[Cover Songs] This One Hit #1 This Day in 1987.

Billy Idol hit #1 on the charts 26 years ago on this day in 1987 with his cover of Tommy James & The Shondell's "Mony Mony." Billy originally recorded the song in 1981. He recorded a live version of it in 1987 which turned out to be a huge MTV hit and hit #1 nationally. I remember the song getting banned at my school dances because of a certain obscene line that would be inserted loudly during the vocal breaks in the versus by us students. Here are the two versions which are quite different from each other.

Original version by Tommy James & The Shondell's from 1968.

Here are a few cover songs you hear on CYY, matched up with their original versions.

Alien Ant Farm never planned on having their version of Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal become a huge hit. They would play the opening riffs while warming up for their shows and the crowd would request them to play the whole song. They eventually worked it into their set and released it as a single that would hit #1 on the Alternative Charts.

Original Michael Jackson version from 1988.

Orgy, who headlined the 2000 CYY Holiday Bizarre, had their only top 5 hit with a cover of New Order's "Blue Monday." Another instance where the cover is quite different from the original.

Original version by New Order.