One Hit Thunder

It's the best time of the year ... Spotify Wrapped Season. Since Matt has the most unpredictable of musical tastes, Chris gives a live reaction to his top 20 most listened to songs this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’re taking flight with the Scottish band Pilot and their timeless hit “Magic”. Together with our guest Kai Dodson, we get right to the point: does selling out and changing the lyrics to your hit to hawk pharmaceuticals change the legacy of a song? We also dive into Pilot’s musical journey that intersected with an impressive array of legendary musicians and bands. Stay tuned to see if...

Today, we're diving into the infectious world of Stereo MCs and their iconic track, "Connected." Even if you think you don't know it, chances are you've crossed paths with this chart-topping British group's masterpiece, thanks to a cleverly placed sample and irresistible vocal melody that propelled them onto the US charts. These musical innovators also made waves by producing remixes for some of t...

This week, we're joined by Sarah and Maggie from the Unstable Topics podcast to discuss the unforgettable hit “I Love It” by Icona Pop. In the decade since its release, this song has remained a constant presence, gracing commercials, television, and the radio. Together, we'll explore the mystery of Charlie XCX's involvement in the song, share our emotional connections to it, and reminisce about th...

It’s no surprise that Prince was a fan of Jane Child. After a bidding war between 14 labels in which she demanded complete creative control, this Toronto-based artist wrote, produced, and performed every note of her debut album. Her funky pop single “Don’t Wanna Fall In Love” skyrocketed to #2 on the Billboard Charts in 1990, opening the door of endless possibility for this Canadian badass with an...

“I like big butts and I cannot lie.” No, that wasn’t a Winston Churchill quote. It’s the iconic first lyric of Seattle-based rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot’s 1992 smash hit “Baby Got Back”. While your grandma’s out cuttin’ a rug at the wedding reception to a song about anacondas and gettin’ sprung, it can often be forgotten that the song is actually an anthem of body positivity. His music tends to walk a fi...

Regardless of whether you know the name Norman Greenbaum or not, you most DEFINITELY know his hit 1969 song “Spirit In the Sky”. This uplifting single has appeared in countless movies, TV shows, and commercials, with its use showing no sign of slowing over five decades later. This week, we’re joined by Rock and Roll Candle Co. founder Samm Strangeland to get spiritual about Greenbaum, and decide i...

When you hear the name Positive K, you probably think of One Hit Thunder producer Matt Kelly, who is definitely one of the most positive human beings you'll ever meet. Alas, we're not talking about THAT Positive K, but instead, rapper Daryl Gibson whose early '90s hit "I Got a Man" took the airwaves by storm. K's upbeat vibe was so irresistible that even the legendary Aretha Franklin couldn't help...

In the Spring of 1983, 'Til Tuesday transformed from a new band into the winners of Boston’s Rock & Rumble competition. After quickly securing a deal with Epic Records, they released their debut album Voices Carry. Thanks to regular airplay on MTV, the title track rose to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sadly, this unique band could never again match the success of the song. This week, we’re joined b...

You know that awesome Bruce Springsteen song “On The Dark Side” that actually isn’t Bruce Springsteen at all? That’s John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band, and I’d venture to say that I’m not alone in thinking it was The Boss for many years. We HAD to bring in some experts to shed some light on this wild sound-alike, so this week, we’re joined by Hal Schwartz and Flynn McLean of the None But The B...

This week we take another break from podcasting to reunite the Fantastic Four of Chris Fafalios, Matt Kelly, Matt Milligan and Tony Hartman for another Fantasy Auction Draft. This time the topic is albums from 2003. Can you believe these releases are all 20 years old? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite the song’s lyrics that illustrate Meredith Brooks’ multitude of qualities and flaws, it’s the first line of the chorus of “Bitch” that turned heads in 1997. After a long music career that spanned three decades, this undeniably catchy pop song put the veteran singer and guitarist on the map. The song felt empowering and special when it came out, but how does it hold up now? And did Meredith...

This week on One Hit Thunder, we’re joined by Wolves of Glendale keyboardist and vocalist Tom McGovern to explore the enigmatic world of The La’s and their timeless hit “There She Goes”. This episode is a tale of potential unfulfilled, as The La’s were seemingly destined for Britpop fame and fortune, only to be stymied by their own strange choices. Did The La’s bring the thunder despite getting in...

