🤦🏼♂️ After last week’s #EpicSkaFail (my apologies to music-lovers everywhere), I’ve chosen a song that I can perform adequately.
Composed by Ritchie Cordell, “I Think We’re Alone Now” was a big hit for Tommy James and the Shondells in 1967.
The song was again a major hit for Tiffany in 1987 – the singer’s biggest hit, in fact.
I’m more partial to the Tommy James version, but Tiffany’s has its fans. And these are just the best-known versions. Lene Lovich did a cool new-wave cover in 1978.
There’s also the Rubinoos’ 1977 power-pop version, Snuff’s 1989 punk cover, and Girls Aloud’s 2006 slick pop performance, among others.
Beyond offering you the silliness of a middle-aged man singing a teen anthem, I chose this song to remind you that you are not alone. We may be physically separate, but we can still be together – via phone, video-call, texting, emails, physical mail, or even by talking to a friend or neighbor from a safe distance. Chat from the balcony of your apartment building, or across the fence, or when you see them out walking. There doesn’t seem to be anyone around. But we can be – and are – still here for one another.
If you’re seeking a #PlagueSong to perform, I invite you to check out this ever-expanding playlist. But, of course, you may well have a song in mind that I don’t know – and that would be welcome, too!
BONUS! Below is my personal mix of happy songs – the playlist that I turn to for cheery music. Many genres, and (as per my mix-making rules) only one song per artist. As of this writing, there are 116 songs and over 6 hours of music, including: The Muppets, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Eat World, Digable Planets, They Might Be Giants, P.O.S., R.E.M., Das EFX, Mavis Staples, Curtis Mayfield, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ennio Morricone, Ramones, Nina Simone, Paul Simon, the Clash, Beastie Boys, the Beatles, Blackalicious, Groucho Marx, Vince Guaraldi, Chet Baker, Robert Preston, Aretha Franklin, the Isley Brothers, the Mills Brothers, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Lizzo, Metric, Dick Dale, Jack White, Big Audio Dynamite, Pizzicato Five, Jurassic 5, the Jackson 5, the O’Jays, the Dixie Cups, Barenaked Ladies, Billie Holiday, Maurice Chevalier, Bruce Cockburn, Fats Waller, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Toots & The Maytals, Sly & The Family Stone, David Bowie and Queen.
🥳 Incidentally, today is my one-month quaranniversary. I started quarantining on March 14th. So, happy quaranniversary to me, happy quaranniversary to me… 🎶
Related Posts
- Sing. Sing a Song. #PlagueSongs, no. 1 (17 Mar. 2020)
- What Is Your COVID-19 Routine? (22 Mar. 2020)
- Do Not Touch Your Face. #PlagueSongs, no. 2 (24 Mar. 2020)
- The Bright Side. #PlagueSongs, no. 3 (31 Mar. 2020)
- What Is Your COVID-19 Routine? Part 2 (5 Apr. 2020)
- It’s later than you think. #PlagueSongs, no. 4 (7 Apr. 2020)