The single was released in the United Kingdom on 15 February 1982[6] on 7" and 12", with the same mix appearing on both formats; however a subsequent US 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.
An alternate, lounge music styled version of this song, entitled "Theme from Mantrap", was released as the B-side of "Poison Arrow" in the United Kingdom, and "The Look of Love" in the United States. The 12" single in the United Kingdom additionally included an instrumental version of "Theme from Mantrap" under the title "Mantrap (The Lounge Sequence)". The band's first hit in the United Kingdom "Tears Are Not Enough" was the B-side of "Poison Arrow" in the United States.
The song was featured in an early 1983 episode of the US television soap opera The Young and the Restless.
"Poison Arrow" was used in the action-adventure game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) on the fictional radio station Wave 103.
In February 1998, the song was featured in an episode of motoring magazine programme Top Gear, in which scenes of the Vauxhall Astra is being driven, with a voice over by presenter Jeremy Clarkson.[17]
The song was featured as the title credits song for the BBC sitcom White Gold in the episode "The Past Does Not Equal the Future".
The song was featured in the Nine Network program Footy Classified, where it is used to introduce the segment "Caro's Arrow". The segment involves Caroline Wilson delivering a monologue where she targets high-profile issues and personalities in the Australian Football League (AFL). This segment ended after 2024 with Wilson's departure.
