"That Thing You Do" Would it have been a hit?

My brother and I have been going back and forth about this a lot. If this song had actually come out in 1965, how would it have fared?

 

I think it would have been a huge hit. A very clever parody/homage that is actually better than many original songs from the era - a trick otherwise pulled off only by Spinal Tap, as far as I can recall.

 

I think it would've been a monster hit. Heck, I enjoy it now. Pretty catchy tune.

 

Great question! The answer? Yes...it would have been a huge hit.

 

I don't think it could've held a candle to "Ticket To Ride", "The Last Time", "Mr. Tambourine Man" etc. but who knows? To me it sounds a bit boring, but I'm sure there were much worse songs out at the time. Maybe it would've made a good album track?

 

I think it would have been a hit too. Great song!

 

Don't forget The Rutles...

 

Sure, it would have been a hit. But it would have been their only hit.

 

I think of "That Thing You Do" as more of a 1963 hit than a 1965 hit.

 

Great song, great movie... I definitely think it would have been a hit in '65. I thought the whole movie was very well done, especially the other fictional acts in the Playtone galaxy - Diane Dane, the Chantrelines, Freddy Fredrickson, the Shrimp Shack Shooters... all were affectionate parodies of the music scene figures at that time.

 

Right, it would have charted just behind "Listen To The Flower People"

Sssshhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

Yeah, I could see it being a hit in '63. And I remember enjoying the movie too.

 

I think it would have been a hit as well. I think I heard a commercial the other day that seemed like a blatant rip off of 'That Thing You Do'.

 

I'm pretty sure that "All the Way Home" or "Gimme Some Money" would have charted had they been released by an actual British Invasion act.

 

There's a lot of great music on that soundtrack. The song I Need you (That Thing You Do) is one of my favorites.

 

Definitely a huge hit, but not '65, although it can be considered a retro '63 hit, if there's any such thing!

The question is, if it is a big hit, what song does it unseat?

 

I can't remember whether the Beatles and/or the British Invasion were referenced in the movie, but my impression was that the movie captured the last gasp of the pre-British Invasion era, when the girl groups, nascent folk artists, the Beach Boys, and the Four Seasons were on top of the charts.

 

Yes, it would have been a hit. BTW, Tom Hanks based the premise of the movie as follows: if the Beatles had retained Pete Best as their drummer, they probably would have only been a one-hit wonder(hence the name of the group)in the United States. The drumming style of the song kind of fits in with that theory.

Still, one hell of a catchy tune!

 

I seem to remember Lies from Christmas 65, the same time I got Rubber Soul. I actually thought it was the Beatles the first time I heard it. I still remember that first time clear as day.

 

Didn't we all?

 

The song was a hit in late 65-early 66.

 

Doug, on a related note the Knickerbockers recorded a few songs by Seals and Croft.

 

It would've sunk without a trace, along with the hundreds of other British Invasion knock-offs of the era. It works in the movie, but on its own it's a really ordinary song.

 

Really, I never knew that. They must have stayed together for quite a while after 'Lies'.