Various Artists - That Thing You Do! (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1996)

The soundtrack album (released under the Play-Tone name in conjunction with Epic Records) was also a hit, peaking at #21 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The CD artwork is a replica of the fictional Play-Tone label used in the movie, and the liner notes are done in a mockumentary style, as if the Wonders had been a real group and the events of the film had actually happened. ~Highly recommended by Stadium Studios

This is the soundtrack to the Tom Hanks-written and -directed movie about a fictional rock & roll band from Erie, PA (the Wonders), who luck into their one and only hit record in 1964. As a souvenir of the movie, this soundtrack more than fills the bill. But as a collection of great songs, it more than stands on its own as well. The tunes and performances perfectly evoke that cusp of time in rock history when one era was ending and another was beginning, while the production values are retro and yet modern, clean, and sharp. If you're a fan of mid-'60s British pop, here's a new recording that adds some more great songs and performances to that genre. Reviewed by Cub Koda allmusic.com

The movie features original music by Tom Hanks, Adam Schlesinger, Rick Elias, Scott Rogness, Mike Piccirillo, Gary Goetzman and Howard Shore. In the movie, The Wonders rise to brief stardom on the strength of "That Thing You Do", a song written as a wistful ballad but which becomes an uptempo rocker during the band's first performance at a talent show. Written and composed for the film by Adam Schlesinger, bassist for Fountains of Wayne and Ivy, and released on the film's soundtrack, the song became a genuine hit for The Wonders in 1996 (the song peaked 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). The track was nominated for a 1996 Golden Globe Award as well as a 1996 Academy Award for Best Original Song. Mike Viola of The Candy Butchers provided the distinctive lead vocals for the Wonders.

In the film, the title song is referenced with "All My Only Dreams" as the B-side. The actual 45 RPM single, released to record stores in North America, features "Dance With Me Tonight" as its B-side. The song has since been recorded by The Knack and Bubblegum Lemonade.

The soundtrack album (released under the Play-Tone name in conjunction with Epic Records) was also a hit, peaking at #21 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The CD artwork is a replica of the fictional Play-Tone label used in the movie, and the liner notes are done in a mockumentary style, as if the Wonders had been a real group and the events of the film had actually happened. Hanks later used the success of That Thing You Do! as a spring-board to launch the actual Playtone Records label, through which the soundtracks of all his subsequent films, and other films like Bring It On and television programs like The Sopranos were released as albums.

The song that plays during the film's opening credits, "Lovin' You Lots and Lots," is credited to the fictitious Norm Wooster Singers, but was actually written by Hanks. This song is a good-natured parody of Ray Conniff, Mitch Miller, and other practitioners of the "beautiful music" or proto-Muzak formats that were a staple of adult radio during the early '60s such as on KPOL 1540 in Los Angeles. Hanks also composed Guy's jazzy signature drum solo, "I Am Spartacus."

The song "Voyage Around the Moon" by the fictional Saturn 5 closely resembles "Pipeline" by The Chantays.




Track Listing:

01. Lovin' You Lots and Lots - The Norm Wooster Singers
02. That Thing You Do! - The Wonders
03. Little Wild One - The Wonders
04. Dance With Me Tonight - The Wonders
05. All My Only Dreams - The Wonders
06. I Need You (That Thing You Do) - The Wonders (The movie credits list this song as being from 'The Heardsmen'.)
07. She Knows It - The Heardsmen
08. Mr. Downtown - Freddy Fredrickson
09. Hold My Hand, Hold My Heart - The Chantrellines
10. Voyage Around the Moon - The Saturn 5
11. My World Is Over - Diane Dane
12. Drive Faster - The Vicksburgs
13. Shrimp Shack - Cap'n Geech & The Shrimp Shack Shooters
14. Time to Blow - Del Paxton
15. That Thing You Do! (Live at the Hollywood Television Showcase) - The Wonders

The tour and TV appearance are done in the authentic style of rock bands of the mid-1960s, including Go-Go girls, elaborate sharing of microphones, and formal clothing in various matching colors.


Album Released: September 24, 1996