Who Called Jenny at 867-5309?

Well, it probably wasn’t Tommy Heath, the lead singer for the San Francisco-based rock band Tommy Tutone who made the number famous in 1982.

According to the song, the singer never gets up the gumption to make the call: “I tried to call you before, but I lost my nerve…I tried my imagination, but I was discouraged…”

But plenty of other people have made the call over the years since the song was made popular in the 1980s.

“‘Jenny (867-5309)’ caused nothing but grief for telephone customers unlucky enough to have that combination of numbers as their own. Its relentless chorus, ‘Jenny don’t change your number – eight six seven five three oh nah-eeh-ah-ine,’ pounded the phone number into the minds of teenagers everywhere, resulting in waves of kids dialing it and asking for Jenny. The joke quickly became old for those who had the number and weren’t interested in talking to horny teens.” —Snopes.com

SIDEBAR: See related story, Plumbers fight for ‘Jenny’ number.

“Tommy Tutone were an early-’80s power pop band led by vocalist Tommy Heath and guitarist Jim Keller. The group’s first single, 1980’s ‘Angel Say No,’ scraped the bottom of the American Top 40, yet it was 1981’s ‘867-5309/Jenny’ that sent the group to the top of the charts. Peaking in early 1982, the single hit number four and went gold. [Jenny was a #1 hit for three weeks on the Mainstream Rock charts.] Tommy Tutone was never able to duplicate that success and the band broke up after the release of their third album, 1983’s National Emotion…In 1994, Heath returned, using the name Tommy Tutone for a new release, Nervous Love, a collection of various post-Tommy Tutone recordings.” —Allmusic.com

Jenny (867-5309) Lyrics

Hey!

Jenny, Jenny, who can I turn to?
You give me somethin’ I can hold on to
I know you think i’m like the other before
Who saw your name and number on the wall

Jenny I got your number
I need to make you mine
Jenny don’t change your number
867-5309
867-5309
867-5309
867-5309

Jenny, Jenny, you’re the girl for me
Oh you don’t know me but you make me so happy.
I tried to call you before, but I lost my nerve
I tried my imagination, but I was discouraged

Jenny I got your number
I need to make you mine
Jenny don’t change your number
867-5309
867-5309
867-5309
867-5309

I got it, I got, I got it
I got your number on the wall
I got it, I got, I got it
For a good time, For a good time call…

Jenny don’t change your number
I need to make you mine
Jenny I call your number
867-5309
867-5309
867-5309
867-5309

Jenny, Jenny, who can I turn to?
867-5309

For the price of a dime I can always turn to you
867-5309

867-5309
867-5309
867-5309
867-5309
5309
867-5309
867-5309
5309
867-5309