Tommy James’ “Mony Mony” is one of those great little rock songs from the 60s that has aged very well. Thanks to a cover from Billy Idol in the 1980s, the song was reintroduced to a whole new generation of listeners. But what, exactly, is the song about?
Not much, as it turns out. Tommy James says he and songwriting partner, Ritchie Cordell, were just trying to come with a frat/party rock song in the vein of “California Sun”  or “Money (That’s What I Want)”… something that cut against the grain of all the “serious” rock that was then dominating the music scene.

So, who the heck is “Mony?”
Ah, there is the real story. James and Cordell had most of the song together. They had even created the music tracks in the studio. But they were stuck on a girl’s name. They wanted it to be unusual (like “Sloopy”) and it had to be two syllables to fit the track they had already created.

The pair were sitting in James’ apartment in New York City trying to complete the song. As James tells it: “…finally we get disgusted, we throw our guitars down, we go out on the terrace, we light up a cigarette, and we look up into the sky. And the first thing our eyes fall on is the Mutual of New York Insurance Company. M-O-N-Y. True story.”

And for the first and probably last time in rock history, an insurance company inspired a classic song!

As we celebrate the 51^st anniversary of the most famous rock concert ever, you may wonder why certain acts weren’t there.

After all, the intention of the promoters was to assemble the greatest bands and artists in rock at that moment. Here are 3 of the acts they tried to get, but couldn’t.

The Beatles: Of course, you would always start at the top. So, the guys behind Woodstock got in touch with John Lennon. Reportedly, Lennon told them the Beatles WOULD perform live if the promoters also agreed to an appearance by the Plastic Ono Band. The promoters allegedly said no to the Plastic Ono Band, so John said no for the Beatles.

The Rolling Stones: If you can’t get the Beatles, get the Stones, right? Alas, Mick Jagger was busy filming the movie Ned Kelly in Australia, so the Stones couldn’t appear.

Led Zeppelin: In 1969, Led Zeppelin was just starting to break and on their first American tour. Why didn’t they appear? Peter Grant, their manager, thought if Zeppelin appeared as just one of a bunch of other acts, the band would seem less important. So, Grant turned the promoters down.

Mentioning that we should eat healthier is something we all know. But what other things can you do to help stay you stay “in the pink?”

1. Regular Doctor Visits – Don’t wait until something’s wrong. See your doctor regularly. They may detect something that’s easy to deal with – provide it’s caught early.
2. Manage Your Meds – As we get older, there are often more medicines we find our selves taking. On those regularly scheduled tips to your doctor, make sure you review your medications with him or her.
3. Sleep – Getting a complete night’s rest make be more challenging as we age. Experts say dimming the lights in the hours before bed time as well as a cool , quiet bedroom can help you get the sleep you need.
4. Socialize – Visiting friends or relatives (or having them visit you) helps you stay connected to the world and is shown to improve your attitude, which is related to your health.
5. Don’t Neglect Your Eyes or Teeth – In addition to visits to your primary care physician, make sure you visit the optometrist and dentist regularly as well.

Girls, don't all rush them at once......

But was he a Betty-man or a Veronica-man?

Now it can be told (or actually, it was already told in the pages of 16 Magazine)!

Summertime means tan-time!