Chords for Tommy James: Inside Tracks "I Think We're Alone"
Tempo:
126.9 bpm
Chords used:
E
F#
A
G#
D
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
Hi everybody, I'm Tommy James and welcome to my [G#] new show Inside Tracks on YouTube.
[F#] On each segment we'll be taking a behind the scenes look at the creative process in the [G#] music business.
We'll be looking at songwriting, [E] recording, touring [F#] and in short everything involved in
bringing the music to you.
[E] This is the first of three episodes about [F#] the creation and evolution [B] of one of my biggest
hits, I Think We're Alone Now.
You know there are actually three different versions of I Think We're Alone Now that I
recorded over the span of 47 years.
I guess the story really begins when Richie Cordell and Bo Gentry, two songwriters and
producers came to see me with this great new tune they just wrote.
They sat down and played it on the piano at Roulette Records and it was really great.
I mean really great.
It was a little slow and lethargic but it was really [F] good and you could hear that the
hook was a [E] smash.
And they played me, [G#m] children behave.
[C#m]
Little slow, little [E] lethargic, little too laid back for me.
But you could hear by the time they got to the hook that this thing was a smash.
And I said let's do it.
So the first thing we did was go to the studio.
We went over to Allegro Studios over in the basement of 1650 Broadway where they record
it all the time.
Now the reason this is important is because I had always recorded up to that point at
Bell Sound Studio over on 54th Street.
And Bell Sound was a good studio, a little old, not quite as futuristic as Allegro was.
And also at Allegro, Bruce Staple, the head engineer, was really a genius.
And we recorded this little four track demo with Bo singing lead.
I played guitar and bass, not at the same time.
And Richie played tack piano and drums.
And it really came together pretty nice.
So by the way, that was where we first came up with [E] the signature [F#] sound for I Think We're [G#] Alone Now.
We sped it up and it really came out beautiful, it really did.
We took it back to roulette and we played it for Morris Levy, the head of the label.
And he flipped out over it.
He really loved it.
And so we really felt that we had everybody's blessing at that point.
So the next stop was we were going back into the studio to make the master.
Well just about that time, Morris Levy's secretary, Karen, [N] said to me, do you want an arranger?
And I don't know, I thought about it.
I'd never used an arranger before.
But I had remembered that a year earlier I had bought a record called 1-2-3 by Len Barry
and it had right on the label Jimmy Wisner arranger.
And I said, well that's it.
How about Jimmy Wisner?
Can we get him?
And Karen said, I don't know, let's see if he's available.
So she calls him up and the next day he's meeting with [A#] me and Richie and [G] Bo up at roulette.
Well this guy was great.
He became our George Martin.
What George [F#] Martin was to the Beatles, Jimmy Wisner was to us.
And he introduced us to a whole new world of instruments.
You know, piccolo, [G] trumpets and flutes and harps and violins.
Things we hadn't even thought of yet.
I recorded the vocal actually the afternoon of Christmas Eve of 1966.
[F]
And all I can tell you is we had a new record, we [G#] had a new [G] sound, we had [G#] a new studio and
we had a brand new production team and what a great Christmas present that was.
[A]
[E]
[E] [D]
[A]
[E] [D]
[A] Well that's [A#] it.
The very first version of I Think [F#] We're Alone Now.
But remember I told you, it evolved.
And the next version didn't come out until 1995.
[A]
So tune in on the next show and we're [F#m] going to tell you all about [E] it.
[D] [A] [E] [D] [A]
[F#] On each segment we'll be taking a behind the scenes look at the creative process in the [G#] music business.
We'll be looking at songwriting, [E] recording, touring [F#] and in short everything involved in
bringing the music to you.
[E] This is the first of three episodes about [F#] the creation and evolution [B] of one of my biggest
hits, I Think We're Alone Now.
You know there are actually three different versions of I Think We're Alone Now that I
recorded over the span of 47 years.
I guess the story really begins when Richie Cordell and Bo Gentry, two songwriters and
producers came to see me with this great new tune they just wrote.
They sat down and played it on the piano at Roulette Records and it was really great.
I mean really great.
It was a little slow and lethargic but it was really [F] good and you could hear that the
hook was a [E] smash.
And they played me, [G#m] children behave.
[C#m]
Little slow, little [E] lethargic, little too laid back for me.
But you could hear by the time they got to the hook that this thing was a smash.
And I said let's do it.
So the first thing we did was go to the studio.
We went over to Allegro Studios over in the basement of 1650 Broadway where they record
it all the time.
