Adam Schlesinger -- who died Wednesday (April 1) due to coronavirus complications -- left a quirky and impressive imprint on Billboard’s charts through the years, as both a member of the band Fountains of Wayne and a songwriter.
Before Fountains of Wayne hit the charts in late 1996, Schlesinger actually notched a hit as a writer, but for another band -- and a fictional band, no less.
Schlesinger wrote the title track of the Tom Hanks-directed film That Thing You Do!, which was released in October 1996 and depicted the rise and fall of a fictional 1960s pop band called The Wonders.
The song “That Thing You Do!” was credited to The Wonders, with vocals performed by Mike Viola. “That Thing You Do!” first reached a Billboard chart on Oct.