That Thing You Do!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [SOUNDTRACK]

Various Artists - Soundtracks - 1996, Tom Hanks, Adam Schlesinger

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 24, 1996)
• Original Release Date: September 24, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002BQD
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,492 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The early-'60s pop group The Wonders never existed outside of That Thing You Do, Tom Hanks' feature-film directorial debut--but a lot of bands like them sure did. If you've seen the movie, I defy you to resist the title song--a perfect pop confection that captures the musical spirit of the era (and the high spirits of the movie) with cleverness and glee. (The deadpan "historical" liner notes are priceless.) The first song, "Lovin' You Lots and Lots" (written by Hanks himself) is a hilariously awful example of the insipid "grown-up" pop Muzak of the mid-'60s (performed by the Ray Coniff-like "Norm Wooster Singers"), but the element of parody in these tracks is suffused with affection. And, dammit, these are some really catchy toe-tappers! In addition to some other Wonders hits (not the least of which is "Shrimp Shack," from their first movie appearance in Weekend at Party Pier), there's also a girl-group single ("Hold My Hand, Hold My Heart" by the Chantrellines); a teen hearbreak anthem ("My World is Over" by Diane Dane); "one of the seminal jazz recordings of 1958" ("Time To Blow," by Del Paxton) ... and much, much more! --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Ficitional Slice of 1964, but Just a Lot of Fun..., June 28, 2004

By	Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I recently saw "That Thing You Do" again on DVD, the fictional story of the Oneders, later renamed the Wonders. It prompted me to buy the soundtrack, and what a delight it is.

"The Thing You Do" (15 tracks, 42 min.) brings us the 2 Wonders songs from the movie (title track, "Dance With Me Tonight") but also 3 other songs, giving us (according to the fictional liner notes) pretty much an idea what a Wonders' concert was like. The soundtrack gives us plenty of other fictional 1964-soundalike songs that simly work great ("She Knows It", "Voyage Around the Moon", and "Drive Faster" are among the highlights).

While it's true that Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger wrote the title track, even more noteworthy it that none other than Tom Hanks wrote or co-wrote 4 of the tracks on here, so the man obviously knew what he was doing when taking on this project (writing and directing the movie as well). Thanks for a great movie and a delicious soundtrack, Tom!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A time-transporting work of art, June 2, 2000

By	hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

If the fictional Wonders' hit single "That Thing You Do," was the only cut on this soundtrack worthy of praise, it would be worth the disc's price. The title track is a brilliant invocation of mid-60s British-influenced American pop, worthy of having been a monster hit at the time of its fictional setting.

But the soundtrack is so much more than a one-hit wonder. Tom Hanks, together with co-writers, singers and producers, has created a bevy of tracks that recreate the brilliance of that era's music even more keenly than the film recreates the look and feel. Few such fictional music projects have ever been this complete.

From the opening track, the Mitch Miller like "Lovin You Lots and Lots" by the Norm Wooster Singers, Hanks gives notice that he and his co-workers have internalized the era's vast array of musical styles. It's as if their heads are so full of this music that they can't help but sing it out loud.

It's one huge loving nod to the music that populated the charts in the 60s -- perhaps the last gasp of truly varietous radio. Never again would such a wide range of sounds be heard on a single frequency, from the Dusty Springfield-esque vocals of Diane Dane and Shirelles-meet-the-Supremes singing of The Chantrellines, to the Frankie-and-Annette inspired beach tune of Cap'n Geech & The Shrimp Shack Shooters.

And amid all of this are The Wonders, a band that, despite the film's storyline, were anything but one hit wonders. The funky bassline of "Dance With Me Tonight" would have been home at any discoteque of the early 60s, and "I Need You (That Thing You Do)" is only the slightest notch less catchy than the title track. The 12-string strums and yearning harmonies catch every last ounce of emotion that fueled the best teen bands of the era.

Topping it all off, Hanks and Co. add biographies for the fictional bands, making it nearly impossible to believe it's all made up.

The film is good fun, but the soundtrack is a work of art.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "I Brought You Here...For I Am Spartacus", November 7, 1998

By	M. Craig (Charleston, WV USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

That is what the drummer, "Shades" of the mythical rock band "The Wonders" says to the lead guitarist, when the guitarist asks"How did we get here?,"before the Wonders make their national television debut on a Sullivan-esque variety show. What happens next, is one of the happiest three minutes on film, as the Wonders perform their hit single, "That Thing You Do!" The movie captured the 60's so well, and the soundtrack is a terrific bonus! I put on this album, and get lost in the 60's. A smile instantly comes to my face as I remember the story of that pop band from Erie, Pennsylvania whose fate was changed by a replacement drummer . I love these guys, and they seem so real. I just wish they were. Go out and buy this CD...listen to it, and re-live Beatlemania!