867-5309/Jenny

Last updated

"867-5309/Jenny"
Tommy Tutone - 867-5309 Jenny (single cover).jpg
US single label
Single by Tommy Tutone
from the album Tommy Tutone 2
B-side "Not Say Goodbye"
Written1981
ReleasedNovember 16, 1981 (1981-11-16)
Genre
Length3:45
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Tommy Tutone singles chronology
"Angel Say No"
(1980)		"867-5309/Jenny"
(1981)		"Get Around Girl"
(1983)
Music video
"867-5309/Jenny" on YouTube

"867-5309/Jenny" is a song written by Alex Call and Jim Keller and performed by Keller's band Tommy Tutone. It was released on the album Tommy Tutone 2 (1981) through Columbia Records. It peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Rock Top Tracks chart in April 1982. The song led to a fad of people prank calling unsuspecting victims by dialing 867-5309 and asking for "Jenny". [6] [7]

Contents

Creation

According to lead guitarist Jim Keller, interviewed by People in 1982: "Jenny is a regular girl, not a hooker. Friends of mine wrote her name and number on a men's room wall at a bar. I called her on a dare, and we dated for a while. I haven't talked with her since the song became a hit, but I hear she thinks I'm a real jerk for writing it." [8]

The band's lead singer Tommy Heath had a different version of the song's origin, but also with a real girl and number. He claims the number belonged to a girl he knew, and that he wrote it on a bathroom wall in a motel where they were staying, as a joke. "We laughed about it for years," he said. [9]

However, co-writer Alex Call explained his version of the song's origins in a June 2004 interview with Songfacts:

Despite all the mythology to the contrary, I actually just came up with the 'Jenny,' and the telephone number and the music and all that just sitting in my backyard. There was no Jenny. I don't know where the number came from, I was just trying to write a 4-chord Rock song and it just kind of came out. This was back in 1981 when I wrote it, and I had at the time a little squirrel-powered 4-track in this industrial yard in California, and I went up there and made a tape of it. I had the guitar lick, I had the name and number, but I didn't know what the song was about. This buddy of mine, Jim Keller, who's the co-writer, was the lead guitar player in Tommy Tutone. He stopped by that afternoon and he said, 'Al, it's a girl's number on a bathroom wall,' and we had a good laugh. I said, 'That's exactly right, that's exactly what it is.'

Tommy Tutone's been using the story for years that there was a Jenny and she ran a recording studio and so forth. It makes a better story but it's not true. That sounds a lot better than I made it up under a plum tree in my backyard.

I had the thing recorded. I had the name and number, and they were in the same spots, 'Jenny... 867-5309.' I had all that going, but I had a blind spot in the creative process, I didn't realize it would be a girl's number on a bathroom wall. When Jim showed up, we wrote the verses in 15 or 20 minutes, they were just obvious. It was just a fun thing, we never thought it would get cut. In fact, even after Tommy Tutone made the record and '867-5309' got on the air, it really didn't have a lot of promotion to begin with, but it was one of those songs that got a lot of requests and stayed on the charts. It was on the charts for 40 weeks.

I've met a few Jennys who've said, "Oh, you're the guy who ruined my high school years." But for the most part, Jennys are happy to have the song. [10]

"There was no Jenny," Call also told a Tampa, Florida, columnist in June 2009. "The number? It came to me out of the ether." [11]

In the music video, the "Jenny" character is played by Karen Elaine Morton. [12]

Popularity and litigation

The song, released in late 1981, initially gained popularity on the American West Coast in January 1982; many who had the number soon abandoned it because of unwanted calls.

When we'd first get calls at 2 or 3 in the morning, my husband would answer the phone. He can't hear too well. They'd ask for Jenny, and he'd say "Jimmy doesn't live here any more." ... Tommy Tutone was the one who had the record. I'd like to get hold of his neck and choke him.

— Lorene Burns, an Alabama householder formerly at +1-205-867-5309; she changed her number in 1982. [13]

Asking telephone companies to trace the calls was of no use, as Charles and Maurine Shambarger (then in West Akron, Ohio, at +1-216-867-5309) learned when Ohio Bell explained: "We don’t know what to make of this. The calls are coming from all over the place." A little over a month later, they disconnected the number and the phone became silent. [14]

In some cases, the number was picked up by commercial businesses or acquired for use in radio promotions.

