5 Monster Hits From The '80s You Probably Didn't Know Were Covers

The music world loves to borrow. In the '80s alone, there were a ton of monster hits that were actually covers. You probably know a few, such as the history behind "Nothing Compares 2 U" and how it started off as a Prince song before Sinéad O'Connor took it and made it her own, but there are other massive singles that few listeners may be aware are covers.

We have styled our hair like Kiefer Sutherland's David in "The Lost Boys," gone back in time to listen to the major hits of the era, and researched their interesting origins. While there's certainly a lot of originality on display during that lively decade, many popular artists also tapped into the well of covers. It might surprise you to learn that the likes of Billy Idol and Soft Cell all borrowed from other artists to make some of their biggest songs. Which tracks, though? From '60s soul to '70s Brit-pop, these are the surprising origins of some of your favorite '80s earworms.

As a musical prodigy who recorded a No. 1 hit before turning 20, the teenage Tiffany turned into a phenomenon with her eponymous debut album in 1987. One of her biggest singles off the record was the certifiably bubblegum pop bopper "I Think We're Alone Now," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks. The song continues to be Tiffany's main calling card, even featuring decades later in streaming shows like "The Umbrella Academy" and "Stranger Things."

However, "I Think We're Alone Now" isn't a Tiffany original, nor something concocted by an illustrious team of songwriters just for her. The song's origins stretch back to 1967, when it was released by Tommy James and the Shondells. The lyrics and melody are all recognizable, but it obviously hits different hearing a young man sing it instead of the teenage Tiffany. Regardless, the earlier version of the song still climbed to the No. 4 position on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967.

Funnily enough, Tiffany didn't click with "I Think We're Alone Now" when it was pitched to her. "I didn't know the song, and it didn't sound so modern," Tiffany told The Guardian. "When I came back the next day, they'd remade it as a dance track. I didn't want to record it, but I took the song home and my girlfriends were dancing around the room."

Billy Idol was another artist who tapped into the back catalog of Tommy James and the Shondells, in this case to pull out the super catchy "Mony Mony." The original track peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968, hanging around on the chart for 17 weeks. However, Idol's journey with the song is actually a remarkable story, since it spans several years in the '80s.

In 1981, Idol included a cover version of "Mony Mony" on his EP "Don't Stop." As a single, the track performed reasonably well, hitting the No. 7 position on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. Yet the clap-along foot-stomper found another lease on life after Idol released a live version of "Mony Mony" in 1987. This iteration captured the energy and attitude of Idol's electric live performance, and fans ate it up, as "Mony Mony" soared to the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100. And which song did it beat to get to No. 1? Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Here" — another Tommy James and the Shondells cover.

"Tiffany had done 'I Think We're Alone Now' at the same exact moment as Billy Idol's 'Mony Mony' and they went up the chart together like they were holding hands and they both went number one back to back," James said in an interview. "That had never happened before. It was just mind blowing."

In 1981, which turned out to be the decade's best year for synth-pop, Soft Cell unleashed a bona fide classic in "Tainted Love." From the unmistakable synth lines to Marc Almond's delicate but emotive vocals dancing on the sonic landscape, the song stands the test of time as an all-timer. The track peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and stayed there for an astounding 43 weeks.

Yet "Tainted Love" didn't come from the minds of Almond and Dave Ball — only the reconfiguring of the song originally recorded by Gloria Jones in the 1960s. Jones' version of the track is more soulful in its approach, utilizing a faster beat and featuring Jones' dynamic range as a vocalist to keep it moving. Apart from the lyrics and subtle notes, it's difficult to reconcile the original and Soft Cell's version as even the same song.

As Almond told The Guardian, Soft Cell's love affair with "Tainted Love" began after they wanted to add covers to their set, so they considered both Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' "The Night" and Gloria Jones' "Tainted Love." He said, "I was a huge T. Rex fan and had seen Gloria Jones sing with them, so that clinched it. I loved the title and the opening line: 'Sometimes I feel I've got to run away.' It summed up how I felt."

There's a reason that Joan Jett is often referred to as the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll." She lives the genre and even released a song called "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" twice. The first time was more low-key in the late '70s, but Jett made the song her own when she re-recorded it with her band, the Blackhearts, in 1981. In fact, the title of their debut album is also "I Love Rock 'n' Roll." In 1982, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" hit the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100, staying in the spot for a whopping seven weeks. More importantly, the track morphed into a party anthem for every rocker to sing along to and profess their love of the genre.

While Jett has become synonymous with the song, it isn't actually hers to begin with. "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" was recorded by the English rock band the Arrows in 1975. Naturally, the song has been covered by many artists since then, which turned out to be a blessing for the Arrows, who have made a lot of money in royalties because of it. "Everyone knows Joan's version of ['I Love Rock 'n' Roll'], but ironically that wasn't the one that made me a lot of money," the Arrows vocalist Alan Merrill told Guitar World. "I do think Joan did a great job on it, but I think maybe my favorite is L.A. Guns' take."

Whenever Toni Basil's "Mickey" comes on the radio, TV, or a playlist, it's impossible to not get sucked in by its infectiousness. The earworm makes you want to clap along and get the body moving with its energetic cheerleading parts, all while screaming, "Hey, Mickey!" Coming off Basil's album "Word of Mouth," "Mickey" slayed everything in its path to claim the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982. It would also prove to be Basil's most successful song on the chart and become a cornerstone of pop culture.

While the "Mickey" part of the song was unique to Basil, it turns out the rest of the song isn't so much. As a matter of fact, "Mickey" is a carefully reconstructed new wave cover of English group Racey's track "Kitty," which is off their 1979 album, "Smash and Grab." If we're being honest, Basil improved on a song that has all the right pieces but was missing the extra flourishes to make it really stand out; every addition made to the new version enhances the track from good to great. After all, Racey didn't taste an iota of the success with "Kitty" that Basil did with "Mickey."