Awakenings: ♫The "Mall Rat"♫

Singing in the shower is not uncommon but definitely not considered a stage for others to hear you bellow out your most memorable melodies. What about when "waltzing the mall"? Of course, in today's malls, music is piped throughout with an open invitation to sing along, especially to your favorites. That's common. What's different is when you sing alone, just you, your voice, your song.

Today in Music History: February 6

Welcome into the Spotlight...

Tiffany Renee Darwish, aka Tiffany: American singer, songwriter, actress and former teen icon

Tiffany was an 80s teen pop sensation best known for her cover of Tommy James and the Shondells' 1967 hit "I Think We're Alone Now." She started recording at 13 years old and at the age of 15 released her debut album featuring the hit single which skyrocketed to No.1. The success of this song was attributed in no small part to her promotional tour of America's malls.

Tiffany recalled to Billboard magazine in a 2011 interview: "When I heard that my hit song had went #1, I was washing dishes. I was doing my chores because I was a teenager, of course. My manager called me and said 'Congratulations, you have the number one single in the country.' I said, 'You know what? I have to get off the phone because I have to finish my chores otherwise I'm going to be busted and I won't be able to do anything.' And, he's like, 'You don't get it'... but I had to finish those chores." [Source: songfacts.com]

On This Day...

1988 Tiffany started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Could've Been', a No.4 hit in the UK. Tiffany had recorded the song 5 years ago when she was 13. "Could've Been" is the follow-up No.1 hit single "I Think We're Alone Now."

At age 16, Tiffany was the youngest female artist to have an album go to No. 1 in Billboard history. She was attending Leffingwell Christian High School in Norwalk, California, at the time. With no slight intended, Tiffany was the ultimate, sparkling epitome of the Southern California "mall rat." Combining the snobbish and spoiled values of Southern California "valley girls," she knew where her target audience lived. So her first tour, according to her official site, was "The Beautiful You: Celebrating The Good Life Shopping Mall Tour '87," set up by the Shopping Center Network and was sponsored by Toyota, Clairol, and Adidas. That's right, she toured malls. To celebrate the good life. For beautiful yous. [Source: songfacts.com]