Springsteen controversy

Singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen's 2007 single "Radio Nowhere" features a set of guitar riffs at the beginning that many fans considered particularly similar to "867-5309/Jenny", although the lyrics and the tone of the two songs are quite different. Regarding legal action, Heath said, "I think it's close enough that if I wanted to, I could work with it... I don't really get into that sort of thing, but the kids do need braces, so maybe I will." [35] [36] He later clarified that he had no interest in suing and felt "really honored at a similarity, if any". [37]

Charts

See also

Related Research Articles

The telephone number prefix 555 is a central office code in the North American Numbering Plan, used as the leading part of a group of 10,000 telephone numbers, 555-...., in each numbering plan area (NPA). It has traditionally been used only for the provision of directory assistance, when dialing NPA-555-1212.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Tutone</span> American rock band

Tommy Tutone is an American power pop band, known for its 1981 hit "867-5309/Jenny", which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though some people consider the band to be a one-hit wonder, they did reach the Top 40 the year before with "Angel Say No".

Jenny may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessie's Girl</span> 1981 single by Rick Springfield

"Jessie's Girl" is a song written and performed by Australian singer Rick Springfield. It was released on the album Working Class Dog, which was released in February 1981. The song is about unrequited love and centres on a young man in love with his best friend's girlfriend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">853-5937</span> 1988 single by Squeeze

"853-5937" is a song by English rock band Squeeze released on the band's 1987 album Babylon and On. Released as the fourth UK single and the second US single from the album, "853-5937" was a moderate chart hit in both nations, reaching number 91 in the UK and climbing to number 32 on the US Hot 100 chart and number 38 on the US Cash Box chart.

A telephone prefix is the first set of digits after the country, and area codes of a telephone number. In the North American Numbering Plan countries, it is the first three digits of a seven-digit local phone number, the second three digits of the 3-3-4 scheme. In other countries, both the prefix and the number may have different lengths. It shows which exchange the remaining numbers refer to. A full telephone number is usually made up of a country code, area code, prefix, and subscriber number.

"777-9311" is the second track and lead single from The Time's second album, What Time Is It?. Recorded for the album at Prince's home studio in May–June 1982, the song was produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince with Morris Day later adding his lead vocals.

Clover was an American country rock band formed in Mill Valley, California and active from 1967 to 1978. Clover are best known as the backing band for Elvis Costello's 1977 debut album My Aim Is True, and for its members going on to greater success with Huey Lewis and the News, the Doobie Brothers, and Lucinda Williams.

Thomas Allen Heath is an American musician best known as the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and occasional keyboardist of the band Tommy Tutone, who are most famous for their 1981 single, "867-5309/Jenny." A common misconception is that "Tommy Tutone" is Heath's stage name, rather than the name of the band. The band was originally known as "Tommy and the Tu-tones", which was shortened to "Tommy Tutone". Heath left the band after the release of their third album, 1983's National Emotion. In 1994, Heath released the album Nervous Love under the Tommy Tutone name, but without the involvement of any of the other original band members. The band is back on tour in 2024 with a new studio album planned for release in the fall. Tommy is currently managed by Chris Redburn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beechwood 4-5789</span> 1962 single by The Marvelettes

"Beechwood 4-5789" is a song written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and George Gordy. It was a 1962 hit single for the Motown girl group The Marvelettes on Motown's Tamla subsidiary record label. The song became a hit again when it was covered by the pop duo The Carpenters in 1982.

<i>Tommy Tutone 2</i> 1981 studio album by Tommy Tutone

Tommy Tutone 2 is the second album by rock band Tommy Tutone, released in 1981. It features its biggest hit, "867-5309/Jenny". The first two albums by the band were re-released by the Collectable label as a two-albums-on-one-CD release in 1997. John Cowsill of the Cowsills appears on backing vocals and plays percussion on the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radio Nowhere</span> 2007 single by Bruce Springsteen

"Radio Nowhere" is the first single released from Bruce Springsteen's 2007 studio album Magic. It was awarded Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song at the Grammy Awards of 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Keller</span> American guitarist

Jim Keller is an American musician, producer, manager, publisher, and composer whose work in the music business spans more than 40 years. He was the co-founder, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter for the American rock band Tommy Tutone based in San Francisco, California, and was co-writer of that band's most famous single, 867-5309/Jenny. Since 1992, Keller has worked with Philip Glass, first running Glass's publishing company and eventually managing his career as director of Dunvagen Music. In 1999, Keller founded St. Rose Music as a publishing and management company for friends and associates. Their roster has grown to include Nico Muhly, Rachel Portman, Angélica Negrón, the music theater works of Tom Waits, Jeff Beal, Paul Leonard-Morgan, Ravi Shankar, and Anoushka Shankar.

