Ginuwine riding that Pony 20 years later
It’s brought a saucy flair to Magic Mike XXL, Lip Sync Battle, Wild Hogs, Glee and Parks and Recreation — not to mention many a sweaty nightclub.
Yes, the bassy and brash hit song Pony has had a remarkable 20year lifespan that shows no signs of abating.
And its singer, R&B star Ginuwine, is happy to trot it out as much as fans want.
“It’s a song that just won’t go nowhere and I’m glad it’s not. I’m not complaining at all,” says the Washington, D.C., native. “That song will be here for years to come, probably when I’m dead and gone, but it will probably still be here. So that’s just something that I’m glad I was able to make and be a part of.
“You don’t get too many songs like that.”
Pony was the first single off his 1996 debut album, Ginuwine... the Bachelor, which was certified double platinum. The single was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/ Hip-Hop Songs for two weeks and peaked at No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Its unmistakable burp-sounding bass was the idea of producer Timbaland while its lyrics came from Ginuwine as well as the late Static Major.
Ginuwine says he and Static Major went back and forth freestyling lyrics until it came together.
The song is unabashedly sexually charged, which Ginuwine says was groundbreaking at the time.
“I like to think that that song was one of the songs that broke down a few barriers to allow radio to play certain songs like that,” he says. “Because it’s really a nasty song.
“I won’t say it’s just nasty, but it’s a real sexual song. But I believe we were so creative in putting it together that it was accepted and it broke down barriers.”
Ginuwine ( born Elgin Baylor Lumpkin) went on to release five more albums, collaborated with many big-name artists and started his own label, Bag Entertainment.
But it seems Pony has had the longest shelf life of all his tunes and Ginuwine hopes fans “never get enough of it.”
“It’s just a good thing to be a part of history and a lot of people will not be able to say that.”