I Think We're Alone Now#Tiffany version

{{short description|1967 single by Tommy James and the Shondells}}

{{Other uses|I Think We're Alone Now (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox song

| name = I Think We're Alone Now

| cover = I_Think_We're_Alone_Now_-_Tommy_James_&_the_Shondells.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Tommy James and the Shondells

| album = I Think We're Alone Now

| B-side = Gone, Gone, Gone

| released = January 1967{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9SgEAAAAMBAJ&q=tommy+james+%26+the+shondells&pg=PA14|title=Spotlight Singles|publisher=Billboard|date=January 28, 1967|access-date=April 29, 2024}}

| recorded = 1966

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = {{hlist|Pop rock{{cite book|last= Unterberger|first= Richie|chapter= Various Artists - Bubblegum Classics Vol. 1 & 2|editor-last1= Bogdanov|editor-first1=Vladimir|editor-last2= Erlewine |editor-first2= Michael |editor-last3= Erlewine |editor-first3= Stephen Thomas |editor-last4= Unterberger |editor-first4= Richie |editor-last5= Woodstra |editor-first5= Chris|date= January 1, 1997|title= AllMusic Guide to Rock|publisher= Miller Freeman, Inc.|location= San Francisco|page= 1064}}|bubblegum pop|garage rock{{cite news|first=Troy L. |last=Smith |title=Every No. 1 song of the 1980s ranked from worst to best |website=Cleveland.com |date=13 May 2021 |access-date=30 January 2023|url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2021/05/every-no-1-song-of-the-1980s-ranked-from-mad-bogus-to-totally-bodacious.html}}}}

| length = 2:08

| label = Roulette

| writer = Ritchie Cordell

| producer = Ritchie Cordell

| prev_title = It's Only Love

| prev_year = 1966

| next_title = Mirage

| next_year = 1967

}}

"I Think We're Alone Now" is a song written and composed by Ritchie Cordell that was first recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells. It was a major hit for the group, reaching number 4 on the US Hot 100 in April 1967. It finished at No. 12 on Billboard magazine's year-end singles chart for 1967.{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|title=Top Records of 1967 – Hot 100|date=December 30, 1967|page=42 |volume=79 |issue=52 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aSgEAAAAMBAJ |access-date=December 19, 2014}}

The song has been covered several times by other artists, most notably by Tiffany in 1987. The Tiffany recording reached number 1 on the charts of various countries including the US, UK, Canada, and New Zealand. Other cover versions have also charted, including those by the Rubinoos (number 45 US, 1977) and Girls Aloud (number 4 UK, 2006).

Composition

The writing of the song was credited to Ritchie Cordell, who wrote or co-wrote many songs for Tommy James, including the follow-up single to "I Think We're Alone Now", "Mirage" and its B-side "Run, Run, Baby, Run", and 1968's "Mony Mony". Cordell and his regular songwriting partner Bo Gentry gave the song to Tommy James, who thought it sounded like a hit. According to Tommy James, "I Think We're Alone Now" was written by Cordell and Gentry, but as Gentry was still under contract to Kama Sutra Records, the head of Roulette Records, Morris Levy, agreed to a deal naming Cordell as sole writer but splitting the royalties with Gentry.{{cite book |last=James |first=Tommy |date=16 Feb 2010 |title= Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I6pfS5VOa4kC&q=Gentry |publisher=Simon and Schuster |pages=99–101 |isbn=9781439142646 |author-link=Tommy James}}

The song was originally written as a slow ballad, but when James, Cordell and Gentry recorded a quick demo, they made the song faster. Tommy James later wrote: "Ritchie and Bo originally wrote the song as a mid-tempo ballad. I said no way and started speeding it up.... I.. put on a nasally, almost juvenile-sounding lead vocal, and without realizing it, we invented "bubblegum" music." They played the song to Levy, who approved of it, and it was then given a proper recording.

Recording

The recording was produced by Ritchie Cordell and Bo Gentry. Bo phoned his longtime girlfriend, Johana, to let her know "I Think We're Alone Now" was a song he wrote about the two of them. Bo did not publicize this detail, possibly for contractual reasons. Tommy James recorded the vocal on the Christmas Eve of 1966 so that the song could be released in the new year.

Like many early Tommy James and the Shondells releases, only band members Tommy James and Eddie Gray were featured on the record, with the rest of the band providing background vocals. Studio musicians were used as the rest of the rhythm section to back up the Shondells. These musicians include Artie Butler playing Ondioline electric keyboard, Al Gorgoni on guitar, Joe Macho on bass, Paul Griffin on piano, and Bobby Gregg on drums.

They recorded the bass and drums first, and the rest then layered onto the recording. They also made the choruses quieter so that the verses became much more prominent. This was the first time that they recorded this way, a process they would replicate in many other later records to produce their signature sound.

The version that James and the Shondells originally performed uses hard-driving arrangements for its two verses, both fiercely performed so as to convey a sense of urgency. However, the refrain (performed twice) is almost whispered and indeed followed by a sound effect of crickets chirping, giving an atmosphere of forbidden activities that are being deliberately kept hidden. The fade-out uses the lyrics of the refrain, but this time, the hard-driving arrangements are resumed.

Release

"I Think We're Alone Now" was a 1967 hit song for Tommy James and the Shondells, reaching number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during a 17-week stay. Rock critic Lester Bangs called the single "the bubblegum apotheosis".