<i>Now Thats What I Call the 80s</i> (American series) 2008 compilation album by Various artists

Now That's What I Call the 80s is a special edition compilation album from the Now! series in the United States, containing hit songs from the 1980s. It was released on March 11, 2008. In addition to a traditional CD release, an 80-track "deluxe digital edition" was made available for download only on iTunes.

<i>The Vegas Years</i> 2008 compilation album by Everclear

The Vegas Years is a compilation of cover songs by American rock band Everclear. It was released on April 15, 2008, via Capitol Records.

"634-5789 " is a soul song written by Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper. It was first recorded by Wilson Pickett on December 20, 1965 and included on his 1966 Atlantic Records album The Exciting Wilson Pickett with backing vocals by Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles. The single reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart and number 13 on the Hot 100 singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone number</span> Sequence of digits assigned to a telephone subscription

A telephone number is a sequence of digits assigned to a landline telephone subscriber station connected to a telephone line or to a wireless electronic telephony device, such as a radio telephone or a mobile telephone, or to other devices for data transmission via the public switched telephone network (PSTN), or other public and private networks. Modern smart phones have added a built-in layer of abstraction whereby individuals or businesses are saved into a contacts application and the numbers no longer have to be written down or memorized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perfect World (Huey Lewis and the News song)</span> 1988 single

"Perfect World" is a song performed by Huey Lewis and the News and released as the first single from the album Small World in late June 1988. The single peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #48 on the UK Singles Chart.

Ranges for fictitious telephone numbers are common in most telephone numbering plans. One of the main reasons these ranges exist is to avoid accidentally using real phone numbers in movies and television programs because of viewers frequently calling the numbers used. In North America, the area served by the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) system of area codes, fictitious telephone numbers are usually of the form (XXX) 555-xxxx. The use of 555 numbers in fiction, however, led a desire to assign some of them in the real world, and some of them are no longer suitable for use in fiction. Other areas have different fictitious telephone numbers.

A misdialed call or wrong number is a telephone call or text message to an incorrect telephone number. This may occur because the number has been physically misdialed, the number is simply incorrect, or because the area code or ownership of the number has changed. In North America, toll-free numbers are a frequent source of wrong numbers because they often have a history of prior ownership. In the United Kingdom, many misdialed calls have been due to public confusion over the dialing codes for some areas.

