1. Hanky Panky (2:52) - The group's first hit peaked at #1. The tempo is moderate. The song consists mostly of the chorus being repeated, but there is one verse that is sung a couple of times. The chorus is nothing more than several repetitions of one line, in which the "hanky panky" is portrayed as a dance the narrator's girlfriend does. The catchy rhythm and guitar licks more than compensate for the lack of lyrical variety.
2. Say I Am (What I Am) (2:30) - This song has a swing tempo somewhat faster than moderate. A tambourine plays on every other beat; during the parts in which "Shake, baby, shake" is repeated, it plays on the second eighth beat within each beat. The girl is looking for a man who loves, hugs, kisses, and dances; the narrator tells her he is such a man. This song lacks lyrical variety also, but again, the rhythm and the guitar licks are the song's assets.
3. It's Only Love (2:15) - The instruments in this moderately fast song include horns, a celesta (or some similar instrument), a tambourine, and a flute. Plenty of drum rolls are included here. When the girl acts strange, her heart pounds, and she laughs uncontrollably, the narrator tells her it is because love is trying to reach her.
4. I Think We're Alone Now (2:08) - The tempo here is slightly slower than in the previous song. A low-pitched guitar solo fills the first 7 seconds; that same guitar is also the only instrument during the first two singings of the chorus. The rest of the song features a tambourine and an organ. Adults condemn the loving behavior of the narrator and his girlfriend, so they run to a secluded spot. Right after each of the first two occurrences of the chorus, the drumbeats represent the beating of the lovers' hearts. In more recent times, this song was covered by a teenage singer known simply as Tiffany.
5. (Baby Baby) I Can't Take It No More (2:23) - The tempo is moderate. The narrator's girlfriend always tells him that she and another man are just friends, but the narrator knows that something more serious is going on. He is so tired of this that he tells her to leave his house and never come back.
6. Mirage (2:37) - This song has the same tempo as "I Think We're Alone Now"; in fact, the guitar track is the "I Think" guitar track played backward. Just before the fading sequence, the "I Think" drum solo plays backward. Other instruments in this song include a flute and a celesta-related instrument. The narrator often sees the girl from a distance, but whenever he runs to her, she disappears; that's why she is a mirage to him.
7. I Like The Way (2:41) - This song, slightly slower than moderate, features horns and the same celesta-related instrument that appears in the previous song. The narrator praises his girlfriend for the various romantic things she does to him.
8. Run Run Baby Run (To Me) (2:20) - This moderately fast song features horns and an organ. The narrator sees the girl standing alone and crying. He knew that her boyfriend would leave her sooner or later, so the narrator encourages her to run to him.
9. Gettin' Together (2:14) - This fast song features an organ, bass horns, hand-clapping, and the quivering of cymbal drums. The narrator feels a joy that he's never felt before now that he and the girl have become lovers. He promises that he will lover eternally. "Daytime, nighttime, your time, my time" are all one for them.
10. Real Girl (2:16) - Chimes are among the instruments in this moderate-tempoed song. The narrator's girlfriend has everything he looks for in a girl, including sincerity and hair that shines and sways in the sun.
11. Love's Closin' In On Me (2:13) - This song is slightly faster than the previous one. Instruments and sound effects here include an organ, a tambourine, and hand-clapping. The narrator can feel his heart accelerating every time he looks at the girl and she looks back at him.
12. Out Of The Blue (2:24) - This song has a similar tempo to the previous one. The tambourine plays on almost every beat. Other instruments include bells and bass horns. The vocals can be faintly heard in the left speaker, but heard clearly in the right speaker. Just when the narrator's world seemed most negative, the girl took him "out of the blue, into [her] heart."
13. Get Out Now (2:11) - The tempo is moderate. In the verses the tambourine plays on every second and fourth beat; during the chorus it plays on all four beats of each measure. During the interlude (starting with "Girl, it's gettin' late"), fingers snap. The narrator understands the heartaches the girl's boyfriend has caused her. The narrator tells her she should leave the other man at once.
14. (I'm) Taken (2:24) - The tempo starts off moderately slow, with cymbal drums playing on every second beat. Later, the tempo turns moderate and swing; from this point on, the tambourine plays on every second and fourth beat. In the chorus, hand-clapping joins the tambourine. The narrator tells the girl to stop pursuing him, for he already has a girlfriend.
