{{short description|1991 single by MC Lyte}} {{Infobox song | name = Poor Georgie | cover = File:MC_Lyte_Poor_Georgie.jpeg | caption = cover of the U.S. cassette single | alt = | type = single | artist = MC Lyte | album = Act Like You Know | B-side = Search 4 The Lyte | released = December 12, 1991<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/poor-georgie-vinyl-single-mr0002455383|title=MC Lyte- Poor Georgie [Vinyl Single] (12 inch Vinyl Single - Atlantic #96230)|website=AllMusic}}</ref> | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = Golden age hip hop | length = 4:30 | label = First Priority, Atlantic Records | writer = Lana Moorer, Ivan Antonio Rodriguez, David Paich<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/460613425|title=ASCAP Repertory entry for this song |work=ASCAP|accessdate=May 18, 2021 }}</ref> | producer = DJ Doc | prev_title = When in Love | prev_year = 1991 | next_title = Eyes Are the Soul | next_year = 1992 | misc = {{Extra album cover | header = Cover in cassette format | type = single | cover = File:Poor Georgie MC Lyte Vinyl.jpg | caption = Side A of the US 12-inch vinyl }} {{External music video|{{YouTube|hSTzr2V4KMw|"Poor Georgie"}}}} }}
"'''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.<ref name="Allmusic" /> 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.<ref>{{cite web|title= MC Lyte has words for a new generation|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2003-05-06-0305060030-story,amp.html|publisher=Chicago Tribune (website)|date= May 6, 2003 |access-date=15 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide: Volume 1: East Coast and West Coast">{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=XkCncJ7j744C&q=Casual+rapper&pg=PA271| accessdate = 2010-02-03 | author = Mickey Hess | title = Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide: Volume 1: East Coast and West Coast | date = November 2009 | publisher = ABC-CLIO | isbn = 9780313343216 }}</ref> 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 {{Abbr|No.|number}} 83 in March 1992.<ref name="hot100">{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=mc lyte|chart=Hot 100}}|title=MC Lyte Album & Song Chart History: Hot 100|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|access-date=2021-02-15}}</ref> It also reached {{Abbr|No.|number}} 11 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart,<ref>{{cite magazine |title=MC Lyte Album & Song Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/mc-lyte/chart-history/bsi/ |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Prometheus Global Media |access-date=2021-02-15}}</ref> and became her second chart topping single on the Hot Rap Singles chart.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/mc-lyte/chart-history/rap/ |title=MC Lyte - US Hot Rap Songs |publisher=billboard.com |access-date=15 February 2021}}</ref> 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: {{blockquote|“‘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.”<ref name=clip>{{cite web| author= MC Lyte| url= http://www.vibe.com/photo-gallery/full-clip-mc-lyte-breaks-down-her-entire-catalogue-brandy-janet-jackson-ll-cool-j-more | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715064736/http://www.vibe.com/photo-gallery/full-clip-mc-lyte-breaks-down-her-entire-catalogue-brandy-janet-jackson-ll-cool-j-more |archive-date= July 15, 2014| date= January 7, 2011| website= Vibe.com| url-status= dead| title= Full Clip: MC Lyte Breaks Down Her Entire Catalogue (Brandy, Janet Jackson, LL Cool J & More)| access-date= February 17, 2021}}</ref>}} During another interview in 2013 she says: {{blockquote|“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.”<ref>{{cite web|url=http://halftimeonline.net/blog/mc-lyte/ | title= MC Lyte - The Classic Hip Hop Interview Archives|website=halftimeonline.net |date= January 14, 2013|accessdate=February 17, 2021}}</ref>}}
The song was produced by Ivan 'Doc' Rodríguez, who had previously worked remixed other songs by MC Lyte, including Cappucino.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://imposemagazine.com/features/idoc--ithe-story-of-ivan-doc-ro|title=iDoc, the Story of Ivan 'Doc' Rodriguez |date= |access-date=February 27, 2021 |website=Impose}}</ref>
The music video for "Poor Georgie" was released in September 1991 and features an appearance by 16-year-old Lauryn Hill.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://imvdb.com/n/mc-lyte |title=MC Lyte |website=IMVDb |access-date=April 16, 2021}}</ref>
=== 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),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-shit-i-never-dropped-mw0001332459 |website=AllMusic |date= |accessdate=February 23, 2021 |title= MC Lyte - The Shit I Never Dropped}}</ref> ''Rhyme Masters'' (2005),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/rhyme-masters-mw0000170877 |website=AllMusic |date= |accessdate=February 23, 2021 |title= MC Lyte - Rhyme Masters}}</ref> ''Rhino Hi-Five: MC Lyte'' (2007),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/mx/album/rhino-hi-five-mc-lyte-ep/251506865|title=Rhino Hi-Five: MC Lyte EP - MC Lyte - Release Info|website=Apple Music|date=24 April 2007}}</ref> and ''Cold Rock a Party - Best Of MC Lyte'' (2019).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/cold-rock-a-party-best-of/1461763211|title=Cold Rock a Party Best Of - MC Lyte - Release Info|website=Apple Music|date=6 January 1997}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/in_living_color/s03/e29|title=In Living Color - Season 3 Episode 29 - Rotten Tomatoes|website=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref>
