How influential has the music of Tommy James & The Shondells been? Let’s put it this way: Even if they were known for only one song (which they definitely are not), consider the impact of “I Think We’re Alone Now.” Released in the 1960s, it’s been covered through the generations—by Lene Lovich in the 1970s, by Tiffany in the 1980s (which then led to a brilliant Weird Al parody of Tiffany’s version, “I Think I’m a Clone Now”), by Girls Aloud in the 2000s, and by Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong in 2020.
That’s pretty impressive, but it’s only one of their hits that has had that kind of resonance. Take “Mony Mony,” which has been covered no less than 19 times (famously by Billy Idol in 1981, and most recently by Ramon Jacinto and New Riots in 2021)!
When you start to stack the massive other hits on top of that legacy (24 Billboard Top 40 solid gold hits), it becomes hard to argue that they’re not one of the top bands of all time. How many wedding parties have danced to “Hanky Panky?” How many Breaking Bad fans have geeked out at the perfect use of the song “Crystal Blue Persuasion”? How many headphone-wearing listeners feel like they’re on a mind-altering trip while listening to the refrain of “Crimson and Clover”?
It's time to reacquaint yourself with this beyond-impressive discography by enjoying the band live this week at Golden Nugget. As the band might say, get your ticket and run, run, baby, run!
Golden Nugget, 8 p.m.Oct. 27, starting at $59 plus tax and fee. ticketmaster.com
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