Icon Played His Old Hit BACKWARDS As a JOKE...CREATED a WHOLE NEW HIT! | Professor of Rock

[@ProfessorofRock]

Poll: What is your ULTIMATE GUILTY PLEASURE song?

[@Goup-oj4qr]

Free Form Guitar. Chicago

[@laurallewien2165]

Lola by Barry Manilow

[@karmab4391]

A Country Boy Can Survive - Hank Williams Jr. Its connotations have made it controversial today, but I still love the song.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Oh man!@@laurallewien2165

[@ProfessorofRock]

Can you link to it?@@Code.Name.V

[@pauls5096]

Let's not forget "Crimson and Clover" which is one of Tommy's best and covered by Joan Jett. And then there is "Crystal Blue Persuasion." He is legend.

[@ProfessorofRock]

He is! Love those songs! We covered them...

[@hughwright1860]

Love me some Crystal Blue Persuasion. 👏👏👏 Adam!!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Coming soon!@@hughwright1860

[@ProfessorofRock]

Love his cover!@@karencordoba

[@Undertaker67203]

My parents bought a 1976 short Chevy van and the 8 track of Tommy James and the Shondells greatest hits was in it. I think this is the moment a started to live music. I couldn’t get enough of it. I had to hear it every time we got in the van. Sometime around ‘87, I was stationed at Homestead AFB in Miami and Tommy played the Miami Metro Zoo. Yeah, still great. My appreciation of him grows more the longer I live.

[@Dallin456]

Tommy James is a legend! Sold more records than the Beatles in 67-68. I got a chance to see him, kind of last minute in Provo, Utah. My ticket was a single, I was on the first row. Waiting for the show to begin, I looked to my right, and singer Donny Osmond was two seats over from me! Got to say hello to him, and do a high five with Tommy James. Iconic night in my life, and earlier that day I went up in a hot air balloon! Some days are like that I guess!

[@red_ford23]

That kind of sounds fantastic🎉

[@Leavemealone-]

Hey Utah guy here that’s dope

[@Dallin456]

@@red_ford23 thanks, very rare to have that many amazing things all happen like that.

[@Dallin456]

@@Leavemealone- nice to meet you, I have lived in and out of Utah my whole life, currently in an in phase.

[@shannonpincombe8485]

What a day!! Thanks for sharing.....super envious now. Ha!

[@ericwittman3]

Tommy James is probably the most underrated musician there’s ever been. The guy has made a bunch of good songs.

[@ProfessorofRock]

So many hits!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

There are lots of great songs of his you can think of.

[@jimmagnus1200]

Ground breaking sounds for sure.

[@Frankie5Angels150]

You do realize that your statement itself is an oxymoron, right?

[@jimmagnus1200]

@@Frankie5Angels150 Ha!

[@biltrex]

It's funny to hear The Professor refer to Casey Kasem because I was just thinking that he's the Casey Kasem for this generation, and maybe for posterity.

[@DC8091]

Damn right!!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Ah! thanks! Means a lot!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks!

[@Eidolon1andOnly]

What an apt comparison! He is very much like the Casey Kasem of this generation!

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

You may be right.

[@jakebob5101]

You can't go wrong with Tommy James. Great artist from the 60's.

[@ProfessorofRock]

So good!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Love his songs.

[@BalderOdinson]

and the 80s apparently!

[@oldschoolrr6077]

"I Think We're Alone Now" was played all the time in the Spring of 1967. Living in L.A. at the time, I would hear it on 93 KHJ Boss Radio where it reached #1, in April 1967 (#4 on the Billboard Hot 100). This song turned me on to this group.

[@joannfalcon6423]

In 1972, I was on a bus in Mexico, and this song started playing in Spanish. I knew this song by heart. I didn't speak Spanish so I started singing along in English. Everyone was quiet listening as I sang. It's a wonderful memory. Here I was in a strange country, but here was this song on the radio! So cool 😎

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for sharing that awesome memory!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

You know who sang the Spanish version?

[@joannfalcon6423]

@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 No, I never looked it up. If you know, then go ahead and tell me. I was 16 in 1972, and there wasn't any way to look that up, and since then, I haven't thought of doing.

[@williamwilson6499]

They were probably hoping you’d be quiet so they could listen.

