Informer (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Informer


Artist = Snow
from Album = 12 Inches of Snow
Released = January 19, 1993
Format = CD single
CD maxi
7" single
12" maxi
Cassette
Genre = Reggae
Hip-hop
Length = 4:05
Label = EastWest Records America
Writer = Edmond Leary
Darrin O'Brien
Shawn Moltke
Producer = M.C. Shan

"Informer" is a 1993 single by Toronto 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.

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 alternative yet popular term for it would be snitch.

In the song, the narrator is apparently being accused of participating in a homicide near his home, but claims he was somewhere else when it happened and that the police informant who gave his name in is deliberately trying to wreck his life and career goals, disrupting his personal life.Fact|date=December 2007

No one has ever worked out what Snow says in the breakdown in the middle eight with the most popular estimate as "Come with a nice young lady, intelligent? yes, she gentle and Irie", which refers to positive emotions or feelings, or anything that is good. Specifically it refers to high emotions and peaceful vibrations".

"Informer" was 39th on VH1's list of the "50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs... Ever". [ [http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/50_most_awesomely_bad_songs/series_countdown.jhtml 50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs Ever] , VH1.com] , but 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."

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 Canadian) and becomes more bizarre as it progresses - at one point he sings like Popeye. [ [http://youtube.com/watch?v=Icb_tRTnA4g Jim Carrey - Imposter (In Living Color)] , YouTube]
*The song was also covered by Arash and Aneela as "Chori Chori".

Track listings

; CD maxi
# "Informer" (radio mix) — 4:11
# "Informer" (album mix) — 4:28
# "Informer" (drum mix) — 4:12
# "Informer" (Clark's fat bass mix) — 4:39
# "Informer" (Clark's super mix) — 4:51

; 7" single
# "Informer" (radio edit) — 4:05
# "Informer" (album mix) — 4:28; 12" maxi
# "Informer" (LP version) — 4:28
# "Informer" (drum mix) — 4:12
# "Informer" (dub) — 4:12
# "Informer" (Clark's fat bass mix) — 4:39
# "Informer" (Clark's super radio mix) — 4:11
# "Informer" (super dub) — 4:50

; Cassette
# "Informer" (LP version) — 4:30
# "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

Certifications

,

References

External links

* [http://lyricwiki.org/Snow:Informer Lyrics] at LyricWiki