Now the reason this is important is because I had always recorded up to that point at
Bell Sound Studio over on 54th Street.
And Bell Sound was a good studio, a little old, not quite as futuristic as Allegro was.
And also at Allegro, Bruce Staple, the head engineer, was really a genius.
And we recorded this little four track demo with Bo singing lead.
I played guitar and bass, not at the same time.
And Richie played tack piano and drums.
And it really came together pretty nice.
So by the way, that was where we first came up with [E] the signature [F#] sound for I Think We're [G#] Alone Now.
We sped it up and it really came out beautiful, it really did.
We took it back to roulette and we played it for Morris Levy, the head of the label.
And he flipped out over it.
He really loved it.
And so we really felt that we had everybody's blessing at that point.
So the next stop was we were going back into the studio to make the master.
Well just about that time, Morris Levy's secretary, Karen, [N] said to me, do you want an arranger?
And I don't know, I thought about it.
I'd never used an arranger before.
But I had remembered that a year earlier I had bought a record called 1-2-3 by Len Barry
and it had right on the label Jimmy Wisner arranger.
And I said, well that's it.
How about Jimmy Wisner?
Can we get him?
And Karen said, I don't know, let's see if he's available.
So she calls him up and the next day he's meeting with [A#] me and Richie and [G] Bo up at roulette.
Well this guy was great.
He became our George Martin.
What George [F#] Martin was to the Beatles, Jimmy Wisner was to us.
And he introduced us to a whole new world of instruments.
You know, piccolo, [G] trumpets and flutes and harps and violins.
Things we hadn't even thought of yet.
I recorded the vocal actually the afternoon of Christmas Eve of 1966.
[F]
And all I can tell you is we had a new record, we [G#] had a new [G] sound, we had [G#] a new studio and
we had a brand new production team and what a great Christmas present that was.
[A]
[E]
[E] [D]
[A]
[E] [D]
[A] Well that's [A#] it.
The very first version of I Think [F#] We're Alone Now.
But remember I told you, it evolved.
And the next version didn't come out until 1995.
[A]
So tune in on the next show and we're [F#m] going to tell you all about [E] it.
[D] [A] [E] [D] [A]
Key:
E
F#
A
G#
D
E
F#
A
Hi everybody, I'm Tommy James and welcome to my [G#] new show Inside Tracks on YouTube.
[F#] On each segment we'll be taking a behind the scenes look at the creative process in the [G#] music business.
We'll be looking at songwriting, [E] recording, touring [F#] and in short everything involved in
bringing the music to you.
_ _ [E] _ _ _ This is the first of three episodes about [F#] the creation and evolution [B] of one of my biggest
hits, I Think We're Alone Now.
You know there are actually three different versions of I Think We're Alone Now that I
recorded over the span of _ _ _ 47 years.
I guess the story really begins when Richie Cordell and Bo Gentry, two songwriters and
producers came to see me with this great new tune they just wrote.
They sat down and played it on the piano at Roulette Records and it was really great.
I mean really great.
It was a little slow and lethargic but it was really [F] good and you could hear that the
hook was a [E] smash.
And they played me, _ _ _ _ [G#m] children behave.
_ _ _ _ _ _ [C#m] _
_ Little slow, little [E] lethargic, little too laid back for me.
But you could hear by the time they got to the hook that this thing was a smash.
And I said let's do it.
So the first thing we did was go to the studio.
We went over to Allegro Studios over in the basement of 1650 Broadway where they record
it all the time.
Now the reason this is important is because I had always recorded up to that point at
Bell Sound Studio over on 54th Street.
And Bell Sound was a good studio, a little old, _ _ not quite as futuristic _ as Allegro was.
And also at Allegro, Bruce Staple, the head engineer, was really a genius.
And we recorded this little four track demo with Bo singing lead.
I played guitar and bass, not at the same time.
And Richie played tack piano and drums.
And it really came together pretty nice.
So by the way, that was where we first came up with _ _ _ [E] _ _ the _ signature [F#] sound for I Think We're [G#] Alone Now.
We sped it up and it really came out beautiful, it really did.
We took it back to roulette and we played it for Morris Levy, the head of the label.
And he flipped out over it.
He really loved it.
And so we really felt that we had everybody's blessing at that point.
So the next stop was we were going back into the studio to make the master.
_ Well just about that time, Morris Levy's secretary, Karen, [N] said to me, do you want an arranger?
_ And I don't know, I thought about it.
I'd never used an arranger before.
