Ginuwine in "Pony"
Ginuwine Is Ready To Ride
Welcome to Forgotten Videos. For some, these videos are forgotten, for others just filed away, and for others still, a totally brand-new discovery. Whichever category you fall into, each week we'll feature a video that's possibly been collecting dust when what it really deserves is a fresh look. Or vice-versa…. We're not here to judge, we just want to take you on a little trip down memory lane. Yep, you'll remember when hair was really that big, when drums were that up front in the mix, when video was young(er) and so were you.
Ginuwine
"Pony"
1996
At first it all makes sense for a song titled "Pony," sort of. R&B Romeo Ginuwine pulls into a cowboy biker bar where he precedes to mimic a side-step moonwalk across the stage (it's no surprise Ginuwine cites the late Michael Jackson as an early influence). But then you start thinking, "What's this urban singer doing in a place like this? And is this 'pony' a horse after all?" We're guessing that Pony is another name for Ginuwine, judging by the lyric, "My saddle's waiting/Come and jump on it." It seems like Ginuwine may have a little more in mind than horseback riding.
But to follow the Romeo theme, all's well that ends well. What looks at the start like something that could end up in a cowboy hats versus doo-rags war, instead ends with a peaceful comingling of the races, even as Ginuwine himself succeeds in attracting a floor full girls who can't help but move and sway to the music.
"Pony" appears on Ginuwine's debut album, 1996's Ginuwine…The Bachelor. Produced by GRAMMY winner Timbaland, the album peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard 200 and "Pony" shot to No. 1 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Ginuwine followed up with 100% Ginuwine in 1999, which was again produced by Timbaland and flew to No. 5 on the Billboard 200. The album produced three Billboard Hot 100 hits in "None Of Ur Friends Business," "So Anxious" and "What's So Different," and features a cover of Jackson's "She's Out Of My Life." Solidifying himself as one of R&B's lovermen, Ginuwine released The Life in 2001 with songs resembling love letters to the woman in his life such as "Why Did You Go," "Differences" and "Just Because." The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and paved the way for 2003's The Senior, which brought out Ginuwine's hip-hop side.
Ginuwine continued to release several albums, including 2005's Back II Da Basics, 2007's I Apologize, 2009's A Man's Thoughts, and his most recent release, 2011's Elgin, all of which charted in the Top 30 on the Billboard 200, and the latter features two tracks written by GRAMMY winner Diane Warren, "How Does Your Heart Forget" and "Break." Though Ginuwine has continued to see success in a career that spans nearly 15 years, "Pony" remains his signature hit.
"I still remember in '94 when I was in front of the mirror practicing ["Pony"]," recalled Ginuwine in an interview in 2009. "I just knew that it was a hit. I was so proud of it and I was just so happy."
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