The global nonprofit organization Cancer Support Community (CSC) is riffing on Tommy Tutone’s iconic 1981 song “867-5309/Jenny,” which introduced one of the most famous phone numbers in music history. Effective this month, anyone whose life has been touched by cancer can call CSC-867-5309 (272-867-5309) to receive immediate support, personalized guidance from trained specialists, and other forms of trusted information. The takeover was spearheaded by CSC, Gilda’s Club locations, and healthcare partner sites.
Tommy Tutone lead singer Tommy Heath acknowledged that the digits repeated in the chorus have lived far longer than he ever anticipated. “When we recorded ‘Jenny/867-5309,’ none of us imagined that number would still be stuck in people’s heads decades later,” Heath said in a statement. “If that little piece of pop culture can now help someone remember Cancer Support Community’s and Gilda’s Club’s Helpline and connect them to real people, real community, and real support, that’s incredibly meaningful to us.”
Sally Werner, CEO of CSC, said the helpline receives more than 20,000 calls annually from people impacted by cancer and in need of connection during difficult times. “By anchoring CSC-867-5309 into the public consciousness, we’re ensuring that when someone is impacted by cancer, Cancer Support Community and Gilda’s Clubs are the first place they turn to,” Werner said in a statement.
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Tommy Tutone’s “867-5309/Jenny” was released in November 1981. It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 22nd, 1982. Despite lead singer Tommy Heath and lead guitarist Jim Keller both insisting at various points that Jenny was a real girl that they knew, the song’s co-writer, Alex Call, says she simply didn’t exist. “There was no Jenny,” Call told Songfacts in 2004. “I don’t know where the number came from, I was just trying to write a 4-chord rock song and it just kind of came out.” Debated origins aside, the song became a nationwide phenomenon, with thousands of calls being made daily to the number, along with a request for “Jenny.”
Watch “867-5309/Jenny” below.