[@rs3018]

​@@williamwilson6499😆😆

[@ericbgordon1575]

I've said it before, and I will say it again. It is always going to tickle me that when Al did his "I Think I'm a Clone Now" parody in 1988 for *Even Worse,* he adhered to the arrangement accompanying Tiffany's cover and pitched it back to the original Tommy James key. That's before you get into the part where he also spoofed Billy Idol's own Tommy James cover when he wrote "Alimony" for the same album.

[@shannonpincombe8485]

Classic Al. Do you follow his YT channel? It's great.

[@ericbgordon1575]

Thanks for the recommendation, @@shannonpincombe8485

[@slickx45]

Your ability to take us on a ride of nostalgic excellence is unparalleled! Someone once compared you to Casey Kasem in a comment, and I couldn't agree more.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Wow! Thanks. Means a lot!

[@thomasadrian9854]

Adam deserves a lot of thanks for introducing the great music I grew up with to a whole new, younger audience!!! Kudos Prof!!

[@mkravec7943]

Better than Casey Laden because his format allows foe more depth.

[@dhmoss75]

Oh my gosh. No! I can’t unhear it now…

[@andrewknaff9220]

My absolute favorite aspect of this YT channel is how surprised the artists are with The Professor’s in depth knowledge.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Wow, thank you!

[@domineech]

I have a hard time believing one person can know as much about music as he does.

[@jeffchandler3390]

​@@domineechmaybe he's been cloned 😉

[@chrisbenson6683]

We think he's a clone now

[@tommiesmith3191]

It's called, Wikipedia.

[@MyName-pl7zn]

Tiffany still looks great and I love how she is so grateful and gracious for her status as an 80s icon. What can you say about Tommy, his music will be recorded for a hundred years because it is so great, the man knew how to make a hit and who to surround himself with to do it. Fantastic interviews, love when you get 2 artists that hit in different eras with a smash in different ways!

[@ProfessorofRock]

I love that she's so humble. They were both great. What TOMMY song would you like to see next?

[@bannedtwice7767]

Yes indeed, she's like fine wine for sure.

[@dianewilliams1125]

​@@ProfessorofRockTommy James was part of my childhood! Mony,mony! But I love all their stuff!❤❤❤

[@MyName-pl7zn]

@@ProfessorofRock 2 of my favorites are Draggin a line and Crystal Blue Persuasion ♥️

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

He made songs so catchy they are still today regarded as classics.

[@RetroLovely]

We have a TINY magazine and Tommy was gracious enough to do a phone interview. He's a treasure and every bit as humble as he is talented. His book Me The Mob and The Music is a must read.

[@lockedonlaw]

Tommy is also a really nice guy. He is happy to talk to fans on social media if he has the time.

[@ProfessorofRock]

He's a good dude for sure.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I will have to leave him a comment.

[@ahcuah9526]

What strikes me is how gracious Tommy Shondell is about the song, and what everybody else has done with it. Tiffany too. Great episode!

[@57WillysCJ]

I think that the change to Tiffany being able to sing that subject instead of a guy showed the times had changed. It didn't hurt that the parents of that generation were fans of the original.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Trends kept changing over time. This is why some things haven’t aged as well as others over time.

[@zzyllaa]

My favorite part of the original recording, besides the "heartbeat" strummed, is when there's a brief pause in the refrain, changing "There doesn't seem to be anyone around" to "There doesn't seem to be ... be anyone around." Timmy James & the Shondells was such a good group.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Good comment!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

That is genius.

[@Frankie5Angels150]

Tommy.

[@jeffwylie5899]

Of all the Tommy James songs, my favorite is 'Sweet Cherry Wine'. Such an iconic song that is seldom heard or discussed.

[@ProfessorofRock]

I agree! Great song!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

So catchy.

[@bradknopp6502]

The day I bought the 'Sweet Cherry Wine' 45, I played it and 'The Boxer' about 30 or more times in a row that night.

[@bradknopp6502]

Other versions are fun, but that original riff!! And, for that time, it really WAS edgy. I remember walking across the 'Canteen' dance floor at 11-12 years old, and poking my friend ad ExPlaining my take on the part 'we tumble to the ground... ... I think we're ALONE nowwww.' [Poke-poke]

[@paulthomas8087]

I so agree with you Sweet Cherry Wine both musically and lyric wise was so great

[@bishdizzle67]

I absolutely love the grit she has in her voice when she sings..."trying to get away into THE NIGHT....." Thanks again for the memories.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks Bish!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

When she lets her voice rip on “NIGHT” it’s the best part.

