1987 Chart-Topping Pop Hit Was a Surprising Cover of a '60s Rock Track

The late ’80s saw some fun, upbeat pop hits that not many would suspect were actually covers of other popular tracks. In 1987, a 15-year-old pop singer named Tiffany released one of her debut tracks that skyrocketed to No.1 and outshined its original rock version.

Millennials can easily catch onto the beat of “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany. The dance-pop track was a success when it was released on her self-titled debut album in the summer of ’87. It became the biggest hit of her career, topping the Billboard Hot 100 charts at No.1 for two straight weeks. While the track wasn’t the first released single from her album, it caught the attention of radio channels and helped spike its popularity.

Tiffany actually re-popularized the original track that was released in April 1967 by the garage rock group Tommy James and the Shondells. It was one of the band’s biggest career hits at the time and reached No. 4 on the Hot 100 charts. It would later land at No. 14 on Billboard’s year-end singles chart. The hit track was written by Ritchie Cordell and Bo Gentry and given to Tommy James. It was also created as a romantic ballad, but after a few demos, James sped up the tempo and created what would become “bubblegum” music.

While the band’s original track was a success, Tiffany’s became an ’80s teen sensation that dominated the charts. According to reports, her manager gave her a copy of the original version by the rock band and felt it was modern or hip enough. Things changed when the record label reworked the song into a dance track.

“I didn’t know the song, and it didn’t sound so modern. When I came back the next day, they’d remade it as a dance track. I didn’t want to record it, but I took the song home and my girlfriends were dancing around the room. My producer said: ‘Trust me on this,'” she said, according to The Guardian.

Related: This Beloved 1972 Soft Rock Song Hit No. 1—and Still Feels Timeless

A young Tiffany also had no idea at the time that the original track and her version were about the prohibition of teenage sex. The original track was reported to have been inspired by Gentry’s then relationship, having called her and told her he wrote a song about them. He also romantically sang the song over the phone to her.

Before Tiffany’s pop version, the track had been covered by other artists like Lene Lovich in 1978. The popular track was also covered after Tiffany’s by the girl group Girls Aloud and Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day. In 2019, Tiffany re-recorded the track with a heavier guitar-driven sound.

Fans have heard Tiffany’s versions across pop culture, from the series Ted, The Umbrella Academy, Future Man, Yellowjackets, Fear Street: Prome Queen, and Stranger Things Season 5.