One Hit Thunder

This week, we’re joined by Matt Kelly’s Christian Cringe co-host Katie Hampton to become one with the mud. Yes, we’re exploring the career and music of Jars of Clay, the rare mainstream crossover from the Christian music scene who made their mark in 1996 with the alternative rock radio hit “Flood.” Despite a bit of blowback from their religious fanbase, the band was able to balance their success w...

This week, our Patreon voted for us to explore the music and career of Dead or Alive, the British pop band responsible for the endlessly catchy and danceable 1985 single, “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record).” Led by the eccentric and androgynous Pete Burns, Dead or Alive were a perfect mix of the end of disco and the start of new wave. Their rise up the indie charts in the UK led them to a major la...

Whether you were rockin’ out to it in 2002 or watching Terry Crews sing every word to it a few years later, Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” is a song that can stir up a lot of feelings and emotions for those who lived it. Even though the song’s earnest delivery and theater-kid presentation SHOULD make it an artifact from the turn of the century, there’s something special about it that keeps i...

The DREAM TEAM of Chris Fafalios, Matt Kelly, Matthew Milligan, and Tony Hartman are BACK to draft the very best albums from the year 2005. From the launch of YouTube to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, these albums were the soundtrack to a year filled with highs, lows, and in-betweens. Who will draft the very best collection of records with their theoretical 100 dollars? Tune in to find out!...

This week, we're diving into one of the most bizarre R&B hits of the 80s. With its slick production and dramatic monologue, “The Rain” by Oran “Juice” Jones became a Top 10 smash in 1986 before fading into obscurity. Not EVERYONE forgot the track, however, as Donald Glover and the cast of Saturday Night Live resurrected it in 2018 with a spot-on and hilarious parody. This week, we’re joined by Two...

In early 2013, the Billboard Charts underwent a major change by incorporating YouTube streams into their formula. Almost immediately, the internet responded with chaos. The bizarre, bass-heavy electronica track “Harlem Shake” by producer Baauer skyrocketed to #1, fueled by a wave of absurd, meme-fueled dance videos that dominated social media. It became the first instrumental track to top the Hot...

Punchline’s new album Somewhere To Land was just released a few hours ago, and One Hit Thunder is here with some thoughts! Matt shares his feelings about every track, and Chris shares some insight into the writing, recording, and release of the next chapter in the Punchline story. One Hit Thunder is brought to you by DistroKid, the ultimate partner for taking your music to the next level. Our list...

This week, we’re discussing the music and career of Berlin, a band whose biggest hit was, strangely, not really a Berlin song at all. “Take My Breath Away” soared into the stratosphere on the tailwinds of Top Gun in 1986, but it wasn’t a great representation of the sexy, upbeat new wave synth-pop that Berlin was known for. Join us as we journey deep into Berlin to see if they take our breath away,...

Chris and Matt discuss their thoughts on the 2025 VMAs, which strangely aired on CBS instead of MTV (which couldn’t be bothered to interrupt their nonstop stream of the show Ridiculousness to air their signature awards show!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To be honest, when this week’s guest Kyle Kuchta pitched Drowning Pool’s “Bodies” to us for an episode, we braced ourselves for a terrible listening experience. Instead, what we got was some solid hard rock and a tragic story about vocalist Dave Williams, who seemed to be a solid dude with a great attitude who was taken from this world much too soon. Even the highly-memed song “Bodies” itself turn...

This week on One Hit Thunder, we’re joined by special guest Mark Popeney of the Nevermind The Music podcast to discuss Naked Eyes and their 1983 hit “Always Something There to Remind Me.” Originally written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, the song found new life in the synth pop era thanks to Naked Eyes' inventive production and reliance on cutting-edge technology like the Fairlight CMI. Our conv...

In an attempt to combat a case of writer's block, struggling songwriter Marc Cohn took a trip to Memphis. A chance encounter at a café resulted in one of the most beloved adult contemporary songs of the 90s. “Walking In Memphis” has stood the test of time, and this week, we’re joined by Phantom of the Podpera co-host Evan Fonseca to touch down in the land of the Delta Blues and explore the music a...

HIT IT! Few tracks ignite a dance floor like Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock’s 1988 classic, “It Takes Two.” Built around an infectious sample from Lyn Collins’ “Think (About It),” this platinum-certified anthem didn’t just dominate clubs—it helped hip-hop cross over into the mainstream. Despite the duo’s explosive debut, follow-up efforts like Rob Base’s solo album The Incredible Base and their 1994 reu...

