Pony (Ginuwine song)

"Pony" is the debut single of American R&B singer Ginuwine, released as a single from his first LP Ginuwine...The Bachelor in 1996. The song was written by Ginuwine with Swing Mob associates Static Major and Timbaland, who produced the recording. The song's lyrics describe a blatant sexual come-on: "If you're horny, let's do it / Ride it; my pony."

Content

Timbaland's production was unique among R&B releases of the day: "Pony"'s instrumentation features a start-stop rhythm pattern similar to drum and bass music, a bassline and melody formed by vocoded vocal samples, and a cartoon slide whistle. Along with his concurrent work for Aaliyah's One in a Million LP, "Pony" and Ginuwine...the Bachelor marked the emergence of Timbaland as a successful R&B producer. The beat was also used for a remix of Jodeci's song "Freek'n You".

Commercial performance

The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for two weeks from November 16, 1996 to November 30, 1996 and reached number six on Billboard's Hot 100 on November 23, 1996.

Ginuwine

Elgin Baylor Lumpkin (born October 15, 1970), better known by his stage name Ginuwine, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actor. Signed to Epic Records since the mid-1990s, Ginuwine had released a number of multi-platinum and platinum-selling albums and singles, becoming one of R&B's top artists during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Biography

Ginuwine was born on October 15, 1970 in Washington, D.C. He is named after NBA legend Elgin Baylor, who is also a Washington native. In 1993, he graduated from Forestville High School (now known as Forestville Military Academy) in Forestville, Maryland and later graduated from Prince George's Community College in Largo, Maryland with a paralegal associate's degree.

Career

Music

Ginuwine began his career as a member of Swing Mob, a Rochester, New York-based record label and music compound founded by Donald "DeVante Swing" DeGrate, the leader of popular 90's R&B group Jodeci. There, he met rapper Melissa "Missy" Elliott, singer-songwriter Stephen "Static Major" Garrett and producer Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, who became his main collaborators through the 1990s. After Swing Mob folded, they continued working together on different projects, one of which was Ginuwine's 1996 debut album, titled Ginuwine...The Bachelor. The first single, "Pony", written by Static Major, showcased his smooth vocals and Timbaland's innovative production style, and the two became a hit-making duo. "Pony" peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was used in a karaoke scene from the film Wild Hogs in 2007. It was used again in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV in 2008. In 2012, "Pony" was featured in a strip tease dance performed by Channing Tatum in the film Magic Mike. Mike Patton and Rahzel together perform a cover of "Pony" during their concerts. Ginuwine covered Prince's "When Doves Cry" single from the movie soundtrack Purple Rain.

100% Ginuwine

100% Ginuwine is the second studio album from American R&B artist Ginuwine, released March 16, 1999, on 550 Music and distributed through Epic Records. It featured the hit singles "What's So Different?", "So Anxious" and "Same Ol' G".

The album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 chart. By August 2000 it was certified double platinum in sales by the RIAA, after sales exceeding two million copies in the United States.

Release and reception

The album peaked at five on the U.S. Billboard 200 and reached the second spot on the R&B Albums chart. The album was certified gold in June 1999 and double platinum by August 2000.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic stated that the album included "more inventive productions and a stronger set of songs" than Ginuwine's previous work. Erlewine gave credit to producer Timbaland's instrumentals but still remarked that "Ginuwine remains the star of the show, thanks to his rich, inviting voice."

Track listing

Chart history

Album

Singles

"—" denotes releases that did not chart.
¹ "Same Ol' G" was released as a single from the soundtrack to the film Dr. Dolittle and later added to the track list of 100% Ginuwine.