[@anthonyotte5223]

Man , I'm totally addicted to this channel. I appreciate your genuine love of music and its great to have a channel like this , and presented so well 👍✌️🤘

[@ProfessorofRock]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@thomasprim8274]

I'm now an addictive lister and new to this channel

[@shanehebert396]

I guess not as widely known, but their "Crystal Blue Persuasion" and "Crimson and Clover" are definitely up there in my list of songs. Unique sound and cool.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Love Crystal Blue! Such a fab song.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Of course I’ve heard them! 😊

[@ogam5]

He had a BUNCH more between -67 - '73, many lesser-known but, "Sweet Cherry Wine" is RIGHT up there.....

[@alondathomas293]

Liked both Crimson and Clover and Crystal Blue Persuasion, as well as Mony Mony (really liked Billy Idol's '80s hit version of it, too) The Hanky-Panky, and later on the low key but catchy Dragging The Line, with that memorable bass line that makes the song in it. Got a greatest hits CD with all those songs on it.

[@Jims_Camera_at_dawn]

Billy, Tiffany, and let's not forget Joan all did great versions of Tommy's hits. All have passed the test of time. Great story, POR.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for watching!

[@ImYourOverlord]

Sammy Hagar also covered "Crimson and Clover" if memory serves.

[@stevenhubbard2974]

I was a teen when the original came out and I stick to the original Shout out to the Tommy James and the Shondells

[@ProfessorofRock]

Very cool!

[@joypiepenhagen7118]

My favorite was Draggin’ the Line❣️But I loved Tommy❤I would have listened to him singing the phone book! Crimson and Clover! Crystal Blue Persuasion! So many hits!!!! And he still looks great today❣️❣️❣️Thanks Professor, for the memories ❤❤❤

[@BigBri550]

Back in my bass playing days, Draggin the Line was one of my warm-up riffs.

[@ogam5]

.....a VERY good version of that (BIG favorite for me from summer '71!) was in 'Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead" (late 80's, I believe.....)

[@charleshullett8830]

Don’t you think Dragging the Line sounds a lot like I want my baby back baby back ribs?

[@BigBri550]

@@charleshullett8830 The other way around.

[@mt0115]

Tommy James and the Shondells were part of the musical fabric of my life, I think I was 14/15 years old when this song was on the airwaves. Great interview and story as is the usual, thanks for that. 😎🍺☮️

[@eggsngritstn]

Tommy James is very underrated as an influence on later musicians. So many covers.

[@ProfessorofRock]

THAT's Right. Good call. What's your favorite song of his?

[@eggsngritstn]

Crimson and Clover. Hands down.@@ProfessorofRock

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I agree. He doesn’t get talked about nearly enough.

[@conniethesconnie]

Should have a similar video of all the Slade songs that had successful covers.

[@chipdamutt108]

His autobiography is very interesting. "Crystal Blue Persuasion" is one of the best songs ever written!

[@ProfessorofRock]

About the mob?

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I should get his book.

[@triprolo]

You're like the Bob Ross of Rock Historians. No one can weave a great story with great music and take the viewer on a ride through history like you do. I always love it when I see a notification go off alerting me to a new video.

[@danielclark5586]

Great session Professor. Love the two perspective interviews and the history. I loved the song when I was a kid. Best upload yet.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Glad you enjoyed it! What would you like to see next?

[@danielsolano602]

Blind dude here!! Don't know what Tommy James looks like, but guys like he and Alice Cooper sound gloriously like they're stuck forever in their 20's man!! I caught a show in the late 80's when I was 13 and he was already an oldies act, and he slapped us all around what was then "Mile High Stadium"; he was so good.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for sharing!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

He’s a guy with short and smooth black hair, if that helps.

[@danielsolano602]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 wow! Sorry it took so long to acknowledge this coment. Yup, that was thoughtful of you, and thanks for hitting me back on this one.

[@eskenazibeth]

I love ❤️ Tommy James and the Shondells🙌🙌🙌🙌; I grew up with them💯As far as I’m concerned TJATS did their own songs better than any cover🎵🎼🎶

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

The covers are fun to listen to as well.

[@Heartwing37]

Same!

