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TL;DR:

  • George Harrison wrote songs for Tommy James and the Shondells after the success of “Mony Mony.”
  • Tommy James rejected the songs for one reason.
  • “Mony Mony” inspired a hit cover by Billy Idol.

Tommy James and the Shondells gave us some of the best classic rock songs to come out of the 1960s. In addition, they could have recorded a George Harrison song. Tommy James himself explained why this never happened.

George Harrison wrote songs similar to Tommy James & the Shondells’ ‘Mony Mony’

According to a 2009 article from Songfacts, there was a rumor The Beatles wrote a song for Tommy James and the Shondells that the latter band rejected. James set the record straight. He recalled that the Fab Four had just started Apple Records and were looking to work with other artists. Notably, Tommy James and the Shondells’ “Mony Mony” had just become a massive hit in the United Kingdom.

“So George Harrison was working with a group called Grapefruit, and George and these fellas wrote a bunch of these songs for us that they sent over to my manager, Lenny Stogel,” he said. “We were very flattered, but they all sounded like ‘Mony Mony.'”

James further explained why his band rejected the tracks. “And we had by that time made the decision that we were going to go with ‘Crimson and Clover,’ and really change our style,” he added. “So we never did these songs.”

Tommy James wished his band had reacted differently to George Harrison’s songs

James revealed what he thought about the songs’ composition. “Some of them were really good,” he said. “There was a whole tape full of them, and we were very flattered and very honored.”

James wished he had acted differently. “One of my great regrets is that I never got a chance to thank George for doing that, and I should have, I should have made a bigger fuss,” he opined. “But because we had changed our style with ‘Crimson and Clover,’ we never went back to the ‘Mony Mony’ style of party rock.”

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How Tommy James and the Shondells’ ‘Mony Mony’ and ‘Crimson and Clover’ performed

“Mony Mony” was a big hit, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and staying on the chart for 17 weeks. The tune appeared on the album Mony Mony. That record reached No. 193 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for a pair of weeks. The song “Mony Mony” became even more famous when Billy Idol covered it in 1981.

“Crimson and Clover” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. It lasted on the chart for a total of 16 weeks. The tune’s parent album, Crimson & Clover, reached No. 8 and lasted on the chart for 35 weeks. Subsequently, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts released a popular cover of the tune in 1982. Lana Del Rey repeatedly referenced the song in her single “Venice Bitch.”

Tommy James and the Shondells gave us some great songs — even if we missed out on the chance to hear their George tracks.

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