867-5309/Jenny

From Freepedia

"867-5309/Jenny" is the name of a song written and performed by Tommy Tutone which peaked at Number 4 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in 1982 (see 1982 in music).

Contents

Background

The lyrics imply that 867-5309 was the real phone number of a girl named Jenny, acquired from a bathroom wall. The song caused a fad of people dialing 867-5309 (then a valid phone number in dozens of area codes) and asking for Jenny.

Throughout the song, the singer just keeps thinking about this mysterious Jenny and how happy she makes him. The song says he tried to call her before, but lost his nerve.

The song was released on the album Tommy Tutone 2, on the Columbia Records label. It has been covered by a number of artists including Less Than Jake.

Various claims have been made about the number, including:

  • +1-415-867-5309 had been a real number of a friend of someone in the band, promptly disconnected after the song's release
  • subscribers with same or similar numbers in other area codes also ordered them disconnected after receiving many calls
  • some radio stations at the time were applying to obtain lines with +1-areacode-867-5309 numbers for promotional purposes (some, such as one in Chicago, actually succeeded)
  • the calls to 1-areacode-867-5309 were still arriving in quantity as late as the end of the 1990's
  • the band or label changed their story as to the number's origins, eventually claiming it to be a random number
  • typing 8675309 on Microsoft WebTV (such as the original EchoStar DishPlayer), UltimateTV and newer MSN TV 2 units when in off/standby mode would cause them to call home to download Microsoft TV software
  • a more recent attempt to auction the number +1-212-867-5309 on eBay received bids in the $200,000 range before the auction listing was pulled at the request of Verizon
  • 8675309 is a prime number

Although Tommy Tutone are primarily remembered for this song and commonly considered a "one-hit wonder", they actually had a Billboard Top 40 hit in 1980—two years before "Jenny"—with "Angel Say No", which peaked at #38. "Angel Say No", however, is now almost completely forgotten by the general public.

Most media companies use a fictitious 555 telephone number to avoid problems with real telephone numbers.

867-5309 in popular culture

  • In an episode of Family Guy, when Stewie is trying to reach his mother, the first number he dials is 867-5309. He then says, "Oh, wait, that's not it. Damn you, Tommy Tutone!"
  • In the MMORPG Everquest, players can obtain an item named "Jenniy's Two-tone Cuirass" from the zone boss Grieg Veneficus. This item is a breastplate, and grants the wearer 8 strength, 6 dexterity, 7 stamina, 5 charisma, 30 wisdom, and 9 intelligence, among other benefits.
  • In 2004, the song was featured in a TV commercial for Cingular Wireless, which promoted the company's number portability service. Many telephone carriers have refused to assign this number since the advent of this song but it is still valid in some areas.
  • On the American show Hit Me Baby One More Time, Tommy Tutone reunited for one night and sang the song for a chance to win money for charity.
  • In a first-season episode of the television show Cheers, 867-5309 is given as Diane Chambers' phone number in a bit of men's room graffiti.

Other sightings of 867-5309

  • The song was parodied by Christian parody band ApologetiX to tell the story of Abraham's test in Genesis 22. The parody is titled "Genny 22" in the album Spoofernatural.
  • The number appeared on a package for a dry-erase message board sold by Wal-Mart.
  • In the Monolith Productions computer game No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way, an enemy sub has the number "8675309" painted on the side.
  • In the video game MDK2, Kurt, the main character, is dropped into "sector 8675309"
  • In the video game Duke Nukem 3D, "867-5309" can be found on the wall of the theater bathroom in Hollywood Holocaust (E1L1) next to the left urinal.
  • In the New World Computing computer game Heroes of Might and Magic II, typing the code "8675309" in-game reveals the whole map.
  • The telephone number (213) 867-5309 was available for sale from a marketing firm in Los Angeles.

Charts

Year Single Chart Peak
1982 "867-5309/Jenny" Mainstream Rock 1
1982 "867-5309/Jenny" Pop Singles 4

See also

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.freepedia.org/867-5309/Jenny.html"


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