"Poison Arrow" is a New Wave

New Wave music

New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

 single released and popularised by ABC

ABC (band)

ABC are an English band, that charted ten UK and five US Top 40 singles between 1981 and 1990. The band continues to tour and released a new album, Traffic, in 2008.-Formation:...

 in 1982 and also included on their 1982 debut album, The Lexicon of Love

The Lexicon of Love

The Lexicon of Love is the critically acclaimed chart-topping debut album by British pop band ABC, released in 1982. It is a concept album in which the singer experiences heartache as he tries and fails to have a meaningful relationship....

. It reached #6 on the UK singles chart, #4 in Australia and also was their first entry on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, at #25. Karen Clayton provides the backing vocals.

The single was released in the UK on 7" and 12", with the same mix appearing on both formats; however a subsequent U.S. 12" remix (also known as the "Jazz Remix") appears on several ABC compilations and as a bonus track on reissues of The Lexicon of Love

The Lexicon of Love

The Lexicon of Love is the critically acclaimed chart-topping debut album by British pop band ABC, released in 1982. It is a concept album in which the singer experiences heartache as he tries and fails to have a meaningful relationship....

.

An alternate, lounge music

Lounge music

Lounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera — other than where they are listening to it...

-styled version of this song, entitled "Theme From Mantrap," was released as the B-side of "Poison Arrow" in the UK and The Look of Love

The Look of Love (ABC song)

"The Look of Love" is a song recorded by ABC in 1981, included on their debut album, The Lexicon of Love.- History :Released as a single and as a 12" remix, it went to number one on the Billboard Dance/Disco chart as well as the Canadian pop singles chart...

 in the US. The UK 12" single additionally included an instrumental version of "Theme From Mantrap" under the title "Mantrap (The Lounge Sequence)". Their UK hit "Tears Are Not Enough

Tears Are Not Enough (ABC song)

"Tears Are Not Enough" was the first single to be released by New Wave group ABC. It was released in 1981 on two formats . The two singles versions of the song are both different from the version on their first album The Lexicon of Love. Originally produced by Steve Brown it was rerecorded for the...

" was the US B-side of Poison Arrow.

In the music video, Martin Fry plays three roles — as a haughty upper-class opera patron, as a messenger boy at the opera, and as a bandleader at a 1960s-style swinging nightspot — and unsuccessfully attempts to woo the leading lady, played by Lisa Vanderpump of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is an American reality series for the Bravo cable network. The sixth installment in the network's The Real Housewives of... franchise, production for the Evolution Media series began in March 2010. The show premiered on October 14, 2010...

, in all three roles.

Chart positions

Chart (1982)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...	4
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	6
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	25
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...	39