To cover an ’80s pop song is a risky business. You take an already-loved tune, tinker around with about three of its components and hope to hell no one asks why you even went there. Otherwise, you tinker around with everything and some editor will ask why you didn’t just write a song from scratch instead.
Tony & The Kiki have opted for a third choice: perform “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tommy James and the Shondells, made world famous by Tiffany, as if subtlety itself has been an affront to the very fabric of their clothing.
The song kicks off with a punchy synth-bass line that really sets the scene: a busy ’80s shopping mall food court, full of solutions to all your problems in the form of a key change. Old synths create that familiar, nostalgic feel, but it’s got some screeching glam-rock guitars and thumping electronic drums to give it that little bit of extra weight so that it doesn’t just sound like karaoke at a retro-themed beer garden. It’s the same song, just a little more confident.
Finally, there are the vocals. Tony delivers each and every hook as if nominated for an award. The vocals soar and project in a wonderfully theatrical fashion, refusing to allow the recording to remain a precious museum piece behind the glass. Tony & The Kiki know what pop music all too often seems ashamed to realize: that you can be horrifically over the top and still mean it.
But behind all that sparkle, there’s something to ponder. Tony characterizes the lyrics as having a queer coding, between the desire to share this beauty and the urgency to conceal it. Its concealment can go beyond a familiar story of adolescence romance and also lend itself to shielding an identity or the lovers from a world that isn’t always kind. All that extravagant longing now has another layer to it.
But that’s why this cover is way better than nostalgia in a can of hairspray. Tony & The Kiki are not saying the original was busted and in need of repair. They’re demonstrating how a familiar song can take on a completely new identity when someone else gets to live in it.
“I Think We’re Alone Now” is blunt about its goals: it’s aimless synth pop nostalgia, glam rock bravado, queer theatrics; without a single apology for its space. At times a cover can be a reminder of why that song worked in the first place. At times, a cover can wear six-inch heels and demand you give it your attention. Tony & The Kiki have good sense to manage both.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for various publications around the world, the former lead writer of review blogspace Atop The Treehouse and content creator for Manila Bulletin.
