I love Lene Lovich. Who doesn't? Well, back in the day, a lot of people didn't. They thought she was too weird. She wasn't, though. She was just ahead of her time. (Unlike Lady Gaga, who only seems weird to people over 80, and is therefore easily cashing in on ground previously broken by more risk-taking artists like Lovich and Nina Hagen.)
Apparently, thinking that Japanese audiences would love anything weird, Lovich chose to record both an English and nihongo cover version of Tommy James and the Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now" in 1978. The Japanese version appeared as the b-side to Lovich's hit "Lucky Number," way before Tiffany's cover topped the charts in the 1980s.
Japanese pop idol Chika Nakamura covered the song again in 1989, but it was probably the success of teen pop-star Tiffany's version that inspired her. The lyrics for both songs, however, are completely different, with Lovich's being more of a literal translation.
Nearly two decades later, Lovich's song made it onto the soundtrack of Beverly Hills Ninja, a movie I will probably never watch (sorry, Chris Farley, RIP).
Compare the two versions here, via youtube:
Lene Lovich, (I Think We're) Alone Now (Japanese version)
Chika Nakamura, Hitori Bochi ni Kaeranai
If you want to sing along with Lene Lovich in Japanese, see her lyrics after the jump. . .