On Nov. 21, 1987, Billy Idol had the #1 song in the U.S. with Mony Mony. The song was originally a hit in 1968 for Tommy James and the Shondells. As Tommy James says in a 1995 interview inHitch magazine: “ True story: I had the track done before I had a title. I wanted something catchy like Sloopy or Bony Maroney, but everything sounded so stupid. So Ritchie Cordell and I were writing it in New York City, and we were about to throw in the towel when I went out onto the terrace, looked up and saw the Mutual of New York building (which has its initials illuminated in red at its top MONY). I said, Thats gotta be it! Ritchie, come here, youve gotta see this! Its almost as if God Himself had said, Heres the title. Ive always thought that if I had looked the other way, it might have been called Hotel Taft. Many artists have covered the song. Which version was your favorite, Tommy James or Billy Idol? Or maybe the version by Alvin and the Chipmunks? Heres the original by Tommy James and The Shondells. https://youtube/watch?v=pkMgs3lFwkQ
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 11:10:21 +0000