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Subject: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/headline/entertainment/1550167
In 1982, the song 867-5309/Jenny off his second album, went to No. 4 on the charts. But it had No. 1 effects. It pretty much changed the telephone industry when it caused cities all over the country to discontinue the number because of repeated calls looking for "Jenny." In fact, it is still not a listed number on the Coast. Rick Stewart with Bell South said the number is used only for outgoing calls for "a large company" in the area.
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
I heard something like that when VH-1 aired their One Hit Wonders special a few months back. It's kind of funny that a song with a phone number could have that much of an effect... ;D
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
Quoting:
It's kind of funny that a song with a phone number could have that much of an effect... ;D
End Quote
I agree; in addition to being a big hit (and therefore, well-known), I think what ultimately made the difference was the fact that the number was also tied to a specific person's name in the song, which is what motivated folks to actually pick up the phone and dial it...
After all, "867-5309/Jenny" wasn't the first - or the last - hit here in the U.S. w/ a phone number in the title, and I've never heard of any problems associated w/ any of those other phone numbers used: For starters, The Marvelettes scored a #17 hit in the Summer of '62 w/ "Beechwood 4-5789". Wilson Pickett then followed w/ a #13 hit in the Spring of '66 w/ "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)". The rock group City Boy went to #27 in the Fall of '78 w/ "5.7.0.5.". In the Spring of '82, The Carpenters hit #74 w/ a cover of "Beechwood 4-5789", just as the Tommy Tutone song was riding high. Funk/r&b group The Time then followed closely in the Fall of '82 w/ their #88 hit, "777-9311". And of course Squeeze climbed to #32 in the Winter of '88 w/ "853-5937". And most recently, in the Spring of '90, rappers Public Enemy had a minor hit w/ "911 is a Joke". I'm pretty sure that's all the hits from the rock era, although I may have overlooked one or two...
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
There's also Mojo Nixon's comedy song about Elvis - something like xxx-xxx K-I-N-G
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
In Canada a rock group called Toronto had a hit with a song called "5035" which contained the chorus 'Just call 272-5035' which turned out to be the number for their record company!!
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
Quoting:
There's also Mojo Nixon's comedy song about Elvis - something like xxx-xxx K-I-N-G
End Quote
Yep, that was "(619) 239-K.I.N.G.", from the Spring of '89, although it wasn't a hit here in the States. It refers to a San Diego area phone no., which is where Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper were from, and is also where I happened to live at the time. They were definitely popular in SoCal in the mid to late '80s - forgot about that one...
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
In "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" by AC/DC, they recommend you ring 36-24-36 for the guy wot does said deeds....
FB :)
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
I remember that rag of hollyweird "People" magazine, publishing all the members of Tommy Tutone's phone #'s in a very spiteful article about them. They have always maintaned it was un-intentional...I believe them over "People" any day!
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
Can I assume that we all tried to call Jenny at least once? :)
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
Quoting:
Can I assume that we all tried to call Jenny at least once? :)
End Quote
Maybe all you guys did, but I certainly never bothered!
What about the mother of all phone# hits, "Pennsylvania 6-5000"?
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
Quoting:
Maybe all you guys did, but I certainly never bothered!
What about the mother of all phone# hits, "Pennsylvania 6-5000"?
End Quote
No, I never did call Jenny! I also thought "Transylvania 6-5000" was the number to call :D I don't think Tommy Tutone would've sounded nearly as good singing "555-5309" but then nobody would've Whined and B*tched, I suppose ;)
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
And on the country side, there's Hawkshaw Hawkins' "LOnesome 7-7203"…
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
Quoting:
In "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" by AC/DC, they recommend you ring 36-24-36 for the guy wot does said deeds....
FB :)
End Quote
I don't think that's a phone number. :o
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
How about calling that Jenny number with a 1-212 or a 1-800 and see what you get.-howard-
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
Quoting:
I agree; in addition to being a big hit (and therefore, well-known), I think what ultimately made the difference was the fact that the number was also tied to a specific person's name in the song, which is what motivated folks to actually pick up the phone and dial it...
....And of course Squeeze climbed to #32 in the Winter of '88 w/ "853-5937". ...
End Quote
umm.. the refrain of that one was "Angelia can not make it, to the phone" so it's not the only one that specifically calls out a name..
I think the reason 867-5309 still gets calls to this day, is that compared to the rest of the songs on that list, (except maybe 911 is a Joke), is that the song is just amazingly catchy and a masterful piece of pop music.. and no one is going to prank call 911, that'll get someone in a uniform on your doorstep with some new bracelets for you...
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
Quoting:
In "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" by AC/DC, they recommend you ring 36-24-36 for the guy wot does said deeds....
FB :)
End Quote
Actually the number was 36 - 24 - 36 - O. Of course, it took a long time before anyone actually realised where Bon Scott had got the inspiration for the numbers from...
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
Quoting:
umm.. the refrain of that one was "Angelia can not make it, to the phone" so it's not the only one that specifically calls out a name..End Quote
True, and I don't doubt that that no. did receive a few calls nationally back in '88 as a result, but as I noted, it wasn't the huge hit that "867-5309/Jenny" was. And like most lesser hits of the '80s, let's face it, "853-5937" has pretty much been forgotten now, while "Jenny" has endured, and for good reason (as you state below)...
Quoting:I think the reason 867-5309 still gets calls to this day, is that compared to the rest of the songs on that list...is that the song is just amazingly catchy and a masterful piece of pop music..End Quote
I have all the band's albums, so I certainly won't argue w/ you there! :-)
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
867 is a prefix where I live.. I don't think I ever tried calling it but I bet it's out there somewhere ;)
Subject: Ironic!!!
My youngest daughter and I were talking about this just a couple of days ago! She has a fake cell phone with a "555-" number on it, and I mentioned that anytime they mention a phone number in a movie or on TV, they use 555. That got us on the subject of the "Jenny" song, and we called it just to see what happened. Non-working number!
Another funny aside....in my brother's high school yearbook (we both graduated in 1982), a girl he'd had his eye on all year wrote her number down, and said to call her over the summer. Well, he must not have looked closely, because when he pulled the yearbook out a month later to give her a call, he saw that the number she'd written was 867-5309!!!
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
That's pretty funny! I half expected the phone companies to file a law suit against Tommy for creating such a brouhaha back then!!! :)
Subject: Re: 867-5309 is still not issued as a number
I tried dialing all the area codes once...I think I got one, but they didn't have an answering service so I couldn't confirm. The other 399 area codes I tried had a busy signal for 867-5309.