"I Think We're Alone Now" stands out as one of James's most successful recordings. It was featured in the horror film Mother's Day (1980), the science-fiction thriller 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) and the finale episode of the fantasy web series The Umbrella Academy (2024).

Charts

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable"
align="left"|Chart (1967–68)

!align="left"|Peak
position

{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|6|song=I Think We're Alone Now|artist=Tommy James and the Shondells|chartid=10052|access-date=February 15, 2021|refname=}}
New Zealand (Listener){{cite web|url=http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=636#n_view_location|title=Search listener|work=Flavour of New Zealand|access-date=2017-02-24|archive-date=2017-02-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224211541/http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qartistid=636#n_view_location|url-status=dead}}

| style="text-align:center;"|7

South Africa (Springbok){{cite web|title=SA Charts 1965–March 1989|url=http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(J).html|access-date=September 5, 2018}}

|align="center"|8

{{single chart|Billboardhot100|4|song=I Think We're Alone Now|artist=Tommy James|access-date=February 15, 2021|refname=}}
US Cashbox Top 100{{cite book |last1=Downey |first1=Pat |last2=Albert |first2=George |last3=Hoffman |first3=Frank |title=Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993 |date=1994 |publisher=Libraries Unlimited Inc. |location=Englewood, Colorado |isbn=1563083167 |page=173 |url=https://archive.org/details/cashboxpopsingle00down/page/172/mode/2up |access-date=March 5, 2023}}

| style="text-align:center;"|3

{{col-2}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable"
align="left"|Chart (1967)

! style="text-align:center;"|Rank

Canada RPM 100{{cite web |url=https://musiccanada.wordpress.com/2015/10/29/top-100-singles-of-1967-in-canada/|title=Top 100 Singles of 1967 in Canada|date=October 29, 2015|work=Music Canada Blog}}

| style="text-align:center;"|26

US Billboard Hot 100[http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1967.htm Top 100 Hits of 1967/Top 100 Songs of 1967], Music Outfitters. Accessed February 23, 2017.

| style="text-align:center;"|12

US Cash Box Top 100"[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Cash-Box/60s/1967/CB-1967-12-23.pdf Top 100 Chart Hits of 1968]", Cash Box, December 23, 1967. Accessed February 23, 2017.

| style="text-align:center;"|12

{{col-end}}

Lene Lovich version

{{Infobox song

| name = I Think We're Alone Now

| cover = I Think We're Alone Now - Lena.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Lene Lovich

| album = Stateless

| B-side = Lucky Number

| released = July 1978

| recorded = 1978

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = New wave{{cite book|first= David|last= Smay|editor1-first= Kim |editor1-last= Cooper|editor2-first= David|editor2-last= Smay|year= 2001|title= Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth|chapter= Bubblegum & New Wave|publisher= Feral House|location= Los Angeles|pages= 248–250}}

| length = 2:45

| label = Stiff

| writer = Ritchie Cordell

| producer = Les Chappell

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title = Lucky Number

| next_year = 1979

}}

In 1978, the American singer Lene Lovich recorded a cover version of "I Think We're Alone Now". Her version was originally released with her hit song "Lucky Number" as a B-side. Lovich recorded the song after contacting the radio presenter Charlie Gillett, who helped her get signed by Dave Robinson of Stiff Records. Robinson liked the record and immediately proposed it to be released as a single. However, her song "Lucky Number" gained so much more attention that it was later re-released as a lead single, at which it peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

"I Think We're Alone Now" appeared on Lovich's 1978 debut album, Stateless, and she would later record the song in other languages, including German and Japanese.Juneau, Jason. "[http://www.furious.com/perfect/lenelovich.html Innovation in New Wave:Lene Lovich]", Perfect Sound Forever, September, 2001.

=Track listings and formats=

  • 7" single (UK){{cite AV media notes|title=I Think We're Alone Now|others=Lene Lovich|date=1978|type=UK 7-inch Single liner notes|publisher=Stiff Records|id=BUY 32}}
  1. "I Think We're Alone Now" – 2:45
  2. "Lucky Number" – 2:20
  • 7" single (UK) (Version 2){{cite AV media notes|title=I Think We're Alone Now|others=Lene Lovich|date=1978|type=UK 7-inch Single liner notes|publisher=Stiff Records|id=BUY J32}}
  1. "I Think We're Alone Now" (Japanese Version) – 2:45
  2. "Lucky Number" – 2:20

{{clear}}

Tiffany version

{{Infobox song

| name = I Think We're Alone Now

| cover = Tiffany-I Think We're Alone Now-12in.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Tiffany

| album = Tiffany

| B-side = No Rules

| released = August 16, 1987

| recorded = 1987

| studio =

| genre = {{hlist|Hi-NRG|dance-pop{{cite web|first= Tom |last= Breihan |title= The Number Ones: Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now|website= Stereogum |date= March 24, 2021|url= https://www.stereogum.com/2121697/the-number-ones-tiffanys-i-think-were-alone-now/columns/the-number-ones/|quote= Tiffany didn’t like the song or understand it, but Tobin put together a percussive dance-pop backing track...I generally like my teen-pop to be a bit more naturalistic than Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now.|accessdate= November 8, 2023}}|teen pop}}

| length = * {{Duration|m=3|s=48}} (original version)
{{Duration|m=4|s=25}} (single remix)

| label = MCA

| writer = Ritchie Cordell

| producer = George Tobin

| prev_title = Danny

| prev_year = 1987

| next_title = Could've Been

| next_year = 1988

| misc = {{External music video|1={{YouTube|w6Q3mHyzn78|"I Think We're Alone Now"}} }}

