Cover Story

“I Think We’re Alone Now” (Tommy James & The Shondells)

April 5, 2009 0 Comments

What do Tiffany and Prince have in common? Besides being single-named artists, now both have covered tunes by Tommy James and The Shondells.

Tiffany re-did “I Think We’re Alone Now” back in 1987 (as featured in the most recent Friday Flashback), which the teen pop star took to #1. Now Prince is out with his take on psychedelic-leaning “Crimson And Clover,” as featured on his new release, Lotusflow3r.

In January 1969, Tommy James and The Shondells took “Crimson And Clover” to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the second and last time the Pittsburgh band reached the chart summit. 1966’s “Hanky Panky,” their debut single, was the first; both songs spent two weeks at the top.

Forty years later, Prince turns “Crimson And Clover” into a Jimi-styled jam, melding a bit from The Troggs’ “Wild Thing” (a #1 smash in 1966). The combination of the two is so fluid that it sounds like the songs should have been together from the very start:

Purchase Prince’s cover of “Crimson And Clover” on the album Lotusflow3r, a three-CD set available exclusively at Target stores and at Target.com.