| "That Thing You Do" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by the Wonders | |
| from the albumThat Thing You Do!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
| B-side |
|
| Released | September 24, 1996[1] |
| Genre | Power pop[2][3] |
| Length | 2:46 |
| Label | Playtone/Epic |
| Songwriter | Adam Schlesinger |
"That Thing You Do" is the title song appearing in the1996 film of the same name. Written byAdam Schlesinger, the song is performed by the fictional 1960s band the Wonders, who are the focus of the film. The song peaked at No. 41 on theBillboard Hot 100 and was nominated for anAcademy Award and aGolden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 1997.[4]
"That Thing You Do" is written and first performed in 1964 byErie, Pennsylvania-based band The Oneders (meant to be ahomophone of "Wonders", but pronounced "Oh-nee-ders" by nearly everyone). Written by guitarist/vocalist Jimmy Mattingly II (though lead guitarist Lenny Haise claims co-authorship), it is originally crafted as a ballad, but during its first live performance at a local talent show, newly-recruited drummer Guy Patterson produces a much more up-tempo beat, turning the song from a ballad into an upbeat,Beatles-esque pop-rock number. They win the talent show, and from there, the band is picked up by a local manager who helps them get more shows in the area and gets the song onto the radio. The band is signed to Play-Tone Records (changing their name to the more accessible The Wonders), and under new manager Amos White's guidance, the song becomes the quickest-charting song ever on Play-Tone Records, racing up to No. 7. Despite their success, Jimmy walks out on the band before they can produce another record, leaving themone-hit wonders.
In the film, the song is performed by James "Jimmy" Mattingly II on lead vocals and guitar, Leonard "Lenny" Haise onlead guitar and backing vocals, "T.B. Player" onbass and backing vocals[a], and Guy "Shades" Patterson on drums. For their live performance of the song onThe Hollywood Television Showcase, studio bassist Scott "Wolfman" Pell replaced T.B. Player on bass and backing vocals.
In the fictitious "mockumentary" liner notes from the film soundtrack CD, it is stated that "That Thing You Do" peaked at number 2 on theBillboard Hot 100 during the summer of 1964.
The song was written byAdam Schlesinger, the bassist of thealternative rock groupFountains of Wayne. Schlesinger did not expect his song to be chosen, but tried as "a personal exercise." Performers includeMike Viola on vocals with Schlesinger on backup vocals.
The song was released as a single, and although not as successful as was depicted in the film, the track still did moderately well in the US, peaking for three weeks at number 41 on theBillboard Hot 100 in November 1996. (It also reached number 22 on theAdult Contemporary chart, number 18 on theAdult Top 40, and number 24 on theTop 40 Mainstream chart.)[5] The song also reached number 50 inAustralia.
The song was a bigger hit outside of the US, reaching number 31 in Canada in December 1996,[6] and number 22 on theUK Singles Chart in February 1997.[7] The song was nominated forBest Original Song at the69th Academy Awards as well asBest Original Song at the54th Golden Globe Awards, losing out on both occasions toMadonna's "You Must Love Me" (written byTim Rice andAndrew Lloyd Webber) from the musicalEvita.[8]
On April 25, 2017, three quarters of the actors who played the Wonders—Tom Everett Scott (Guy "Shades" Patterson),Johnathon Schaech (Jimmy Mattingly II) andEthan Embry ("T.B. Player")—performed the song live during a surprise appearance atthe Roxy in Los Angeles.[9] The occasion was theGoddamn Comedy Jam, a live show series in which comedians tell funny stories about a meaningful song and then perform it with a live band.[10] Comedian and show creatorJosh Adam Meyers persuaded the actors to perform the song with him. After initial hesitation on Scott's part, Meyers managed to persuade him with help fromThe After Jam producer Jason Gallagher, who happened to be Scott's brother-in-law. The other actors soon followed suit, with Gallagher helping them learn how to play the instruments.Steve Zahn (Lenny Haise) was unable to participate due to living in Kentucky; comedian Jeremiah Watkins took his place on lead guitar while wearing a cut-out mask of Zahn's face.[11] On April 10, 2017, Embry posted a video of himself playing the song's bass line; it is now apparent that the video was a teaser for the event two weeks later.[12]
| Chart (1996–1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[13] | 50 |
| CanadaRPM Adult Contemporary[14] | 33 |
| CanadaRPM Top Singles[6] | 31 |
| Germany (GfK)[15] | 90 |
| Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[16] | 19 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[17] | 22 |
| USBillboardHot 100[18] | 41 |
| USBillboardAdult Contemporary | 22 |
| USBillboardAdult Top 40 | 18 |
| USBillboardTop 40 Mainstream | 24 |