}}

{{Music ratings

| title = Professional ratings

| subtitle =

| rev1 = Number One

| rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}

}}

= Background =

"I Think We’re Alone Now″ was re-popularized when American pop singer Tiffany covered the song when she was 15 for her debut album, Tiffany, which was released on August 16, 1987, on the MCA Records label. When George Tobin, Tiffany's manager and producer, gave her the cassette of the original version by Tommy James & the Shondells, Tiffany hated the idea of recording a version of her own, mostly because she thought the song was neither modern enough nor hip enough. According to Tiffany, she also did not know that the song is about the prohibition of teenage sex.{{cite news |last1=Simpson |first1=Dave |title=How we made I Think We're Alone Now: Tommy James and Tiffany on their shared hit |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jul/30/tommy-james-shondells-tiffany-how-we-made-i-think-were-alone-now |access-date=20 September 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=30 July 2019}} The producers then remade the song as a dance track, and when Tiffany played it to friends, they started to dance. Tiffany returned the next day to record the song in around four takes.

Tiffany also recorded "I Think We're Alone Now", but in a different arrangement, for her sixth album and her second as an indie artist, Dust Off and Dance, which became her only electronica album. It was released in 2005. For the 2007 compilation album I Think We're Alone Now: 80s Hits and More, her vocals were re-recorded, using the remixed 1987 backing track as a guide. Her earlier version is referenced in the alternative group Weezer's song "Heart Songs" on the band's 2008 Red Album.

In 2019, Tiffany re-recorded the song with a heavier, more guitar-driven sound and released it online.

It was used by Ikea for their 2024 holiday ads.

= Chart performance =

"I Think We're Alone Now" was Tiffany's biggest hit. Her version of the song spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and three weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart. It charted first on August 28, 1987 and August 29, 1987.{{Cite web |title=Tiffany Darwish – "I Think We're Alone Now" {{!}} Songs |url=https://www.crownnote.com/songs/tiffany-darwish-i-think-were-alone-now |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103230711/https://www.crownnote.com/songs/tiffany-darwish-i-think-were-alone-now |archive-date=2023-11-03 |access-date=2023-11-04 |website=Crownnote |date=14 November 1987 |language=en}}

"I Think We're Alone Now" was not the first single from Tiffany's debut album. The first single was "Danny", but radio started picking up "I Think We're Alone Now", another selection on the album. It became a runaway number-one hit and was the 18th-highest-selling single for 1987{{cite web| url=http://www.80sxchange.com/80s_charts/1987.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231041956/http://www.80sxchange.com/80s_charts/1987.htm | archive-date=December 31, 2019 | title=The Top 100 Pop Singles of 1987 | website=80sxchange.com | access-date=June 4, 2007 | url-status=dead}} and the 32nd-highest-selling single in Australia for 1988.[http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-50-singles-1988.htm "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 50 Singles 1988"]. ARIACharts. Retrieved June 4, 2007. In Canada it reached No. 1 the week after another cover of a Tommy James and the Shondells' song, Mony Mony, also reached No. 1.{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.0905.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - November 28, 1987}}

= Critical reception =

Max Bell from Number One wrote, "This chestnut is more interesting if only because Tiffany is a 16-year old from Oklahoma who looks like being America's first teenage singing star in years. This was Number One over the pond and it's obvious Tiffany has the credentials to become a countrified threat to Madonna's crown. She'll be Miss America 1988! A celebrity is born!"{{cite magazine|first=Max|last=Bell|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/57779449@N02/50183347328/in/album-72157715342629681/|title=Singles|magazine=Number One|date=January 9, 1988|page=42|access-date=March 11, 2023}} Sue Dando from Smash Hits deemed the song "average" and described it as a "rather wretched thing" with "so slightly raunchy female vocals and insubstantial pop toons that are infuriatingly catchy".{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Smash-Hits/1988/Smash-Hits-1988-12-30.pdf |title=Singles reviewed by Sue Dando |magazine=Smash Hits |volume=9 |issue=25 |date=30 December 1987 – 12 January 1988 |last=Dando |first=Sue |page=53 |issn=0260-3004 |via=World Radio History |access-date=16 November 2023}} Lawrence Donegan of Record Mirror stated that Tiffany's number-one hit on the US charts "proves you don't need to be beautiful and talented to get on in this world".{{cite magazine |last=Donegan |first=Lawrence |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/80s/88/Record-Mirror-1988-01-09%20-OCR.pdf |title=Singles reviewed by Lawrence Donegan |magazine=Record Mirror |date=9 January 1988 |page=10 |location=London |publisher=Spotlight Publications Ltd.|via=World Radio History |issn=0144-5804 |access-date=30 October 2021}} James Hamilton of the same magazine called the song a "flurryingly energetic {{frac|(0-)130|1|2}}-0 bpm revival".{{cite magazine |last=Hamilton |first=James |author-link=James Hamilton (DJ and journalist) |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/80s/88/Record-Mirror-1988-02-06-OCR.pdf |title=Beats per minutes by James Hamilton |magazine=Record Mirror |date=6 February 1988 |page=20 |location=London |publisher=Spotlight Publications Ltd.|via=World Radio History |issn=0144-5804 |access-date=30 October 2023}}

