That Thing You Do (song)
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| “That Thing You Do” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by The Wonders from the album That Thing You Do!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
||
| Released | 1996 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 2:46 | |
| Label | Play-Tone/Epic | |
| Writer(s) | Adam Schlesinger | |
"That Thing You Do" is a 1996 song that appears in the film That Thing You Do!. The song is performed by the fictional band The Wonders, who are the focus of the film. It is a rewrite of the Beatles' "Eight Days a Week."
[edit] In the film
The Wonders go from a talent show in Erie, Pennsylvania to climbing up the Billboard charts thanks to the song "That Thing You Do". Written by guitarist/vocalist Jimmy Mattingly II, it was originally crafted as a ballad. Upon playing at said talent show, drummer Guy Patterson starts the beat off much more up-tempo and the rest of the band follow suit, turning the song into an upbeat rock song. The song is a hit with the audience, and they win the talent show. From there, the band gets picked up by a local manager who helps them get more shows in the area and eventual play on the radio. The band then ends up on Play-Tone Records where the song goes up the Billboard charts, reaching #7, becoming the quickest charting song ever on Play-Tone Records. The band ends up breaking up before producing another record, so they become one-hit wonders.
In the film, the song is written by Jimmy Mattingly II and performed by James "Jimmy" Mattingly II on vocals and guitar, Leonard "Lenny" Haise on lead guitar, T.B. Player on bass and Guy "Shades" Patterson on drums.
[edit] In real life
The song was released as a single in promotion for the film and for its soundtrack. Although not as successful as the song had been in the film, it still did well, peaking at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100, #22 on the Adult Contemporary charts, #18 on the Adult Top 40, and #24 on the Top 40 Mainstream charts[1]. It also did well in UK, reaching there #22 in February 1997. The song was nominated for Best Original Song at the 69th Academy Awards as well as Best Original Song at the 1996 Golden Globe Awards.
The song was written by Adam Schlesinger. Performers include Mike Viola on vocals with Schlesinger on backup vocals.[1]
