The Goodfellas of rock & roll literature. Everybody knows the Tommy James oldies – "Mony Mony," "Hanky Panky," "Crimson and Clover," etc. But according to Tommy, these songs got on the radio because he had some influential mobbed-up friends pulling the strings. (And of course, pocketing the loot.) The whole topic of criminal connections in the music business is still taboo – see Fredric Dannen's 1990 classic Hit Men for the full picture. But Tommy James is the first star to tell the story from the inside: How the Mafia gave the world "I Think We're Alone Now."

Related:
• Song Stories: Tommy James and the Shondells, 'Crimson and Clover'
• Song Stories: Tommy James and the Shondells, 'Hanky Panky'