"Pony" is the debut single of American singer Ginuwine, released as a single from his first LP Ginuwine...The Bachelor in 1996. Ginuwine co-wrote the song with Swing Mob associates Static Major and Timbaland; the latter is also the producer. "Pony" was Timbaland's breakthrough as a producer.[2]
Timbaland's production was unique among R&B releases of the day: "Pony"'s instrumentation features a start-stop rhythm pattern similar to drum and bass music, a bassline and melody formed by vocoded vocal samples, and a cartoon slide whistle. Along with his concurrent work for Aaliyah's One in a Million LP, "Pony" and Ginuwine...the Bachelor marked the emergence of Timbaland as a successful R&B producer.[3] The song experienced a resurgence in popularity after being featured in the 2012 film Magic Mike, and its 2015 sequel Magic Mike XXL.[4][5][6][7]. On November 2, 2019 the song was featured in the sketch "Hungry Jury" on SNL.[8]
The song peaked at number one on the BillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for two weeks from November 16, 1996 to November 30, 1996,[9] and reached number six on Billboard's Hot 100 on November 23, 1996.[10]
The song received an A– from Entertainment Weekly, who said it had "irresistible funk grooves lope at an easy gait, seducing the listener with a velvety tenor and belching synthesizer hook".[2]
The official music video for the album version of the song was directed by Michael Lucero.[11] The music video for the remix version of the song was directed by Christopher Erskin. The video depicts Ginuwine and his crew entering a Western bar as strangers and gradually gaining the favor of the cowboy-patrons. The video was filmed at the Cowboy Palace saloon in Chatsworth, California.[12] A video for the "Ride It" Mix was also released. The video is shot in a factory.
In 2008, the California rock band Far made a rock version cover of the song under the pseudonym 'Hot Little Pony' in connection with their reunion the same year.[49]
The cover reached heavy rotation on the biggest modern rock radio stations on the West coast.[50]