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By Scott T. Sterling
Once upon the time in 1982, Tommy Tutone’s biggest hit, “867-5309/Jenny,” hit its peak position of No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Related: Logic Shares Powerful ‘1-800-273-8255’ Video
Now, Tommy Tutone’s lead singer, Tommy Heath, has come out to give his seal of approval and pass the telephone hit song torch to rapper Logic for “1-800-273-8255.”
It’s quite the achievement, as “867-5309/Jenny” was so ubiquitous during its chart and radio run that the band handled multiple complaints from people saddled with that phone number in real life.
“I think it’s a good public service message,” Heath told Billboard about Logic’s track, which has broken the record for the highest-charting song with a phone number in its title. “It’s evocative. I like to hear any kind of positive message coming out of music…I’m all for it.”
As for the inspiration of “867-5309/Jenny,” Heath reveals that the song was inspired by a “nice young lady” he met at a club in California, and that the number used in the song belonged to her parents. “I talk to her every few years, and we laugh about it,” Heath shared. “Her parents changed the number pretty fast.”
