3 Top 40 Hits From 1967 That Resurfaced in Totally Different Ways Decades Later

The 1960s were a prolific and highly influential period in musical history. A wellspring of great records, singles, and albums from that era proves it. But this point is also backed up by the sheer number of instances in which songs from the 1960s get revamped into something totally different decades later, including these three Top 40 hits from 1967.

“I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tommy James And The Shondells

Tommy James And The Shondells first released “I Think We’re Alone Now” in the spring of 1967. The song was a smash success, peaking in the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100. Unsurprisingly, the song became connected to the legacy of the bubblegum pop group from Michigan.

Two decades later, rising pop star Tiffany recorded her own version. This, too, would become synonymous with her career. Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now” sounded markedly different from the original. But the naive lovey-doviness of youth, of course, persists.

“Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli

Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” came out in the same month as Tommy James and The Shondells’ Top 40 track. The simultaneous hits proved that teeny bopper songs about love and romance still performed well in 1967. (Even as psychedelia began to take root in the zeitgeist.) “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” became one of Valli’s best-selling singles.

Just over three decades later, Lauryn Hill reimagined this classic late-60s track into a smooth and soulful R&B song. Her version of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” was a hidden track at the end of The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill.

“I’m A Believer” by The Monkees

As a made-for-television band named after a primate, The Monkees have a certain level of goofy absurdity baked into their legacy. In that sense, it only makes sense that the remake of their 1967 Top 40 hit “I’m A Believer” is the most absurd of the three we revisit in this list.

Finally, in 2001, “I’m A Believer” gained a new life after Smash Mouth covered the song for the soundtrack to the animated movie Shrek. Eddie Murphy (as Donkey) also performs a version of the song. This appears in the final wedding scene where Shrek (Mike Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) finally marry. One can’t help but wonder what The Monkees might have thought about how their song was used in 1967 if we could have described the fairy-tale-themed farce to them back then.

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