Thursday, August 9, 2012

Best One-Hit Wonder?

I think it's 867-5309/Jenny by Tommy Tutone, a hit in 1982.

Requirements:

Good guitar riffs?  Check 
Catchy melodic hooks?  Check
Memorable lyrics?  Let me simply say this:  "867-5309", or "For a good time call" or "For the price of a dime I can always turn to you" or "I tried my imagination but I was disturbed"
Addresses issues of major societal importance?  Not so much, except perhaps for a select age and gender demographic.

The number has its own entry in Wikipedia and these are some of the recent sightings so you can see the song has staying power (hey, it's Wikipedia so we know its accurate, right?):

  • In 2003, Southwest Junior High School had to change the school phone number due to repetitive calls asking for Jenny. This was in area code 704.
  • Brown University, which in 2002 owned the number in the 401 area code, transferred the number to Gem Plumbing & Heating,[8] a local business in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Gem began using the number in advertising campaigns both in Rhode Island and in eastern Massachusetts (area code 617). Gem trademarked the number in 2005.
  • In 2004, Weehawken, New Jersey resident Spencer Potter picked up the number for free after discovering to his surprise that it was available in the 201 area code, hoping it would improve his DJ business. Unable to handle the overwhelming volume of calls, he sought to sell the number on eBay in February 2009. Although bids reached $1 million, his inability to confirm the identity of the bidders led him to sell it privately to Retro Fitness, a gym franchise with a location in Secaucus, New Jersey that felt the 1980s origin of the number tied in perfectly with their business's retro theme.[4]
Common misconception - Tommy Tutone is NOT the name of the lead singer, it's the name of the band.  The lead singer's name is Tommy Heath.

This is Tommy and the gang in one of those typical really bad early 80s music videos.



1 comment:

  1. What an unexpected blast from the past, and once again this confirms the notion that anything can sell! dm

    ReplyDelete