Question: Which '60s Band Inspired Consecutive Cover Version Top Hits in 1987?
I'm not sure if this makes a particular statement about the dearth of creativity on the late-'80s pop music scene, but 1987's Hot 100 singles chart had the distinction of featuring two consecutive '60s covers in the top spot. Even stranger, these tracks ("I Think We're Alone Now" and "Mony Mony") both happen to be versions of hits first recorded by Tommy James & the Shondells. Read on for more about this curious '80s pop coincidence, including the artists responsible for these covers that dominated the charts in November 1987.
Answer: I don't remember 1987 as anything near the best year of the '80s for pop music quality, but I must say I'm amazed to learn that for almost a whole month that year the top spot belonged to music strangely retro-friendly. Teen pop princess Tiffany's version of "I Think We're Alone Now" never seemed like a particularly permanent musical statement, but somehow Billy Idol's rather cringe-worthy version of "Mony Mony" was even worse. And while it's probably not James' fault that a vacuum in original pop music happened to occur at just the right (or wrong) time, I would argue that these particular tunes probably were not truly among pop's best even the first time around. This is forgettable music that just happened to achieve a rather unforgettably unique chart achievement.
