As the onscreen story goes, “That Thing You Do!” became a perfect pop song by accident. The title track from the 1996 film comedy was “written” by Jimmy Mattingly (played by Johnathon Schaech), the earnest, arrogant frontman of fictional small-town rock quartet The Wonders.
Instead of the later version of the single that would later shoot him and his bandmates to fame, “That Thing You Do!” was originally penned as a sleepy ballad.
But before a big talent show performance, the band's original drummer broke his arm, leaving cooler, older Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) ot fill in for the gig -- and beat new life into the tune by kicking it up to a sock hop-ready rhythm.