The Full Wiki

Informer (song): Wikis
  
  
  

Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles.

Encyclopedia

Updated live from Wikipedia, last check: June 02, 2012 12:52 UTC (54 seconds ago)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Informer"
Single by Snow
from the album 12 Inches of Snow
Released September 30, 1992[1]
Format CD single, CD maxi, 7" single
12" maxi, Cassette
Recorded 1992
Genre Reggae
Hip-hop
Length 4:05
Label EastWest Records America, Atlantic
Writer(s) Edmond Leary
Darrin O'Brien
Shawn Moltke
Producer M.C. Shan
Snow singles chronology
"Informer"
(1992)		 "Girl I've Been Hurt"
(1993)

"Informer" is a 1992 single by Canadian reggae musician Snow, featuring MC Shan as guest artist and producer, from his debut album 12 Inches of Snow. The single was released shortly before Snow was imprisoned for a year on an assault charge. Upon his release from prison, it became a chart topping hit, spending seven consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was his biggest hit in the UK, where it reached #2, behind two different number one singles.

Contents

Plot and lyrical analysis

"Informer" is a slang term, usually derogatory, for a police informant, who is protected in exchange for information used to solve cases. Another term for it would be snitch.

"Informer" won a Juno Award for Best Reggae Recording in 1994. It reached 40th on MuchMoreMusic's list of the top "50 Guilty Pleasures" and was 84th on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s." It also reached 28th on VH1's "Final Countdown Greatest Hip-Hop of All Time".

Remakes

  • In the television series In Living Color, Jim Carrey poses as Snow with similar sunglasses and parodies the song as "Imposter". The song describes how Snow himself is Canadian (Carrey is also from Toronto) and becomes more bizarre as it progresses - at one point he sings like Popeye.[2]
  • The melody of the song was covered by Arash and Aneela as "Chori Chori".

Track listings

CD maxi
  1. "Informer" (radio mix) — 4:11
  2. "Informer" (album mix Rick The Mexican remix edit) — 4:28
  3. "Informer" (drum mix) — 4:12
  4. "Informer" (Clark's fat bass mix) — 4:39
  5. "Informer" (Clark's super mix) — 4:51
7" single
  1. "Informer" (radio edit) — 4:05
  2. "Informer" (album mix Rick The Mexican Remix Edit) — 4:28
12" maxi
  1. "Informer" (LP version Rick The Mexican remix edit) — 4:28
  2. "Informer" (drum mix) — 4:12
  3. "Informer" (dub) — 4:12
  4. "Informer" (Clark's fat bass mix) — 4:39
  5. "Informer" (Clark's super radio mix) — 4:11
  6. "Informer" (super dub) — 4:50
Cassette
  1. "Informer" (LP version Rick The Mexican Remix Edit) — 4:30
  2. "Informer" (drum mix) — 4:13

Credits

  • Text : Darrin O'Brien, Edmund Leary, Shawn Moltke
  • Producer : MC Shan
  • Executive producer : David Eng, EZ Steve Salem
  • Co-producer : Edmund Leary, John "Jumpstreet" Ficarotta
  • Photography : Melanie Nissen
  • Informer remixer/editor: Rick The Mexican Huerta

Certifications

Country Certification Date Sales certified
Austria[3] Gold July 16, 1993 15,000
Germany[4] Platinum 1993 300,000
UK[5] Silver April 1, 1993 200,000
U.S.[6] Platinum March 16, 1993 1,000,000

Charts

Chart (1993) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[7] 1
Austrian Singles Chart[7] 2
Dutch Mega Top 100[7] 2
Canadian Singles Chart 1
French Singles Chart[7] 3
German Singles Chart[7] 1
Irish Singles Chart [8] 1
New Zealand Singles Chart[7] 1
Norwegian Singles Chart[7] 1
Swedish Singles Chart[7] 1
Swiss Singles Chart[7] 1
UK Singles Chart[9] 2
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[10] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[10] 24
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks[10] 10
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream[10] 12
U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 1
End of year chart (1993) Position
Australian Singles Chart[11] 6
Austrian Singles Chart[12] 9
Swiss Singles Chart[13] 14
Preceded by
"A Whole New World" by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle		 Billboard Hot 100 number one single
March 13, 1993 - April 24, 1993 (7 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"Freak Me" by Silk
Preceded by
"No Limit" by 2 Unlimited		 Norwegian VG-Lista number one single
16/1993 - 21/1993 (6 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"What Is Love" by Haddaway
Preceded by
"I'm Every Woman" by Whitney Houston		 ARC Weekly Top 40 number one single
March 20, 1993 - March 27, 1993 (2 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston
Preceded by
"No Limit" by 2 Unlimited		 Swedish number one single
April 21, 1993 - May 19, 1993 (5 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"Two Princes" by Spin Doctors
Preceded by
"All That She Wants" by Ace of Base		 Swiss number one single
May 9, 1993 - June 6, 1993 (5 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"What Is Love" by Haddaway
Preceded by
"That's the Way Love Goes" by Janet Jackson		 Australian ARIA number one single
June 6, 1993 - July 4, 1993 (5 weeks)		 Succeeded by
"(I Can't Help) Falling In Love With You" by UB40

,

References

  1. ^ http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,837454,00.html
  2. ^ Jim Carrey - Imposter (In Living Color), YouTube
  3. ^ Austrian certifications ifpi.at (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
  4. ^ German certifications musikindustrie.de (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
  5. ^ UK certifications Bpi.co.uk (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
  6. ^ U.S. certifications riaa.com (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Informer", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 4, 2008)
  8. ^ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved April 4, 2008)
  9. ^ "Informer", UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved April 4, 2008)
  10. ^ a b c d Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
  11. ^ 1993 Australian Singles Chart aria.com (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
  12. ^ 1993 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved August 11, 2008)
  13. ^ 1993 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved August 11, 2008)







Got something to say? Make a comment.
Your name
Your email address
Message
Please enter the solution to case below
70+12=