= Music video =

The accompanying music video for "I Think We're Alone Now" was directed entirely by Tobin, and shot in numerous shopping malls in Utah, which echoed the way her early career had been promoted: Fashion Place Mall (Murray, Utah), Crossroads Plaza Mall (Salt Lake City, Utah), 49th Street Galleria (Murray, Utah) and Ogden City Mall (Ogden, Utah). Elements of the video were filmed in the now demolished Bull Ring Centre in Birmingham, UK. The video was featured in the 2012 film Ted and the song was also on the soundtrack and appears in its sequel.

In 2019, a new video directed by Marc Trojanowski, featuring the re-recorded 2019 version of the song and filmed in various locations around Los Angeles, was released online.

= Parody =

In 1988, "Weird Al" Yankovic released a parody of Tiffany's version of the song, titled "I Think I'm a Clone Now" on his album Even Worse.[https://www.weirdal.com/archives/miscellaneous/parodies-polka/ "Parodies & Polkas - "Weird Al" Yankovic"].

= Track listings and formats =

  • 7-inch/CD single
  1. "I Think We're Alone Now" – 3:47
  2. "No Rules" – 4:05
  • 12-inch vinyl single
  1. "I Think We're Alone Now" (extended version) – 6:35
  2. "I Think We're Alone Now" (single version) – 4:25
  3. "I Think We're Alone Now" (dub version) – 6:35

= Charts =

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

== Weekly charts ==

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"| Chart (1987–1988)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

scope="row"| Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite book|author=David Kent|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970-1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=310}} N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and June 19, 1988.

| 13

{{singlechart|Austria|24|artist=Tiffany|song=I Think We're Alone Now|rowheader=true|access-date=June 25, 2017}}
{{singlechart|Flanders|2|artist=Tiffany|song=I Think We're Alone Now|rowheader=true|access-date=June 25, 2017}}
scope="row"| Canada (The Record){{cite book|author=Nanda Lwin|author-link=Nanda Lwin|title=Top 40 Hits 1975-present|publisher=Music Data Canada|location=Mississauga, Ont.|year=2000|isbn=1-896594-13-1}}

| 1

{{singlechart|Canadatopsingles|1|chartid=0908|rowheader=true|publish-date=December 5, 1987|access-date=September 20, 2018}}
scope="row"| Denmark (IFPI){{cite magazine|title=Top 3 in Europe|magazine=Music & Media|page=24|date=March 26, 1988|volume=5|issue=13|oclc=29800226}}

| 2

scope="row"| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100){{cite magazine|title=European Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|pages=20–21|volume=5|issue=9|date=February 27, 1988|oclc=29800226}}

| 2

scope="row"| European Airplay (Music & Media){{cite magazine|title=European Airplay Top 50|magazine=Music & Media|page=23|date=March 5, 1988|volume=5|issue=10|oclc=29800226}}

| 3

scope="row"| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista){{cite book|url=https://musiikkiarkisto.fi/oa/_tiedostot/julkaisut/sisaltaa-hitin.pdf#page=259|first=Timo|last=Pennanen|year=2021|title=Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021|section=Tiffany|page=259|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava|location=Helsinki|access-date=July 8, 2022|language=fi}}

| 18

{{singlechart|France|9|artist=Tiffany|song=I Think We're Alone Now|rowheader=true|access-date=June 25, 2017}}
scope="row"| Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 10){{cite magazine|url=https://timarit.is/page/2539779#page/n27/mode/2up|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212084557/https://timarit.is/page/2539779#page/n27/mode/2up|archive-date=December 12, 2023|title=Íslenski Listinn Topp 10 (5. febrúar 1988)|magazine=Dagblaðið Vísir|access-date=July 26, 2018|language=is}}

| 10

{{singlechart|Ireland2|1|song=I Think We're Alone Now|rowheader=true|access-date=January 20, 2020}}
scope="row"| Italy (Musica e dischi){{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=Musica e dischi|language=it|access-date=June 8, 2022}} Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Tiffany".

| 7

{{singlechart|Dutch40|2|artist=Tiffany|song=I Think We're Alone Now|rowheader=true|access-date=June 8, 2022}}
{{singlechart|Dutch100|2|artist=Tiffany|song=I Think We're Alone Now|rowheader=true|access-date=June 25, 2017}}
{{singlechart|New Zealand|1|artist=Tiffany|song=I Think We're Alone Now|rowheader=true|access-date=June 25, 2017}}
{{singlechart|Norway|3|artist=Tiffany|song=I Think We're Alone Now|rowheader=true|access-date=June 25, 2017}}
scope="row"|Panama (UPI){{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=29pCAAAAIBAJ&dq=whitney+houston+panama&pg=PA10&article_id=923,724854|title=Las canciones más populares en Latinoamérica|newspaper=La Opinión (Los Angeles)|language=es|access-date=21 September 2024|date=4 January 1988}}

|1

scope="row"|Portugal (AFP){{cite magazine|title=Top 3 in Europe|magazine=Music & Media|page=24|date=April 30, 1988|oclc=29800226|volume=5|issue=18}}

|align="center"|2

scope="row"| South Africa (Springbok Radio){{cite web|title=SA Charts 1965–March 1989|url=http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(T).html|access-date=September 11, 2018}}

|align="center"|1

scope="row"| Sweden (Trackslistan)Sweden Charts Archive. 28 November 1987.