15. 1, 2, 3 And I Fell (2:19) - The tambourine plays on every second and fourth beat in this moderately fast song. The vocals are loud and clear here. Just before the chorus repeats and fades, the key rises from A to B. Either three seconds after he first saw her, or after he first took three steps toward her, he easily fell in love with her.
16. Mony Mony (2:51) - This moderately fast song was another #1 hit for the guys. During the verses, hands clap on every even-numbered beat. A tambourine shakes during the interlude. Tommy wrote this song after looking out the window of his hotel room and seeing a Mutual of New York (MONY) building; that's why the narrator's girlfriend is named Mony.
17. Somebody Cares (2:40) - This song is slightly faster than the previous one. Horns are the featured instruments. The narrator's girlfriend is wrong to think that he will ever leave her. As winter approaches, he assures her that he truly cares for her.
18. Do Something To Me (2:28) - The tempo is moderate. A tambourine shakes and hands clap. Although this is a studio recording, I hear shouting and whistling in the background. The narrator is anxious to find love, so he urges the girl to "do something to" him.
19. Crimson And Clover (3:27) - This moderately slow song features a vibrating organ and clicking drums. As the fading sequence starts, the tempo accelerates and Tommy's voice shakes as he repeats, "Crimson and clover / Over and over." Don't worry--neither the disc nor the player is broken; Tommy only put his voice through an echo chamber. The narrator scarcely knows the girl, but he falls in love with her; his feeling for her is as beautiful as red and green.
20. Sugar On Sunday (3:25) - This song has a moderate swing tempo, with the tambourine playing on every second and fourth beat. In the next-to-last line of each verse, it's interesting to hear Tommy's voice, which apparently was put through an echo chamber. I also like the vibration of the organ after the first two occurrences of the chorus. The narrator and his girlfriend realize that their Sunday night is slipping away, so now's their chance to do their loving things. Once the sun is up Monday morning, he'll be gone.
21. Crystal Blue Persuasion (4:02) - This song, starting with a 5-second drum solo, is slightly slower than moderate. A tambourine plays on almost every beat. The organ plays clearly and the guitar licks are rapid. In this song Tommy dreams of the day when everyone will live together in "peace and good, brotherhood." The title apparently means persuasion of all people to live this way. Indeed, as the fadeout nears and the tempo accelerates, the vocals become ethereal.
22. Sweet Cherry Wine (4:28) - Tommy's Vietnam War protest song has a moderate, swing, 3/4 tempo. The song starts with the organ doing the reverse of fading, and bells ringing. Horns are also featured here. The song ends with a fading flute solo. The narrator tells us all that instead of fighting we should have goodwill toward, and pass a bottle of cherry wine to, one another. In the waning days of 2001 I tried cherry wine myself. In a way it's sweet (due to the cherry flavor), but it also has some bitterness (the alcohol, I guess). So I don't "drink it right down" as the song says, but instead drink one sip at a time.
23. Loved One (3:39) - This song is moderately slow, with a tambourine playing on every second and fourth beat. Other featured instruments are a piano and an organ. The narrator was indifferent about his life until his girlfriend entered his life; "it takes a loved one" to make life worth living.
24. Ball Of Fire (3:05) - This slow song also features a tambourine on every other beat. In the second verse, Tommy tells us to listen to the angels calling, then the other guys sing "ah." One line in the first verse, "Why is everyone crying," makes me wonder whether this is another lament over the Vietnam War. The "ball of fire" watching over everyone is probably the sun.
25. She (2:01) - Besides a tambourine and an organ, this song features a string quartet. The tempo is mostly moderately slow but shakes a lot. The girl lets her man know everything on her mind and always walks hand-in-hand with him.
26. Gotta Get Back To You (3:03) - The tempo is moderately fast. During the verses the tambourine accents the third beat of each measure. At the first occurrence of the chorus, the organ enters. The guitar licks are awesome. Since the narrator mentions a red guitar in the last verse, I guess that he's a musician on a concert tour. In any case, he feels homesick and needs to return to his girlfriend now.
27. TOMMY JAMES SOLO RECORDING: Draggin' The Line (2:44) - My favorite Tommy James song has a moderate swing tempo. Instruments include a tambourine, an organ, and horns. I like how the bass singers repeat the title each time Tommy sings it. The narrator enjoys "snow and rain in the bright sunshine." He takes his time in whatever he does and finds peace of mind.