References

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the 80's, Vol. 5 - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  2. ↑ Adams, Bret. "Tutone.rtf - Tommy Tutone | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  3. ↑ "World Series Showdown: Music of Detroit vs San Francisco". Billboard . October 24, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  4. ↑ Billboard Staff (October 19, 2023). "The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard . Retrieved February 10, 2024. The power-pop gem that turned seven digits' worth of bathroom graffiti into the catchiest (and most-pranked) phone number of the 1980s.
  5. ↑ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). "Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits". Spin Alternative Record Guide . New York: Vintage Books. pp. 204–206. ISBN   0-679-75574-8.
  6. ↑ "Did the Song 'Jenny' Produce a Flood of Calls to 867-5309?". Urban Legends Reference Pages. November 10, 2000. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  7. 1 2 LaMarca, Stephen (July 24, 2011). "Jenny 867-5309 Won't Lead to Jenny". The Hudson Reporter . p. 3. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 Bricker, Rebecca (May 31, 1982). "Tommy Tutone's Got Your Number—if It's 867-5309—as America Dials Up a Musical Party Line". People . Vol. 17, no. 21. pp. 34–38. Archived from the original on June 4, 2009. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  9. ↑ Tutone, Tommy (March 28, 2008). "Tommy Tutone '867-5309/Jenny' Live". WGN Morning News . Chicago: WGN-TV . Retrieved September 1, 2011– via YouTube.
  10. ↑ "Alex Call (867-5309): Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts.com. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  11. ↑ La Porte, John (July 3, 2009). "BOB Stock Back". Fort Morgan Times . Retrieved September 1, 2011– via NewsBank.
  12. ↑ "The Girl in the Video: "867-5309/Jenny" (1981)". noblemania.com. Noblemania.
  13. ↑ "867-5309 Is not Jenny". Lakeland Ledger. May 16, 1982. p. 2A.
  14. ↑ Price, Mark J. (April 29, 2012). "Local History: There Is No Jenny at 867-5309". Akron Beacon Journal . Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  15. ↑ Brener, Julie (September 10, 1999). "New Phone Exchange Leads to Confusion, Prank Calls". The Brown Daily Herald . Brown University.
  16. ↑ Boniface, Dan (May 19, 2007). "Plumbers fight for famous phone number: 867-5309". 9News.
  17. ↑ Thanh Dang, Dan (March 9, 2004). "1-800-Catchy-Number- Makes-a-Lot-of-Money" . The Baltimore Sun . Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  18. ↑ Yardley, William (February 19, 2004). "Hey, Jenny, Your Number Was on Wall, And on eBay" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on December 7, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Jenny Is Now Toll-Free: Seller Puts 800-867-5309 on eBay". Ecommercebytes. February 20, 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  20. ↑ Applebome, Peter (January 31, 2009). "Jenny, Don't Change Your Number; You Might Want to Sell It on eBay" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Man selling 867-5309 number on eBay". United Press International . February 2, 2009. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015.
  22. 1 2 Duke, Alan (February 2, 2009). "'867-5309' number for sale on eBay". CNN. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019.
  23. ↑ Michaels, Sean (February 4, 2009). "Phone number behind Tommy Tutone hit 867-5309 (Jenny) listed on eBay". The Guardian . Archived from the original on January 28, 2021.
  24. ↑ McDonald, Mac (October 22, 2013). "Tommy Tutone Headlines the First Rock and Chocolate Fest". Go Magazine. The Monterey County Herald . Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Rival plumbers fight over 'Jenny's' digits". Today . Associated Press. May 19, 2007. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Plumbers Fight for 'Jenny' Number". USA Today . Associated Press. May 20, 2007. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  27. ↑ "2 Plumbing Companies Battle for Rights to 867-5309 Telephone Number". Fox News. Associated Press. May 19, 2007. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  28. ↑ Negus, Beth (March 17, 2009). "Nutrition Firm Leases 800-867-5309: Jenny Probably Not Included". Chief Marketer. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  29. ↑ Klein, Michael (August 4, 2009). "Ringing up 867-5309". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Archived from the original on September 19, 2020.
  30. ↑ Collington, Theresa (July 28, 2009). "867-5309 For Sale". WTSP-TV. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  31. ↑ Duke, Alan (February 3, 2009). "'867-5309' Bids up to $365,000". CNN. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012.
  32. ↑ McKay, John (January 29, 2013). "Tommy Tutone's One-Hit Wonder '867-5309′ Now Really Is for a Good Time!". KFLD. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020.
  33. ↑ Hijek, Barbara (November 19, 2013). "Woman OK with crank calls to her rockin' phone number 867-5309" . Sun-Sentinel . Archived from the original on February 27, 2014.
  34. ↑ Udell, Erin (August 17, 2018). "Totally 80's Pizza changed its number to 867-5309 in epic 80s homage". Fort Collins Coloradoan . Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  35. ↑ Caro, Mark (September 2, 2007). "Name that Tutone tune" . Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  36. ↑ Dansby, Andrew (August 13, 2019). "Tommy Tutone dials up roots rock to accompany '867-5309'". Houston Chronicle . Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2021. Springsteen came damn close to cribbing the guitar riff from "867-5309" for his "Radio Nowhere" a few years back. The rudiments of their music overlap more than some would admit.
  37. ↑ Horowitz, Carl F. "Sue Me, Sue You: Musical 'Plagiarism' in Court". National Legal and Policy Center. Archived from the original on May 24, 2008. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
  38. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  39. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6491." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  40. ↑ "Tommy Tutone – 867-5309/Jenny". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  41. ↑ "Tommy Tutone Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  42. ↑ "Tommy Tutone Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  43. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending May 22, 1982". Cash Box Magazine. May 22, 1982. Archived from the original on September 21, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  44. ↑ "Top 100 Singles of 1982". RPM . Vol. 37, no. 19. December 25, 1982. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  45. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1982/Top 100 Songs of 1982". Music Outfitters. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  46. ↑ "Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles". Cash Box. December 31, 1982. Archived from the original on September 21, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.