[@RobertCrane-w4j]

Did you guys notice that he said they wrote the song for AM radio. If you know what AM radio is, You will dig this channel of deep nostalgia.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Love it!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I do!

[@minermike61]

Interesting also that they figured out how to work around DJs who talk over the top of songs. Some DJs used to be so full of themselves that they would forget that we turn on the radio to hear music, not them. Even worse were the ones who would cut off a song before it was finished. I have heard some very drastic examples of that. Even up to the mid-70s AM was still king. My family moved to Wyoming when I was 10 and AM was all we had.

[@Carnyx_1]

Grew up listening to 13K in San Diego.

[@christophergolden5297]

Look forward to these stories everyday. Keep them coming

[@TheJdm2203]

A-MEN!!!

[@dantreadwell7421]

Gods I love that shirt. And Tommys reaction to "I Think I'm a Clone Now" was great.

[@Dave-lq2le]

I still play Tommy James come party night. Damn, I miss those days!! You're hittin' all my hot spots lately, brother!! Thanks Professor!! 😎👍

[@campaignresources]

The Lene Lovich version is my favorite. She is one of the great solo performers of the 20th century, and people seem to have forgotten her. I hope you do a show on her and her classic album Stateless some day.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Will add it!

[@campaignresources]

@@ProfessorofRock Great. Thank you. I love your show.

[@jefferyshaw1931]

Her song "Say When" was one of my favorites.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

What a voice!

[@craigplatel813]

You beat me to it

[@ceepersandenderdragonssvlo4812]

After all these years of listening to Tommy James and the Shondells, I didn't NEVER knew that the beat of "Mirage" was actually "I Think We're Alone Now" in reverse until I saw this. Thank you, Adam for ANOTHER GREAT JOB 👍

[@billmassey9539]

I love how I learn so much about the music I grew up with from you. Your knowledge and passion for music comes through in every video. Thank you, Professor.

[@pcno2832]

One other fun fact about the Tommy James version: That Farfisa organ sound that comes in as the crescendo of each verse builds is really an Ondioline, an early electro-acoustic synthesizer which dates back to 1940. There are some demonstrations of it on YT and for a simple, vacuum-tube device, it is amazingly capable of mimicking a wide range of instruments.

[@TotalPC]

Now I understand why when I heard Tiffany sing I think we are alone now, why my dad did not stop me from listening to it as he was most likely a fan from years gone by... I want to thank you Tommy James and the Shondells for making our future and our music live on! You are all Fantastic !

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for watching!

[@michaelharrington75]

Why would your dad have stopped you from listening to Tiffany in the first place?

[@TotalPC]

Well I was very young and most parents do not like to listen to their kids music in the car, so now it makes more sense as to why he did not mind as it was good music even when he was younger.@@michaelharrington75

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I’m glad. Did you know it was a cover?

[@rmhartman]

It's actually kind of amazing how many classic songs are his. Also, his songs seem to get covered more that most other artists.

[@umarae27]

Through you, Adam, I finally know the names of the bands & even the titles of the songs I fell in love with decades ago.

[@thomasbenson523]

Hey Rock HOF, Tommy James! He had great songs. “Crystal Blue Persuasion” is one of the best radio songs of all time. Great vocals, great lyrics, great melody, great production. That’s the story and I am sticking to it. His songs hold up remarkably well. If Mony Mony is not one of the best party anthems ever I don’t know what is.

[@grantkoeller8911]

Tiffany Renee Darwish (born October 2, 1971), known mononymously as Tiffany, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and former teen icon. Her 1987 cover of the Tommy James and the Shondells song "I Think We're Alone Now" spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and was released as the second single from her debut studio album Tiffany. Her singles "Could've Been" and "I Saw Him Standing There", a cover version of the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There", followed soon after, with the former also claiming the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100. Thanks to an original mall tour, at the age of 16 , she performed "The Beautiful You: Celebrating The Good Life Shopping Mall Tour '87", Tiffany found commercial success; and both her singles and the album peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts, respectively. Tiffany's second studio album, Hold an Old Friend's Hand, featured a Top 10 single, charted on the Billboard 200 in 1988, and ultimately achieved platinum status, although it did not replicate the success of her debut album. The 1990s saw two additional releases from Tiffany, 1990's New Inside and the Asia-exclusive Dreams Never Die in 1993, both of which failed to rekindle significant interest. Tiffany returned in 2000 with her first studio album in six years, The Color of Silence. Although the album received some minor critical success, it also failed to achieve any significant standing. Since then, Tiffany has recorded five additional studio albums, as well as two albums of 1980s cover songs, and she continues to tour. Outside of music, Tiffany posed nude in Playboy and has guest-starred on several reality television shows, including Celebrity Fit Club, Australia's version of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling, and has acted in a handful of horror and science fiction films, including Necrosis (2009), Mega Piranha (2010), and Mega Python vs. Gatoroid (2011).