In 1999, filmmaker Baz Luhrmann had an unexpected radio hit with “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)”, a near perfect spoken-word piece that offered god-tier level advice to graduating seniors. It’s hard to explain why this song works or how powerful it is without just breaking down every word of it, so we did just that. This week, we get deep, emotional, and honest, thanks to a commencement spe...

Joining us this week is brilliant documentarian Taylor Morden, who’s currently immersed in the creation of his upcoming feature Getting Lost. The Lost television series was a phenomenon that left millions of viewers scratching their collective head each week. That sense of wonder continues even today, as both mine and Matt’s tiny little brains were blown at the fact that Malcolm David Kelley — aka...

If you ever have to fight an enormous Russian who killed your friend, might we suggest popping Robert Tepper’s “No Easy Way Out” into the tape deck of your Lamborghini while you drive through the night and reflect on every single event that got you to that moment? This week, we’re joined by my friend and Punchline bandmate Steve Soboslai to discuss this animated singer whose passionate music shoul...

Do you like chess? How about musicals about chess? How about new wave meets hip-hop songs FROM musicals about chess? You don’t really need to answer that. Regardless, our Patreon voted for it, so we’re diving into the hit 1985 single from English actor Murray Head, “One Night In Bangkok”. Does this song make THESE hard men humble? Stay tuned to find out if it leaves us in despair or ecstasy. If yo...

WELL MAYBE you thought this band was someone else. AND MAYBE you’re thinking “didn’t they have a few other hits?” The reality is that while Candlebox did well enough on Alternative Radio to get a main stage slot at Woodstock ’94, they only had one song that charted on the Billboard Hot 100. The powerful demo (yes, DEMO) “Far Behind” became their signature song, launching their debut album to quadr...

How in the world are we closing in on 200 episodes without having yet discussed Mazzy Star and their dreamy hit “Fade Into You”? This iconic song is synonymous with the 90s, the soundtrack to millions of flannel laden make-out sessions and the countless broken hearts that followed. Here at One Hit Thunder, we thought it was strange that we never knew the wildly interesting story behind this band,...

Let’s get this out of the way right now: Melanie is technically a two hit wonder and an influential singer-songwriter powerhouse whose songs have been covered by some of the most beloved artists in music history. Despite all that, the average joe — aka all of us on this podcast — only know “Brand New Key”, the unintentionally sexual song that made a huge impression on many of us thanks to its asso...

Do you remember the 1987 movie Hiding Out, in which Jon Cryer stars as a state’s witness who pretends to be a high school student to avoid getting killed by the mob? Probably not. Chances are that you DO remember the breakout song from the movie though — Pretty Poison’s “Catch Me (I’m Falling)”. This dance-pop hit cracked the Billboard Top 10 and was an MTV staple, but the group never even sniffed...

In 1997, a slick pop song from a Swedish actor-turned-musician cracked the Top 5 on the Billboard charts, lodging itself firmly onto grocery store and doctor’s office playlists for decades to come. We’re joined this week by One Hit Thunder veteran Paul Menotiades to discuss Eagle-Eye Cherry’s “Save Tonight”. Will Paul be able to stop us from throwing BLUNDER on Eagle-Eye’s very unique name? Stay t...

Did Looking Glass pretty much CREATE the yacht rock genre by writing a song about a man choosing his love of the sea over the love of a woman? “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” made it all the way to the top of the Billboard charts in 1972, and the song stayed in the public consciousness ever since…except in the instance of this week’s guest PJ Caruso, who somehow didn’t know this song until he heard...

The 1983 Albums Fantasy Auction Draft: A Tropical Island Musical Odyssey In a highly anticipated episode of the One Hit Thunder podcast, hosts Chris Fafalios and Matt Kelly, joined by special guests Tony Hartman and Matthew Milligan, embark on an exhilarating fantasy auction draft of albums from the iconic year of 1983. Adding an exciting twist, the stipulation for this episode is that the partici...

In just a few short years, Stacey Q went from riding elephants in the circus to having a Top 5 single on the Billboard charts. The popularity of “Two of Hearts” led to a plethora of television cameos, but unfortunately not another hit song. This week, we explore all things Q to decide if we “beat as one” in our fandom of Stacey. If you like the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. Email u...