When Alex Call and Jim Keller sat down to write a song about a former love, Jenny, the pair had no idea it would become a cultural hit. Calling the song “867-5309”, Keller’s band Tommy Tutone quickly learned that Jenny’s fame matched their own. Released in 1981, the song topped the US Mainstream Rock charts. It landed No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. And now, decades later, Tommy Tutone’s Tommy Heath is using Jenny to help fight cancer.
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Since the song first hit the airwaves, fans have consistently dialed the number, wondering if the real Jenny will pick up. Although once a joke, a person will now pick up. Teaming up with the Cancer Support Community and Gilda’s Club, the song was turned into a hotline for those suffering from cancer.
For Heath, he said the idea hit close to home as he watched loved ones battle cancer. “I have some family members who are struggling with cancer.” He added, “I’m out on tour with a lot of bands and suddenly somebody’s not there.”
Insisting that cancer is “affecting us all”, Heath wanted to show patients they weren’t alone. Sally Werner, the CEO of Cancer Support Community, said, “Anyone impacted by cancer can call CSC-867-5309 [272-867-5309] to receive immediate support, trusted information, and personalized guidance from trained specialists at Cancer Support Community.”
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What Did The Real Jenny Think Of Tommy Tutone’s “867-5309”
Ready to give back to the fans who supported his career throughout the years, Heath hoped, “When someone is depressed and confused, they’ll go, ‘Hey, I’ll call 867-5309. Somebody’s waiting there to help me.”
But what about the real Jenny? The debate might be ongoing, but back in the early 2000s, Keller admitted that she was real. “Jenny is a regular girl, not a hooker. Friends of mine wrote her name and number on a men’s room wall at a bar. I called her on a dare, and we dated for a while.”
As for what Jenny thought of her phone number being made famous. Keller concluded, “I haven’t talked with her since the song became a hit, but I hear she thinks I’m a real jerk for writing it.”
More than 40 years after the song first introduced the world to Jenny, the famous phone number is getting a new purpose. And this time, the call could mean far more than just hearing a familiar tune. And maybe, Jenny isn’t so mad, especially knowing that the number tied to her name might now help someone who needs it most.
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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