==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."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/09/27/rapping-not-only-about-opposite-sex/6b42833f-1762-4fae-b4f8-b7d788b8cf05/|title=RAPPING NOT ONLY ABOUT OPPOSITE SEX|first=Gil|last=Griffin|date=September 27, 1991|via=The Washington Post (website)}}</ref> In 1999, ''Ego Trip''{{'}}s editors ranked "Poor Georgie" at {{Abbr|No.|number}} 22 in their list of Hip Hop's 40 Greatest Singles by Year 1991 in ''Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genius.com/Ego-trip-magazine-hip-hops-greatest-singles-by-year-lyrics |website=Genius |date= |accessdate=February 24, 2021 |title= Hip-Hop's Greatest Singles By Year (Ego Trip Magazine)}}</ref> In April 2015, the song was ranked {{Abbr|No.|number}} 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."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vh1.com/news/rfy1q2/25-greatest-female-rap-tracks-of-the-last-25-years |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522085038/https://www.vh1.com/news/rfy1q2/25-greatest-female-rap-tracks-of-the-last-25-years |url-status=live |archive-date=May 22, 2022 |website=VH1 (website) |date=April 30, 2015 |accessdate=February 24, 2021 |title= The 25 Dopest Female Rap Tracks Of The Last 25 Years}}</ref>
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."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/www.o4lonlinenetwork.com/rapsody-on-how-queen-latifah-mc-lyte-influenced-her-music-career/ | title= Rapsody On How Queen Latifah, MC Lyte Influenced Her Music Career|website=O4L Online Network |date= February 22, 2020|accessdate=February 24, 2021}}</ref>
=== Accolades === {|class="wikitable" |- !Publication !Country !Accolade !Year ! style="text-align:center;"|Rank |- |''Ego Trip'' |rowspan=4|U.S. |''Hip Hop's Greatest Singles by Year 1980–1998''<ref>{{cite book|first1=Sacha|last1=Jenkins|author-link1=Sacha Jenkins|first2=Elliott|last2=Wilson|author-link2=Elliott Wilson (journalist)|first3=Jeff "Chairman"|last3=Mao|first4=Gabriel|last4=Alvarez|first5=Brent|last5=Rollins|date=1999|title=Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists|chapter=Hip Hop's Greatest Singles by Year: 1991|publisher=St. Martin's Press|pages=324|isbn=0-312-24298-0}}</ref> | 1999 | style="text-align:center;"|22 |- |''The Boombox'' |''20 Classic Hip-Hop Summer Love Song''<ref>{{cite web|author=Preezy|title=20 Classic Hip-Hop Summer Love Songs|url=https://theboombox.com/20-classic-hip-hop-summer-love-songs/|website=The Boombox|date=July 27, 2018|access-date=February 11, 2024}}</ref> | 2018 | style="text-align:center;"|18 |- |''uDiscoverMusic'' |''Best Hip-Hop Love Songs: 25 Tracks For 808s And Soulmates''<ref>{{cite web|last1=Merlis|first1=Ben|title=Best Rap Love Songs: 25 Tracks For 808s And Soulmates|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/best-hip-hop-love-songs/|website=uDiscoverMusic|date=February 14, 2023|access-date=February 11, 2024}}</ref> | 2021 | style="text-align:center;"|23 |- |VH1 |''The 25 Dopest Female Rap Tracks Of The Last 25 Years''<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jean-Baptiste|first1=Renaud Jr.|title=The 25 Dopest Female Rap Tracks Of The Last 25 Years|url=https://www.vh1.com/news/rfy1q2/25-greatest-female-rap-tracks-of-the-last-25-years|website=VH1|date=April 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522085038/https://www.vh1.com/news/rfy1q2/25-greatest-female-rap-tracks-of-the-last-25-years|archive-date=May 22, 2022|access-date=February 11, 2024}}</ref> | 2015 | style="text-align:center;"|3 |- | colspan="7" style="text-align:center; font-size:8pt;"| (*) designates lists which are unordered. |}
==Single track listing== === 7" Vinyl=== * ====A-Side==== # "Poor Georgie" (4:10) #*Music By – DJ Doc
====B-Side==== # "Search 4 The Lyte" (3:21) #*Music By – King Of Chill
=== 12" Vinyl=== ====A-Side==== # "Poor Georgie (LP Version)" (4:30) # "Poor Georgie (Instrumental)" (4:30)
====B-Side==== # "Search 4 The Lyte (LP Version)" (3:21) # "Search 4 The Lyte (Instrumental)" (3:21)
=== Cassette=== ====A-1==== # "Poor Georgie (Edit)" (4:05)
====A-2==== # "Search 4 The Lyte (LP Version)" (3:21)
==Personnel== Credits are taken from the liner notes.<ref>{{cite AV media notes | others=M C Lyte | date=1991 | title=Poor Georgie / Search 4 The Lyte | type=track listing | publisher=First Priority Music, Atlantic Street | id=0-96230}}</ref> *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== {|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" !Chart (1991–92) !Peak<br/>position
|- {{single chart|Billboardhot100|83|artist=MC Lyte|rowheader=true|access-date=February 16, 2021}} |- {{single chart|Billboardrandbhiphop|11|artist=MC Lyte|rowheader=true|access-date=February 16, 2021}} |- {{single chart|Billboardrapsongs|1|artist=MC Lyte|rowheader=true|access-date=February 16, 2021}} |}
==See also== * List of Billboard number-one rap singles of the 1980s and 1990s
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{MC Lyte|state=autocollapse}}
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Category:MC Lyte songs Category:1991 singles Category:1991 songs Category:Atlantic Records singles Category:Songs about driving under the influence Category:Songs written by MC Lyte Category:Songs written by David Paich