|align="center"|9

{{singlechart|Switzerland|10|artist=Tiffany|song=I Think We're Alone Now|rowheader=true|access-date=June 25, 2017}}
{{singlechart|UK|1|date=19880124|artist=Tiffany|song=I Think We're Alone Now|rowheader=true|access-date=June 25, 2017}}
{{single chart|Billboardadultcontemporary|38|song=I Think We're Alone Now|artist=Tiffany|rowheader=true|access-date=February 15, 2021}}
{{single chart|Billboardhot100|1|song=I Think We're Alone Now|artist=Tiffany|rowheader=true|access-date=February 15, 2021}}
{{single chart|Billboarddanceclubplay|26|song=I Think We're Alone Now|artist=Tiffany|rowheader=true|access-date=February 15, 2021}}
{{singlechart|West Germany|14|artist=Tiffany|song=I Think We're Alone Now|songid=1752|rowheader=true|access-date=June 25, 2017}}
scope="row"|Zimbabwe (ZIMA)* Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000

| style="text-align:center;"|2

{{col-2}}

== Year-end charts ==

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
align="left"|Chart (1987)

! style="text-align:center;"|Rank

scope="row"|Canada Top Singles (RPM){{cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=6770&|title=Top 100 Singles of '87|work=RPM|date=17 July 2013|publisher=Library and Archives Canada|access-date=September 20, 2018}}

| style="text-align:center;"|23

scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100{{cite web|url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1987.htm |title=Top 100 Hits of 1987/Top 100 Songs of 1987|website=Musicoutfitters.com |access-date=December 1, 2017}}

| style="text-align:center;"|18

scope="row"|US Cash Box Top 100{{Cite web|url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1987YESP.html|title=Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 26, 1987|website=Tropicalglen.com|access-date=23 May 2023}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

| style="text-align:center;"|32

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
align="left"|Chart (1988)

! style="text-align:center;"|Rank

scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|type=doc|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W |year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}

| style="text-align:center;"|31

scope="row"|Canada Top Singles (RPM){{cite magazine|title=Top 100 Singles of '88|magazine=RPM|volume=49|issue=10|page=9|date=December 24, 1988|access-date=March 24, 2019|url=http://rpmimages.3345.ca/pdfs/Volume%2049-No.%2010-December%2024,%201988.pdf}}

|align="center"|76

scope="row"|European Hot 100 Singles (Music & Media){{cite magazine|title=1988 Year End Eurocharts – Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|page=30|date=January 1, 1989|oclc=29800226|volume=6|issue=52/1}}

|18

scope="row"|New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ){{cite web|title= End of Year Charts 1988 |publisher= Recorded Music NZ |access-date= December 1, 2017 |url= https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-singles/1988-12-31}}

|align="center"|26

scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC){{cite book |editor-first=Peter |editor-last=Scaping |title=BPI YearBook 1989/90 |chapter=Top 100 Singles: 1988 |publisher=British Phonographic Industry |location=London, England |pages=64–65 |date=1991 |isbn=978-0-9061-5410-6}}

|align="center"|5

{{col-end}}

= Certifications =

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Tiffany|title=I Think We're Alone Now|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=1987|relmonth=08|certyear=1987|access-date=June 25, 2017}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Tiffany|title=I Think We're Alone Now|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=1988|id=3146-743-1|certyear=2023|access-date=February 25, 2023|salesamount=626,700|salesref={{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/official-charts-flashback-1988-tiffany-i-think-were-alone-now__21562/|title=Official Charts Flashback 1988: Tiffany – I Think We're Alone Now |date=January 25, 2018 |work=The Official Charts Company }}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Tiffany|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=1987|certyear=2022|access-date=October 11, 2022|refname="RIAA"}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true}}

Girls Aloud version

{{Infobox song

| name = I Think We're Alone Now

| cover = IThinkWereAloneNowCD1Cover.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Girls Aloud

| album = The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits

| B-side = {{ubl|"Why Do It?"|"Jingle Bell Rock"}}

| released = {{start date|2006|12|18}}

| recorded = September 2006

| genre = {{hlist|Dance-pop|electropop}}

| length = {{ubl|{{Duration|m=3|s=42}} (single mix)|{{Duration|m=3|s=18}} (album version)}}

| label = Fascination

| writer = Ritchie Cordell

| producer = {{hlist|Brian Higgins|Xenomania}}

| prev_title = Something Kinda Ooooh

| prev_year = 2006

| next_title = Walk This Way

| next_year = 2007

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|WjpbcsttFyM|"I Think We're Alone Now"}}}}

}}

=Background=

In 2006, the British-Irish all-female pop group Girls Aloud recorded a cover version of "I Think We're Alone Now" for their greatest hits album The Sound of Girls Aloud and the soundtrack of It's a Boy Girl Thing. Girls Aloud's version was produced by Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania. The song was recorded just days before the group's greatest hits was sent to be manufactured. Following a single remix, "I Think We're Alone Now" was released as a contender for the Christmas number one. It reached the top five on the UK Singles Chart.

