Mony Mony

Background and release

"Mony Mony" was credited to Tommy James, Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell, and Bobby Bloom. The title of the song is said to have been inspired by Tommy James' view of the M.O.N.Y. sign atop the Mutual of New York Building on the New York City skyline from his Manhattan apartment. As Tommy James says in a 1995 interview in Hitch magazine:

True story: I had the track done before I had a title. I wanted something catchy like "Sloopy" or "Bony Maroney," but everything sounded so stupid. So Ritchie Cordell and I were writing it in New York City, and we were about to throw in the towel when I went out onto the terrace, looked up and saw the Mutual of New York building (which has its initials illuminated in red at its top). I said, "That's gotta be it! Ritchie, come here, you've gotta see this!" It's almost as if God Himself had said, "Here's the title." I've always thought that if I had looked the other way, it might have been called "Hotel Taft".

"Mony Mony" was the only song by the group to reach the top 20 in the United Kingdom; it reached No. 1 in the UK, No. 3 on the Hot 100, and No. 1 on WLS, two years to the day after the similarly sounding title "Monday, Monday" reached No. 1 there. A music video of it was made at the time featuring the band performing the song amidst psychedelic backgrounds, dated in showing love beads, but a decade and half later would receive some play on MTV.

The song "Mony Mony" has been covered by many artists, including Billy Idol, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Amazulu, Status Quo, the Scenics, the Wigs, and the Beach Boys who recorded the song on March 15, 1976. In a peculiar twist, in 1987 Billy Idol's version of the song replaced another Tommy James hit at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 — "I Think We're Alone Now", covered by Tiffany.

Track listings and format

1. "Mony Mony" - 2:45
2. "One Two Three and I Fell" - 2:32

Background and release

British rock artist Billy Idol released a cover version in 1981 (on the Don't Stop EP). Along with the track, "Baby Talk", Idol's version of "Mony Mony" went to number seven on the Billboard dance chart. A live recording of the song became a hit for Idol in 1987 as well.

Idol's version of the song gave rise to an interesting custom in the 1980s. When the song was performed live in concert or played at a club or dance, people would shout a certain formulaic (and usually obscene) sentence in the two measures following each line. One example is: "Hey, hey what? Get laid, get fucked!" This custom led to the song being banned at high school dances across North America, although it continues at Idol concerts today.

Billy Idol's version was recorded on two separate occasions. The original 1981 studio recording is the most common version heard on rock radio stations across the globe. However, Idol released a live version as a single in 1987, while promoting his then-forthcoming compilation work Vital Idol. It was the live version that went to No. 1, coincidentally displacing Tiffany's cover of another Tommy James song, "I Think We're Alone Now", from the top spot.

As stated before, Idol revived interest in the original garage rock song. His original studio version can be found on Idol's Greatest Hits compilation album, a 2001 Capitol Records release. That album has received positive critical reviews, with Idol's cover of the Tommy James tune specifically praised.

The 1987 version was released as a vinyl 45, and it was not available in a digital format until 2009 as a download in the iTunes store.

Uses in popular culture

The song appears in the 2011 video game NHL 12. It appears in a 2014 TV commercial for the Nissan Sentra, advertising the Bose sound system.

"Weird Al" Yankovic wrote a parody of this song from his album Even Worse, entitled "Alimony" (based on the Billy Idol version). It was about a recently divorced man complaining about his ex-wife taking everything he owns away from him in alimony payments.

Track listings and formats

1. "Mony Mony"
2. "Baby Talk"
3. "Untouchables"
4. "Dancing With Myself"

1. "Mony Mony (Live)"
2. "Shakin' All Over (Live)"

1. "Mony Mony (Hung Like a Pony Remix)" 6:59
2. "Mony Mony (Steel-Toe Cat Dub)" 6:50
3. "Mony Mony (Live) 4:00"
4. "Mony Mony (Single Edit)" 5:01

1. "Mony Mony (Hung Like a Pony Remix♰)"
2. "Shakin' All Over (Live)"
3. "Mony Mony (Live)"

♰Mixed by – Tom Lord-Alge