One Hit Thunder
Join musician Chris Fafalios (Punchline, Another Cheetah, Pack) as he listens to different one hit wonders with a revolving door of guests (including his bandmates and/or people from bands that he has toured with). After listening to the back catalog of the week's artist, they decide if the artist is a one hit blunder (shouldn't have had any success) or brought the one hit thunder (deserved to be much bigger than they were).
Episodes
March 22, 2023 • 35 min
Never have our minds been as blown on One Hit Thunder as when we dove into the life and career of Michael Penn. From his famous siblings to his work on landmark films, Michael’s story couldn’t be further from the norm. But don’t even THINK about throwing the “nepotism” accusation around here…Penn is the real deal. This week, we dive into his catalog and discover that it’s NO MYTH that Michael Penn is undeniable thunder.
If you like...
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March 15, 2023 • 55 min
Hello, fellow slobs! This week, we’re diving into Joan Osborne and her inescapable 1996 hit, “One of Us”. Written on a whim by Eric Bazilian of The Hooters, the song asks important questions about a supposed higher power, including “if God had a face, what would it look like?” Well, WE’D speculate that he or she MIGHT look like this week’s guest…Meeting Of Important People’s Josh Verbanets! Will we put thunder on Joan’s name, or wo...
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March 8, 2023 • 51 min
Local H carved out a niche for themselves in the mid 90s, landing somewhere in between grunge and indie rock. The hypnotic single “Bound For The Floor” was a Gen X anthem, cleverly using the word “copacetic” to exhibit a feeling of dissatisfaction with life. This two-piece band made a lasting impression on this week’s guest — Wells, Maine’s own Spose — even if this particular single wasn’t the reason why.
If you like the show, be ...
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March 1, 2023 • 48 min
We often forget that artists might tune in to One Hit Thunder to hear us offer our sometimes misinformed and ALWAYS overly opinionated thoughts on their music. One of these artists — John Hampson of Nine Days — was gracious enough to not only listen to our episode on “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)”, but also to kindly send us a series of tweets correcting some things we didn’t get quite right. A few years later, he’s here with us to...
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February 22, 2023 • 38 min
In 1996, two siblings from Belgium had an unexpected alternative hit that sounds unlike anything else from the era. The single “Not An Addict” caught fire and became an international hit, grabbing the attention of even Alanis Morissette, who handpicked the band to open for her on tour. Beyond diving into the track and the band, we force Matt Kelly to make some of his OWN K’s Choices in this fun and informative episode.
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February 15, 2023 • 51 min
The story of T. Rex’s Marc Bolan is one of those rock n’ roll fables that seems so trite that it MUST have been written by some second-rate Hollywood screenwriter. The truth, however, is that Marc Bolan’s tale serves as the BASIS for these overused rock clichés, as he led a wild (and unfortunately short) life full of fame, excess, pageantry, and incredible music. This week, we’re joined by actor and musician Danny Tamberelli to div...
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February 8, 2023 • 43 min
In the mid 70s, Wild Cherry thrived in all the funk and disco hot spots, from the Northern West Virginia panhandle to the Ohio Valley region. People were getting down to the sweet sounds of “Play That Funky Music” in Steubenville, Ohio, all the way to the bright lights of the big city…of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The groundswell created by the band’s popularity in these areas took the song all the way to #1 on the Billboard charts,...
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February 1, 2023 • 36 min
Do you hate it when you show up to a date’s house in your best ripped jeans and leather jacket, only to be offered disgusting food by their scumbag mother? Well this episode’s for you! This week, we’re joined by my good buddy and bandmate Paul Menotiades to discuss Gerardo’s 1990 hit “Rico Suave”, a song that becomes infinitely more shocking when you dive into the lyrics. Oh, don’t worry…we do that in this episode. Our only addicti...
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January 25, 2023 • 34 min
Welcome to the most bass-heavy episode of One Hit Thunder ever! Thanks to Level 42’s 1985 hit single “Something About You”, we get into a LOT of talk about the best instrument in the world…the good old electric bass. Frontman Mark King’s bass proficiency is impressive, but his songwriting is…well…next LEVEL. Stay tuned for a fun conversation about a jazz fusion band that drew us into the stream of undefined illusion.