But I had remembered that a year earlier I had bought a record called 1-2-3 by Len Barry
and it had right on the label Jimmy Wisner arranger.
And I said, well that's it.
How about Jimmy Wisner?
Can we get him?
And Karen said, I don't know, let's see if he's available.
So she calls him up and the next day he's meeting with [A#] me and Richie and [G] Bo up at roulette.
Well this guy was great.
He became our George Martin.
What George [F#] Martin was to the Beatles, Jimmy Wisner was to us.
And he introduced us to a whole new world of instruments.
You know, piccolo, [G] trumpets and flutes and harps and violins.
Things we hadn't even thought of yet.
I recorded the vocal _ actually _ the afternoon of Christmas Eve of 1966.
_ _ [F] _
_ And all I can tell you is we had a new record, we [G#] had a new [G] sound, we had [G#] a new studio and
we had a brand new production team and what a great Christmas present that was.
_ [A] _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
[A] _ _ _ _ Well that's [A#] it.
The very first version of I Think [F#] We're Alone Now.
But remember I told you, it evolved.
And the next version didn't come out until 1995.
[A] _
So tune in on the next show and we're [F#m] going to tell you all about [E] it.
_ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [A] _
[F#] On each segment we'll be taking a behind the scenes look at the creative process in the [G#] music business.
We'll be looking at songwriting, [E] recording, touring [F#] and in short everything involved in
bringing the music to you.
_ _ [E] _ _ _ This is the first of three episodes about [F#] the creation and evolution [B] of one of my biggest
hits, I Think We're Alone Now.
You know there are actually three different versions of I Think We're Alone Now that I
recorded over the span of _ _ _ 47 years.
I guess the story really begins when Richie Cordell and Bo Gentry, two songwriters and
producers came to see me with this great new tune they just wrote.
They sat down and played it on the piano at Roulette Records and it was really great.
I mean really great.
It was a little slow and lethargic but it was really [F] good and you could hear that the
hook was a [E] smash.
And they played me, _ _ _ _ [G#m] children behave.
_ _ _ _ _ _ [C#m] _
_ Little slow, little [E] lethargic, little too laid back for me.
But you could hear by the time they got to the hook that this thing was a smash.
And I said let's do it.
So the first thing we did was go to the studio.
We went over to Allegro Studios over in the basement of 1650 Broadway where they record
it all the time.
Now the reason this is important is because I had always recorded up to that point at
Bell Sound Studio over on 54th Street.
And Bell Sound was a good studio, a little old, _ _ not quite as futuristic _ as Allegro was.
And also at Allegro, Bruce Staple, the head engineer, was really a genius.
And we recorded this little four track demo with Bo singing lead.
I played guitar and bass, not at the same time.
And Richie played tack piano and drums.
And it really came together pretty nice.
So by the way, that was where we first came up with _ _ _ [E] _ _ the _ signature [F#] sound for I Think We're [G#] Alone Now.
We sped it up and it really came out beautiful, it really did.
We took it back to roulette and we played it for Morris Levy, the head of the label.
And he flipped out over it.
He really loved it.
And so we really felt that we had everybody's blessing at that point.
So the next stop was we were going back into the studio to make the master.
_ Well just about that time, Morris Levy's secretary, Karen, [N] said to me, do you want an arranger?
_ And I don't know, I thought about it.
I'd never used an arranger before.
But I had remembered that a year earlier I had bought a record called 1-2-3 by Len Barry
and it had right on the label Jimmy Wisner arranger.
And I said, well that's it.
How about Jimmy Wisner?
Can we get him?
And Karen said, I don't know, let's see if he's available.
So she calls him up and the next day he's meeting with [A#] me and Richie and [G] Bo up at roulette.
Well this guy was great.
He became our George Martin.
What George [F#] Martin was to the Beatles, Jimmy Wisner was to us.
And he introduced us to a whole new world of instruments.
You know, piccolo, [G] trumpets and flutes and harps and violins.
Things we hadn't even thought of yet.
I recorded the vocal _ actually _ the afternoon of Christmas Eve of 1966.
_ _ [F] _
_ And all I can tell you is we had a new record, we [G#] had a new [G] sound, we had [G#] a new studio and
we had a brand new production team and what a great Christmas present that was.
_ [A] _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
[A] _ _ _ _ Well that's [A#] it.
The very first version of I Think [F#] We're Alone Now.
But remember I told you, it evolved.
And the next version didn't come out until 1995.
[A] _
So tune in on the next show and we're [F#m] going to tell you all about [E] it.
_ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [A] _