treated to a number of posthumous works. However, throughout the years, Blackground has been infamously stringent regarding that. The label has been extremely rigid not only in terms of allowing other artists use the late Aaliyah’s vocals but also in regards to making her old material available

As such, prior to “Poison” the most recent track in her discography is a 2012 collaboration with Drake entitled “Enough Said“. And of course “Poison” marks Aaliyah’s first collaboration with The Weeknd. And by the way, it’s important to take into account for instance that Abel would have only been 11 years old when she passed away.

Furthermore “Poison” serves as the lead single from “Unstoppable”. “Unstoppable” holds the distinction of being Aaliyah’s first posthumous studio album.

Some More Interesting Facts

A notable segment of Aaliyah’s fandom did not take kindly to this song’s release. And why? Because to them, the use of her vocals so many years after her passing is nothing short of an opportunistic move on the part of The Weeknd and Blackground.

Another deceased musician, Static Major (1974-2008), played an important role in putting this song together. That is to say that Static was a behind-the-scenes’ man who worked regularly with Aaliyah. And as such he co-wrote “Poison”. The Weeknd is the other credited writer. Meanwhile, the producers of this track are Nick Lamb and DannyBoyStyles.

Poison

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