[@user-pixiecatgen]

Australian band Ratcat also got to #1 on the Australian alternative charts with " I think we're alone now". Absolutely brilliant version!!

[@dillrobert]

Love that Snuff got a mention. They are such a great band and don't get enough love.

[@mneugent7658]

I love Tommy's story about how he figured out how much Morris Levy actually owed him for record sales. No one in the industry, including the record pressing companies, would go against Morris because of his mob connections. The only people who would tell Tommy anything, out of naivete, was the company that made the paper labels that go on the records. They told Tommy exactly how many the pressing company had ordered and used for his records. Of course Morris wasn't about to actually pay him what was owed but at least Tommy knew the numbers. Morris Levy is the inspiration for Hesh Rabkin in The Sopranos.

[@invernessity]

More great interviews! Love these stories. Thank you all!

[@monyx2926]

What about The Rubinoos? They covered "I Think We Are Alone Now"!

[@chaseychaseum5366]

Thank you for covering the soundtrack of my life. It's really great to see/listen to this again. Keep 'em coming!

[@annaspradlin4874]

Tommy James and the Shondells!! The soundtrack of my youth. It came full circle when my sister and I were in her car with our daughters and Billy Idols version of Mony Mony came on the radio. I looked back to see our girls rocking to the "new" song Billy had out. The look on their faces was priceless when we explained that the song came out when we were about their age! One of my all time favorite memories, thanks to Tommy!

[@lindafritz9447]

How he isn’t in the hall of fame is a mystery.

[@fortymillioncoins9066]

Lene Lovich was my first re-intro to the song in 1979. I've always loved it. Such a brilliant song!

[@rogerdeahl9629]

❤🎉 BONUS EPISODE!!!!!! TWO FER TUESDAY!! A friend of mine saw Tommy James 20 times. I got to see pictures and Tommy still belts it out! And of course Tiffany covering it. Thanks for the bonus episode Professor! You rock!

[@stephenbrown4211]

Seems the Janis one disappeared

[@RBS_]

....I KNOW! ......all that work I did to give charts, TOO! ....ha-HAAA!! ....ah, well, I'm a PRO at it, now.......

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks! The Janis one came out by accident.

[@ProfessorofRock]

KZbin released the wrong ep!@@stephenbrown4211

[@ProfessorofRock]

YT released the wrong one!@@RBS_

[@danhuston6973]

"I Think We're Alone, Now" became "Mirage" as a result of being played backwards.

[@The78vikings]

Tommy James, Niles Michigan's finest!! As mentioned earlier Tommy Shaw also lived here for several years at Styx's peak and wrote "Too Much Time On My Hands" about one of our local watering holes. Bonus- Jason Newsted from Metallica lived here as a teen. That's a lot of noise for a small midwestern town!! Great work, Adam, keep it up!!

[@malectric]

Thanks for the interview! Loved hearing form the man himself. Crimson and Clover must have been the pinnacle. Loved watching the Roulette label spinning at 45 too! I understand the 3-minute duration thing too. New sounds and good music was so prolific back then. The top 20 was really the top 20 back then and it changed every week. Loving your channel BTW. I'm getting dopamine hits one after the other.

[@johnrunion5357]

the rubinoos did a PERFECT power pop cover of i think we're alone now back in 1977.

[@chris55529]

I love this dude. He is the *perfect* curator, especially these days, of a lost art. An art that much of my life was inspired by. Some of us aren't dead yet. But even if we were, "Maybe everything that dies someday comes back..." The Prof will know what I'm quoting here.

[@trinaq]

It's amazing that two covers of Tommy James' songs were released in 1987. In fact, I was more familiar with the covers than the originals for a long time.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Depends on when we grew up!