This week, our good friend Paul Menotiades returns to help us unpack the unlikely rise of Soft Cell’s 1981 synth-pop smash, “Tainted Love.” Originally a 1965 Northern Soul obscurity by Gloria Jones, Soft Cell's eerie, slowed-down cover became a global sensation, topping charts in 17 countries and spending a record-breaking 43 weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 . But beyond the hit, Marc Almond an...

In this episode, we're joined by special guest Scott Mellinger to explore Del Shannon's 1961 chart-topping hit, "Runaway." This early rock and roll classic is renowned for its haunting falsetto vocals and the groundbreaking Musitron solo—a keyboard instrument invented by Shannon's collaborator, Max Crook, that added a futuristic flair to the track. Beyond this iconic song, we explore Del’s deep co...

Twenty-five years ago, Baha Men unleashed “Who Let the Dogs Out” on the world—and whether you loved it or hated it, there’s no denying its impact. This week, we’re joined by our friend Jim Logrando to celebrate the song’s silver anniversary and dig into everything we never knew about this Bahamian group's wild ride. From Grammy wins and Kids' Choice Awards to its surprising roots as a feminist ant...

This week, we're finally diving into the unhinged surf-rock chaos of The Trashmen’s “Surfin’ Bird”—a Patreon pick that, frankly, we can’t believe we haven’t covered until now. This 1963 burst of raw energy, stitched together from two Rivingtons songs, has been called everything from a novelty hit to an early blueprint for punk rock. With its unforgettable “bird is the word” hook, the track gained...

This week, Johnny Yetsconish joins us to celebrate The Outfield’s timeless 1986 hit, “Your Love.” Though the British trio enjoyed a string of modest successes in the '80s, it's this power-pop anthem—with its unforgettable opening lyric and soaring vocals—that has etched itself into the fabric of pop culture. From its origins on the triple-platinum debut album Play Deep, “Your Love” has transcended...

Get ready for a battle of musical nostalgia in The 1985 Albums Fantasy Auction Draft, where Chris and Matt are joined by fellow music lovers Matthew Milligan and Tony Hartman to bid on the best albums of a stacked year in music. From blockbuster releases like Songs from the Big Chair and No Jacket Required to cult favorites like Tim and Dare to Be Stupid, the draft sparks passionate debates, perso...

This week, Jim Logrando sits in to discuss the spaced-out swagger of Monster Magnet’s 1998 hit “Space Lord.” As a loyal listener since discovering the band in the late '90s, Jim brings his passion for these groove metal pioneers to the table as we dig into their unlikely brush with mainstream success. With its psychedelic riffs, tongue-in-cheek bravado, and a hook that crashed into the mainstream...

Back in the fall of 2009, an unexpected voice from the UK took over American radio when Jay Sean’s “Down” (featuring Lil Wayne) knocked the Black Eyed Peas off the top of the charts after their epic run. This week on One Hit Thunder, Andrés joins us to revisit that moment in time—when ringtone sales mattered, Cash Money Records was everywhere, and Jay Sean seemed poised to become a global star. We...

This week, we explore the surprising journey of Ghost Town DJs’ 1996 single “My Boo,” a track that quietly debuted on the So So Def Bass All-Stars compilation before becoming a Top 40 hit. Though the group disbanded after two underperforming albums, this smooth blend of R&B vocals and Miami bass beats found new life two decades later, thanks to the viral “Running Man Challenge” that sent it back u...

This past year, we witnessed a diss track win Grammys and get performed at the Super Bowl, but over three decades ago, there was another diss track that became an unlikely hit. “Pop Goes the Weasel” by 3rd Bass took aim at Vanilla Ice and the growing commercialization of hip-hop, delivering biting bars over a beat laced with samples from Peter Gabriel and Stevie Wonder. It climbed to #1 on the Bil...

This week, Matt and I welcome Nichole Vatcher—cohost of the brilliant podcast Nevermind the Music—for a deep dive into Gary Jules’ haunting 2001 cover of “Mad World.” Originally a minor hit for a young Tears for Fears, the song took on a whole new life thanks to its stripped-down piano arrangement and its eerie, unforgettable appearance in Donnie Darko. We talk about its emotional weight, how it b...

In the late '90s, The Flys had us all in a trance with their brooding alt-rock anthem “Got You (Where I Want You),” a song that buzzed through movie trailers, TV shows, and the Disturbing Behavior soundtrack like a late-summer fever dream. But just as quickly as they soared, they crash-landed into the used CD bins of America. This week, we’re joined by Rishi Bahl of Eternal Boy and Four Chord Musi...