The music video, inspired by heist films, features Girls Aloud robbing a Las Vegas casino. "I Think We're Alone Now" was promoted through various live appearances and was featured on 2007's The Greatest Hits Tour. The track was criticised and labelled "pointless" by contemporary music critics.{{source?|date=January 2024}}

=Release=

Until three days before the greatest hits was manufactured, Girls Aloud was set to record a cover of Irene Cara's "What A Feeling", which they had performed on their Chemistry Tour.{{cite AV media notes |title=The Singles Boxset |others=Girls Aloud |year=2009 |chapter=I Think We're Alone Now |first=Peter |last=Robinson |author-link=Peter Robinson (journalist) |pages=32–33 |type=Booklet |publisher=Fascination Records |location=London, England }} But members of Girls Aloud had called their record label on a Friday afternoon to say that they would rather record "I Think We're Alone Now"; the group recorded the song the following morning, and the album was mastered on Monday, three days afterwards. The album version was drastically reworked for the single release, due to the initial version having been so hastily recorded. Higgins said that "Xenomania used the only idea they could think of, which was to make the song sound like 'Something Kinda Ooooh.'" The single features an alternative vocal arrangement and an entirely new backing track. Later pressings of the greatest hits include the single version of "I Think We're Alone Now".

The song was released on December 18, 2006.{{cite magazine|title=The Schedule: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=41|date=December 16, 1006}} It was available on two CD single formats and as a digital download. The first disc included a previously unreleased track entitled "Why Do It?", co-written by Girls Aloud.{{ cite web | url=http://www.discogs.com/Girls-Aloud-I-Think-Were-Alone-Now/release/1452288 | title=Girls Aloud - I Think We're Alone Now (CD, Single, CD1) | work=Discogs | date=18 December 2006 | publisher=Zink Media Inc. | access-date=August 31, 2010 }} The second CD format features a number of remixes, as well as a cover of the Christmas classic "Jingle Bell Rock". Girls Aloud's cover of "Jingle Bell Rock" was originally featured on the Christmas bonus disc that came with the limited edition of 2005's Chemistry.{{ cite web | url=http://www.discogs.com/Girls-Aloud-Chemistry/release/1518732 | title=Girls Aloud - Chemistry (CD, Album + CD, Bon) | work=Discogs | date=5 December 2005 | publisher=Zink Media Inc. | access-date=August 31, 2010 }} The artwork for the second disc features Girls Aloud draped over a Fender guitar amplifier.

Girls Aloud's version of "I Think We're Alone Now" appears on the soundtrack to the film It's a Boy Girl Thing (2006), starring Samaire Armstrong and Kevin Zegers.

=Critical response=

Girls Aloud's cover of the song was widely slated by music critics. An unidentified staff writer at WalesOnline described it as "cheap, obnoxious, totally pointless and, destined to be loved only by people too out of their heads on Christmas spirit to know any better".{{ cite web | url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/entertainment-reviews/movie-reviews/2006/12/20/girls-aloud-i-think-we-re-alone-now-91466-18292126/ | title=Girls Aloud, I Think We're Alone Now | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122130345/http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/entertainment-reviews/movie-reviews/2006/12/20/girls-aloud-i-think-we-re-alone-now-91466-18292126/ |archive-date=November 22, 2008 |website=walesonline.co.uk | publisher=Media Wales |date=December 20, 2006 | access-date=November 21, 2017 }} Adam Burling of musicOMH exclaimed, "Christmas does funny things to people. Even pop groups as reliably excellent at singles as Girls Aloud toss out pointless, lazy covers in a ruthless attempt to snare that coveted seasonal chart-topper from The X Factor's clutches."{{cite web | url=http://www.musicomh.com/singles/girls-aloud-9_1206.htm | title=Girls Aloud - I Think We're Alone Now (Polydor) | author=Adam Burling | work=musicOMH | date=December 9, 2006 | access-date=August 30, 2010 | archive-date=January 30, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130221808/http://www.musicomh.com/singles/girls-aloud-9_1206.htm | url-status=dead }} A BBC Music review of The Sound of Girls Aloud chose to "ignore the Xmas party cover".{{ cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/6rp2 | title=Girls Aloud The Sound of Girls Aloud: the Greatest Hits Review | author=Talia Kraines | work=BBC Music | publisher=BBC | date=November 14, 2006 | access-date=August 31, 2010 }} Yahoo! Music stated "the karaoke rendition[s] of [...] Tiffany's 'I Think We're Alone Now' really drag this collection down".{{ cite web | url=http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/061102/33/20ud9.html | title=Girls Aloud - The Sound Of Girls Aloud | author=Adam Webb | work=Yahoo! Music | publisher=Yahoo! | date=November 2, 2006 | access-date=August 31, 2010 }} John Murphy of musicOMH unfavorably contrasted the cover with Tiffany's rendition, saying the former "actually does the impossible by making Tiffany's version sound good".{{cite web | url=http://www.musicomh.com/albums/girls-aloud-3_1006.htm | title=Girls Aloud - The Sound Of: The Greatest Hits (Polydor) | author=John Murphy | work=musicOMH | date=2006-10-03 | access-date=August 31, 2010 | archive-date=2010-01-25 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100125121332/http://www.musicomh.com/albums/girls-aloud-3_1006.htm | url-status=dead }}