[@Gerard_Mulligan]

And they both hit #1 consecutively (Thank you Casey Kasem for that information)

[@benamisai-kham5892]

I knew all the originals first and had to let a lot of the covers warm up to me, I've finally warmed up to Tiffany's cover. Still prefer the original though haha

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Even more, they hit #1 back to back.

[@lawdogwales5921]

1987 rocks!

[@Peter_S_]

Two fantastic interviews and they're both looking great. Another top notch video, Professor!

[@TerrickTerran]

Two of Weird Al's best parodies came from I think we're alone now (I think I'm a clone now) and Mony Mony (Alimony). Love both Tommy and Tiffany's versions of the song.

[@jtfike]

Amish paradise was his best but, yes those were good.

[@TheGRBman]

This song introduced me to the idea of a "cover." I didn't know what that was until this song came on over the radio while riding in the car with my mom. She starts singing along with it and I nearly lost it... "mom, how do you know the words to this? Its a brand new song!" She looked at me and said: "well, it was hot my junior year of High School." Its a remake! I was absolutely floored... ...then "Mony, Mony" came on...Yeah, she knew the words to that one too!

[@christineml1476]

I always thought of Tiffany as a one-hit wonder until I listened to her album "The Color of Silence" - it's very solid and proves she's got chops.

[@lockedonlaw]

I still think of Tiffany. If anyone has her number ...

[@billmurray7473]

​@@lockedonlawForget about her. She hit the wall like a wrecking ball.

[@RBS_]

....I'm a fool....I got that Album for FREE, and gave it to a thrift.....I been tryin' to get it back for YEARS now!

[@shiroibasketshoes]

Tiffany had another #1 hit song right after "I Think We're Alone Now"; "Could've Been." She had two other Top Ten Billboard pop chart hits; "I Saw Him Standing There" (#7) and "All This Time" (#6). Yes, her later work is good, too.

[@RBS_]

@@shiroibasketshoes ...we got a FAN here, he knows the POSITIONS! ...ha-HAA!! ...i HAD "New Inside", but I got it as a promo, and someone punched a HOLE thru Tiffany's face on the CD booklet! ...ha-HAA!! ....I got rid of it.....

[@aid903bun611]

I remember seeing Tommy James and the Shondells on American Bandstand performing "Crimson and Clover" in 1969. In the interview with Dick Clark after the song, Clark prefaced a question with "I remember the first time I heard this song on the radio..." and Tommy interrupted, saying something like "yeah, I know, you thought you were off the station" - because of the effect that was added to the final chorus. I'd be interested in hearing Tommy's take on all this.

[@glennjpanting2081]

I think Tiffany may have jump-started my lifelong love of redheads! 😜

[@DC8091]

Ditto 🤘

[@ProfessorofRock]

I know what you mean! Ha ha. I'm married to a redhead!

[@ProfessorofRock]

HA HA!

[@glennjpanting2081]

@@ProfessorofRock Lucky man! 😎

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

She had beautiful hunk of hair…

[@anthonytrapani383]

Me and wife saw Tommy James at the Jackson Rancheria casino Ca. Got an autograph CD.What super nice guy.I told him it was nice he was still around to play the hits he just smiled and laughed.

[@brucejones1867]

Tommy James was very innovative for his time. Bubblegum is not my cup of tea, but I gave him a pass for creating some ground-breaking music. The covers have grown on me over the years, too.

[@gamemaster7903]

I love both Tommy James' and Tiffany's versions but the first time I heard the Girls Aloud version was when I watched this video. Their version really floored me! This is why I love your show, Adam! Just when I think I have found all of my favorites, you introduce me to one more! Keep up the good work!

[@BridgetStuart]

Love Tommy James and the Shondells!

[@ProfessorofRock]

THey're awesome!

[@thomasprim8274]

They are great right

[@markr8755]

All these years later and I am still crushing hard on Tiffany 😍🥰

[@Peter_S_]

She's aged quite well. Certainly a cutie.

[@mitchellbaker9434]

My favorite version wasn't either of the ones you mention. Lene Lovich (Lucky Number, New Toy, etc) did a version that didn't chart, but to me it was the most fun version.

[@ridingnerdy6406]

Nice shoutout to the Snuff version, that's one of my favorite renditions.