If you like th...
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January 18, 2023 • 39 min
Midnight Oil shined a light on the plight of the Aboriginal communities in the Australian Outback with their 1987 hit “Beds Are Burning”. This anthemic song is widely considered one of the greatest pieces of music to ever come out of Australia, and any Australian listeners will likely be shocked that we’re discussing this band on a podcast about one hit wonders. The charts don’t lie, however, and this was Midnight Oil’s only Top 40...
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January 11, 2023 • 34 min
In 1993, the world was introduced to a white Canadian reggae artist named Snow. His hit song “Informer” topped the US Billboard charts for nearly two months straight, while Snow himself sat in a prison cell for maybe or maybe not puncturing another human being with a knife (aka stabbing them). This semi-autobiographical tune echoed a warning to whoever snitched on him, in the form of being “licky boom boomed down” by the artist him...
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January 4, 2023 • 44 min
Sometimes we have to bend the rules to qualify artists as appropriate subject matter for One Hit Thunder, but not this week. Deadeye Dick are an undeniable choice, as they are almost universally known ONLY for their catchy pop rock hit “New Age Girl”. This week, we’re joined by Johnny Yetsconish to decide if the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack was the EXACT place this song should be, or if there’s more meat on the bone when it comes to ...
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December 28, 2022 • 35 min
The songwriting duo Boy Meets Girl wrote chart-topping songs for several iconic artists, but it wasn’t until their 1988 single “Waiting for a Star to Fall” that they made a name for themselves as performers. The song was an enduring adult contemporary juggernaut, even finding its way into the hit film Three Men and a Little Lady a few years later. Even after their marriage ended, their song collaborations forged ahead, and they con...
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December 28, 2022 • 14 min
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December 21, 2022 • 32 min
The holiday season is here once again. To celebrate, we’re discussing the bizarre case of The Waitresses, which are a band that we’re able to discuss on One Hit Thunder because they’re a one hit wonder in two different countries for two different songs. While “Christmas Wrapping” is now considered a Christmas classic, it wasn’t well-known in the US until many years after its release. Meanwhile, “I Know What Boys Like” was ONLY a hi...
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December 14, 2022 • 39 min
Today is our 150th episode, so we had to bring the heat with an undeniable 80s jam. Spandau Ballet may have formed out of a love for the Sex Pistols, but their 1983 musical love letter “True” was inspired by the soulful sounds of Al Green and Marvin Gaye. This smooth pop classic dominated the radio airwaves for years, but we needed to know more. Can Producer Matt Kelly pronounce their name? Is “True” really Adam Sandler’s favorite ...
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December 7, 2022 • 81 min
As we near Episode 150, it's time for another Year End Countdown. Where will YOUR favorites stack up this year? Listen to find out!!
If you like the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. Email us at onehitthunderpodcast@gmail.com.
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November 30, 2022 • 39 min
This week, return guest Matt Jurcevich joins us to discuss something that’s got US feeling insane in the membrane — the fact that we can categorize legendary rap group Cypress Hill as a one hit wonder. Despite having multiple high-charting albums and decades of widespread popularity, their 1993 single “Insane in the Brain” is the only one to cross over into the Top 20 on the Billboard charts. In this episode, we’ll break down their...
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November 23, 2022 • 41 min
Against all odds, a song completely sung in German floated all the way up to #2 on the Billboard charts in 1983, rising above some of the biggest artists of the 80s. Even more surprising, the danceable pop gem “99 Luftballons” was actually a protest song about a theoretical nuclear war. This week, we’re joined by Cheer Up Dusty vocalist Justin Humenik to find out if we should all pick up a few Nena records with the money we’ve got,...
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November 16, 2022 • 45 min
After two decades of pursuing a music career, a 30 year old Canadian singer named Alannah Myles scored a #1 hit in 1989 with “Black Velvet”. While her success continued for years after in the Great White North, she completely fell off the Billboard charts of the United States. This week, we try to determine if the blame for her US decline should fall on the lack of promotion from her record label, or if the rest of Alannah’s catalo...
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