=Chart performance=

The single debuted at number 50 on the UK Singles Chart a week prior to its physical release, due to download sales.{{ cite web | url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/Sirens | title=I Think We're Alone Now | work=Official Charts Company | access-date=March 13, 2009 }} The following week, "I Think We're Alone Now" peaked at number 4 on the Christmas chart, being beaten by Leona Lewis' "A Moment Like This".{{ cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6208115.stm | title=X Factor's Leona has festive No 1 | work=BBC News | publisher=BBC | date=December 25, 2006 | access-date=March 13, 2009 }} The song slipped to number 7 in its second week.{{ cite web | url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20061231/7501/ | title=Archive Chart - 6th January 2007 | work=Official Charts Company | access-date=August 31, 2010 }} It spent a total of seven weeks in the top 75.{{ cite web | url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/girls%20aloud/ | title=Girls Aloud | work=The Official UK Charts Company | publisher=British Phonographic Industry | access-date=February 28, 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427034838/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/girls%20aloud/ | archive-date=April 27, 2012 }} The song also peaked at number 11 on the Irish Singles Chart and spent six weeks in Ireland's top 50.{{ cite web | url=http://acharts.us/song/11706 | title=I Think We're Alone Now | work=aCharts.us | access-date=March 13, 2009 }} As their 17th best selling single it has sold a total of 85,000 copies.

=Music video=

The video, directed by Alex Hemming and Nick Collett, is based, as stated above, on films like Ocean's 11 and Casino.{{ cite web | url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2006/11/08/girls-have-christmas-all-tied-up-115875-18062133/ | title=Girls have Christmas all tied up | work=Daily Mirror | publisher=Trinity Mirror | date=November 8, 2006 | access-date=August 30, 2010 }} During the video, the group attempt to rob a Las Vegas casino.

Three different endings to the video were shot. The first shows the girls getting caught and tied up after opening a box full of money in the casino's safe; the second features Kimberley Walsh (with her back to the camera) removing her clothes in front of casino owners, causing them to faint; and the third features the girls playing with the money. 3 customers were allowed to vote on their favourite ending from November 8 to November 15, 2006. This last ending won the vote, despite the version with Kimberley stripping being uploaded to the internet.[http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/feed/tm_method=full%26objectid=18200482%26siteid=64736-name_page.html Kim's Aloud to keep kit on in video], Sunday Mail In March 2007, all versions of the video were made available to download on iTunes, though in the UK Store only.{{ cite web | url=https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/girls-aloud/13131662 | title=Download Girls Aloud Music on iTunes | website=iTunes | access-date=April 23, 2011 }}

=Track listings and formats=

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "I Think We're Alone Now".

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

UK CD1 (1714586)

  1. "I Think We're Alone Now" (single mix) – 3:42
  2. "Why Do It?" (Girls Aloud, Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Nick Coler) – 2:53

UK CD2 (1714587)

  1. "I Think We're Alone Now" (single mix) – 3:42
  2. "I Think We're Alone Now" (Uniting Nations Remix) – 6:18
  3. "I Think We're Alone Now" (Tony Lamezma Baubletastic Remix) – 5:32
  4. "Jingle Bell Rock" (Joe Beal, Jim Boothe) – 1:59
  5. "I Think We're Alone Now" (video) – 3:37

{{col-2}}

The Singles Boxset (CD14)

  1. "I Think We're Alone Now" (single mix) – 3:42
  2. "Why Do It?" – 2:53
  3. "I Think We're Alone Now" (Uniting Nations Remix) – 6:18
  4. "I Think We're Alone Now" (Tony Lamezma Baubletastic Remix) – 5:32
  5. "Jingle Bell Rock" – 1:59
  6. "I Think We're Alone Now" (Alternative Mix)
  7. "I Think We're Alone Now" (Co-Stars Epic Club Mix)
  8. "I Think We're Alone Now" (Flip & Fill Remix)
  9. "I Think We're Alone Now" (video) – 3:37

Digital EP{{cite web|url=https://open.spotify.com/album/5Ziyv8VV8oet87CPFow6Ma?si=zJioxWf0RzmksOvO5ax--A|title=Girls Aloud - I Think We're Alone Now EP|website=Spotify|date=19 April 2024}}

  1. "I Think We're Alone Now" (Promo And Album mix) – 3:42
  2. "Why Do It?" – 2:53
  3. "I Think We're Alone Now" (Uniting Nations remix) – 6:10
  4. "I Think We're Alone Now" (Tony Lamezma Baubletastic remix) – 5:29
  5. "Jingle Bell Rock" – 1:56
  6. "I Think We're Alone Now" (Alternative Mix) – 5:30
  7. "I Think We're Alone Now" (Co-Stars Epic Club Mix) – 7:00
  8. "I Think We're Alone Now" (Flip & Fill Remix) – 6:03

{{col-end}}

=Credits and personnel=

=Charts=

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

==Weekly charts==

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (2006–2007)