[@dhpbear2]

1987. This is when pop music started to *jump the shark* . Debbie Gibson, Tiffany... REALLY!?

[@TheJdm2203]

Can’t really argue…. However, Happy Days still had 100 episodes after that episode. Still creating a whole new genre of music is still pretty cool. It does bring the kiddos into music, hopefully they mature and start looking at others….

[@holstorrsceadus1990]

Bubble gum music is literally where pop started. Shark very much not jumped. Stupid happy music for children it was, is, and ever will be.

[@guyfagerman2516]

I had an older sister that would get 10 albums ( cassettes)for a penny and then move, then do it again at the new address. So she would give me tapes that she didn't want or have doubles of. When I got Tommy James and the Shondells Greatest hits I wore that tape out. I memorized every song. So when Tiffany came out with her version I of course hated it, because it was a little girl singing it, but I couldn't help singing along with it!!! Mony Mony made me a huge fan of Billy Idol!!!😁

[@cathy9224]

I still remember the first 45 I bought… Bob Seger System

[@GygaxGirl]

Yeah, you mentioned Casey Kasem. Your reports/interviews are very reminiscent of his show-much more in-depth but so similar. I can't stop watching them.

[@RobertCrane-w4j]

At least Greenday didn't do those traditional 80s dance moves that Tiffany did. Tiffany was easier on the eyes than anyone else that did this song. She sounds pretty good also.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Ha! 80s dances moves ya!

[@BladeStar-uq6xe]

Unfortunately for me, I was 30 when Tiffany came out, and I wasn't interested in a 14 year old.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

She looked pretty hot NGL. Still is.

[@BladeStar-uq6xe]

Yes, just saying I was more interested in Go Go's, Bangles, Expose, Vixen and others who were already grown women. LOL

[@RobertCrane-w4j]

I was only 16 in 1986, and I actually thought Tiffany was older than me. Not a crush, just a teenager looking at a popstar. Now Susanna Hoffs, I was in love with. Fiona also on my wall.

[@myislander]

The fact that remakes of I think we’re alone now and mony mony hit #1 back to back and that Mirage is I think we’re alone now backwards are two of my favorite bits of 60s music trivia!

[@outtathyme5679]

Such an under appreciated song writer

[@toddm149]

I always loved the Tommy James versions but I have to admit Tiffany nailed it!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Both were great versions!

[@edwardpadgett8595]

When songs are that good, it would be almost impossible to ruin them.

[@toddm149]

@@edwardpadgett8595 Let me point out I used to think that till I heard Pat Boone In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy album. Imagine Guns and Roses Paradise City sung like a lounge singer song.

[@edwardpadgett8595]

Well, I did say, "almost impossible".

[@toddm149]

@@edwardpadgett8595 Yes you did, also sometimes an artist redoes a song and you like it better than the original. I'm not a Britney Spears listener but I know that Baby One More Time was a hit and on Rockstar Inxs Marty Casey was tasked with doing this song. I suggest doing a search on Marty Casey, One more time and you will see what I mean.

[@ike621]

Best memory for me was going to the local skating rink with my brothers and seeing this really cute girl with bangs so high you would swear she had to duck to get inside. I heard this song come on so I muscled up the courage to ask this girl to skate with me. Afterwards, my brothers teased me about it for weeks but I still remember skating around and holding hands. I never saw her again, what an Innocent time it was back then.

[@tomntammybrown3817]

My favorite version of any song is usually the original version. Tiffany's version was fun and poppy, but there's nothing like the original Tommy James version. When Tiffany did it there was a huge resurgence of old songs being remade. That was possible because the originals were just so timeless and wonderful. I actually got angry with both Tiffany and Billy idol for doing Tommy James songs and getting the credit for coming up with great songs. Was also angry about the remakes of locomotion and a few others.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

It’s like how people get introduced to a song through a cover version first.

[@mikeeckel2807]

I loved The Beatles' version of "Twist and Shout." Then I heard The Isley Brothers original and the more I hear it, the better I like it.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

@@mikeeckel2807 The Isley Brothers version was also a cover. The original song was done by the Top Notes.

[@mikeeckel2807]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 I didn't know this...Thanks for the info!

[@brockelever]

In 1978, the American singer Lene Lovich recorded a cover version of "I Think We're Alone Now". Her version was originally released with her hit song "Lucky Number" as a B-side. Lovich recorded the song after contacting the radio presenter Charlie Gillett, who helped her get signed by Dave Robinson of Stiff Records. Robinson liked the record and immediately proposed it to be released as a single. However, her song "Lucky Number" gained so much more attention that it was later re-released as a lead single, at which it peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

[@Goup-oj4qr]

Joan Jett should have covered it.

[@ZJ-ne9kn]

Another oldies legend that is still going strong love to see it i saw him in july of last year knocked it out of the park and got a picture with him 😁

[@SHARKVADERS]

POR !!!!!!!

[@Jacqueline_R]

I love Tiffany's version now❤, but at the time I did not. Tiffany seems very cool:) love the interview!

[@ErikLarson-l9k]

Love the Weird Al shirt! It was Al’s album Even Worse (first album I ever bought) that introduced me to the song, in a roundabout way. I wasn’t very knowledgeable about music at the time, and I didn’t even know “I Think I’m a Clone Now” was a parody at first. A lot of talk about Billy Idol’s cover of “Mony Mony” in this video too, a song Al parodied on the same album (“Alimony”). Also, my wife likes to jokingly sing the first line “Children behave” whenever our kids are acting up :)

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Both parodies are hilarious!

[@donnaroberts281]

One of my earliest music memories was going over to my friend’s house when I was about 4. Her older sister had the “Hanky Panky” single. We’d put that on and bounce around the room like only 4-year-olds can. Good times.

[@kathrynsonbergh7370]

They were my 1st concert at 13yrs. Old, was living in Muskogee, Ok...loved it❤

[@ManekiNeko1972]

Glenn Danzig did this too. He had a song called "Let it be Captured" off of his album "Danzig 4P", and when he played the song backwards, he had another song called "Cantspeak"

[@mikemorgan4774]

I remember having to stay up past 10 pm to hear WLS Chicago playing "Hanky Panky". It was one of the first 45's I ever bought. Crimson and Clover was one of my first albums too.

[@ProfessorofRock]

So cool!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Why wouldn’t they play it in the daytime?

[@mikemorgan4774]

I'm not sure, I was only like 6 or 7, might have had something to do with a format change at that time of night, but mostly had something to do with the DJ, Old Uncle Lar who was the r&r DJ for all of Chicagoland. @@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980

[@scottburton9701]

Love "I Think We're Alone Now"-It's a certifiable classic.

[@ProfessorofRock]

No question!

[@robertz2557]

Man what great interviews with these two artists. Im new to your channel so a lot of great videos to watch.

[@DC8091]

Tommy James just rules!!! One of the most underrated & dismissed pioneers of rock n roll that’s for damn sure! & Tiffany, 😮😮😍😍 still rockin!!! Great video Prof!!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks. It was fun to get both of 'em!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I mean, he knew how to write a classic!

[@manxdarcqpaw744]

Tiffany and I are the same age, and I was very much into her when the tune dropped. I was aware of the original, but the '87 groove hit me harder then. I managed to meet her at a show in the 2000s. Very nice lady.

[@nancydemoss2945]

My sister and I had I Think We're Alone Now on one of those mini flexible 45's. Wow, that takes me back!

[@retrobebop61]

Me too! Got it as a little gift from the room mothers, including my mom, at our classroom Christmas party. I was in 2nd grade. I’m now 63!

[@jeanninebagley6354]

I went to Leffingwell Christian with Tiffany , and I still remember the MTV interview they did at the school

[@janhofschulte6229]

I love that you interviewed Tommy James! He’s one of my favorites from when I was just a young child! I Think We’re Alone Now was always one of my favorites by him, but I love all his music! The part of the interview where he talks about Mirage just blew me away! I enjoyed the interview with Tiffany - she seems like a really down to earth person. I graduated high school in 85 and was really into country music from that point on. I really didn’t appreciate Tiffany’s version at the time it came out because I love Tommy’s version so much. Great show today! Thanks for all you do!

[@tommunyon2874]

I always picture my backyard in Los Alamos that opened into the mountains beyond the fence when I hear this song. The first time I heard it I was standing on the back porch and that is what came to mind. The inky blackness of the deep ponderosa woods seemed the perfect place to disappear out of sight of grown-up's eyes. We even had a rather dangerous childhood game we played during night time thunder storms. The person that was it got a chance to see where everyone was during a lightning flash, and then had to try to tag someone without smacking into a tree, or tripping over a rock as darkness returned.