!Peak
position

scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100){{cite web|url=http://www.aria.com.au/Issue877.pdf|title=The ARIA Report: European Top 20 Charts – Week Commencing 1st January 2007|publisher=ARIA|page=52|date=December 25, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080222222441/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20061220-0000/issue877.pdf|archive-date=February 22, 2008|access-date=May 17, 2022}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

|15

scope="row"|Romania (Romanian Top 100){{cite web|url=http://www.rt100.ro/top-100-edition.html/|title=Romanian Top 100 – Issue nr: 6/2007 (19 Februarie - 25 Februarie 2007)|language=ro|publisher=Romanian Top 100|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070219195807/http://www.rt100.ro/top-100-edition.html|archive-date=February 19, 2007|access-date=May 22, 2023}}

|34

{{single chart|Ireland2|11|song=I Think We're Alone Now|rowheader=true|access-date=January 20, 2020}}
{{single chart|Scotland|3|artist=Girls Aloud|song=I Think We're Alone Now|date=20061230|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|UK|4|artist=Girls Aloud|song=I Think We're Alone Now|date=20061230|rowheader=true}}

{{col-2}}

==Year-end chart==

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (2006)

!Rank

scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC){{cite web|url=http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/ChartsPlusYE2006.pdf|title=The Official UK Singles Chart 2006|work=UKChartsPlus|access-date=May 17, 2022}}

|196

{{col-end}}

Billie Joe Armstrong version

{{Infobox song

| name = I Think We're Alone Now

| cover = Billie Joe Armstrong - I Think We're Alone Now.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Billie Joe Armstrong

| album = No Fun Mondays

| released = April 17, 2020

| recorded = March 2020

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Punk rock{{cite news |last1=Blackburn |first1=Stevie-Leigh |title=ALBUM REVIEW: Billie Joe Armstrong – "No Fun Mondays" |url=https://www.deadpress.co.uk/album-review-billie-joe-armstrong-no-fun-mondays/ |access-date=November 6, 2021 |work=Dead Press! |date=November 29, 2020 |archive-date=November 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106015706/https://www.deadpress.co.uk/album-review-billie-joe-armstrong-no-fun-mondays/ |url-status=dead }}

| length = 2:14{{cite web | url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/i-think-were-alone-now-single/1507266322 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513001324/https://music.apple.com/us/album/i-think-were-alone-now-single/1507266322 | archive-date=2020-05-13 | title=I Think We're Alone Now - Single by Billie Joe Armstrong on Apple Music }}

| label = Reprise Records

| writer = Ritchie Cordell

| producer = Billie Joe Armstrong

| prev_title = Long Time Gone

| prev_year = 2013

| next_title = Manic Monday

| next_year = 2020

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|oHNkfUaIrkI|"I Think We're Alone Now"}}}}

}}

Green Day vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong released a cover of "I Think We're Alone Now" on March 23, 2020, to the official Green Day YouTube channel. In April the performance was also shared on The Late Late Show with James Corden, along with an interview with Armstrong.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjoVkMCLmn8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501055115/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjoVkMCLmn8 |archive-date=2020-05-01 |url-status=dead|title=Billie Joe Armstrong: I Think We're Alone Now|access-date=December 23, 2020|via=YouTube}} This version, according to Armstrong, was recorded in his bedroom at his home in California and was released during the COVID-19 pandemic as an act of solidarity for those who were practicing social distancing and those in self-quarantine and was released as a single on April 17, 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://open.spotify.com/album/2FYNBNvvPgrUYC87Lqvz6W?si=1FC4K3uXTVKgiwgcSKL-FA|title = I Think We're Alone Now|website = Spotify|date = 17 April 2020}}Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/oHNkfUaIrkI Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200324011128/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHNkfUaIrkI Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHNkfUaIrkI| title = Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day - I Think We're Alone Now [Cover Video] | website=YouTube| date = 23 March 2020 }}{{cbignore}} The cover featured Armstrong's sons on bass and drums.

=Track listings and formats=

7"

  1. "I Think We're Alone Now" – 2:14
  2. "War Stories" – 2:42

Digital download

  1. "I Think We're Alone Now" – 2:14

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"| Chart (2020)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{single chart|Billboardcanadahotac|43|artist=Billie Joe Armstrong|rowheader=true|access-date=August 17, 2020}}
{{single chart|Billboardcanadarock|47|artist=Billie Joe Armstrong|song=I Think We're Alone Now|rowheader=true|access-date=August 17, 2020}}
{{single chart|Billboardadultcontemporary|24|artist=Billie Joe Armstrong|song=I Think We're Alone Now|rowheader=true|access-date=August 17, 2020}}
{{single chart|Billboardadultpopsongs|12|artist=Billie Joe Armstrong|song=I Think We're Alone Now|rowheader=true|access-date=August 17, 2020}}
{{single chart|Billboardrocksongs|7|artist=Billie Joe Armstrong|song=I Think We're Alone Now|rowheader=true|access-date=August 17, 2020}}
{{single chart|Billboardrockairplay|37|artist=Billie Joe Armstrong|song=I Think We're Alone Now|rowheader=true|access-date=August 17, 2020}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"| Chart (2020)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| US Adult Top 40 (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2020/adult-pop-songs|title=Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2020|magazine=Billboard|date=2 January 2013|access-date=December 4, 2020}}

| 39

scope="row"| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2020/hot-rock-songs|title=Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2020|magazine=Billboard|date=2 January 2013|access-date=December 4, 2020}}

| 78

{{Clear}}

References

{{Reflist}}