One Hit Thunder
Join musician Chris Fafalios (Punchline) and co-host Matt Kelly from the Geekscape network on One Hit Thunder, where each week they dive into the world of one-hit wonders with a new guest. Chris and Matt are joined by a revolving door of friends, including Chris's bandmates, musicians he’s toured with, and fellow artists, to listen to a one-hit wonder and explore the full catalog of the band or artist behind it. With a mix of humor and musical insight, Chris and Matt dive deep to decide if these artists truly brought the "one hit thunder" and deserved more recognition or if they’re just a "one hit blunder." Perfect for music fans and pop culture enthusiasts alike, One Hit Thunder is a fun and thoughtful exploration of the highs and lows of fleeting fame in the music industry.
Episodes
January 25, 2026 • 73 mins
From Chris DeMakes A Podcast (originally released as Episode 265 on 7/7/25)...
On this episode, Tracy Bonham sits in to break down her explosive 1996
single "Mother Mother." From her early days as a classical violinist to
the raw vocal power that defined her biggest hit, Tracy shares how the
song evolved both lyrically and emotionally. She opens up about the
recording of her debut album, navigating sudden success in the '90s...
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January 21, 2026 • 55 mins
Not to toot our own horn, but this is our 300th episode of One Hit Thunder, so we HAD to focus on a song about tooting your own horn. It’s unclear if anyone has ever actually referred to masturbating as “tooting their own horn”, but that’s not the point here. The point IS that in 1991, you could be riding in the car with your grandparents and hear “I Touch Myself”, an ode to self-pleasure from Australia’s Divinyls. In their home co...
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January 18, 2026 • 55 mins
From Chris DeMakes A Podcast (originally released as Episode 266 on 7/14/25)...
In this episode, Chris is joined by Fred LeBlanc, the high-energy
frontman and drummer of Cowboy Mouth, to break down the story behind
their signature song “Jenny Says.” Originally written during Fred’s
stint in Dash Rip Rock, the song went through several incarnations
before becoming a crowd-commanding anthem and a staple of Cowboy Mouth’s famou...
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January 14, 2026 • 84 mins
2025 is in the books, and now it’s time to RANK the last 50 songs that were featured on the show. This time, Chris and Matt are joined by CLASSIC One Hit Thunder guests Matt DiStefano, Johnny Yetsconish, and Jim Logrando to put the songs in order from worst to best. What will come out on top? Tune in to find out!
One Hit Thunder is brought to you by DistroKid, the ultimate partner for taking your music to the next level. Our lis...
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January 11, 2026 • 75 mins
From Chris DeMakes A Podcast (originally released as Episode 262 on 6/9/25)...
In this episode, Ian Dench of EMF joins the show to discuss the writing
and recording of the band’s explosive 1991 hit, “Unbelievable.” From its
instantly recognizable hook to its genre-blending sound, the song
became a cultural phenomenon and an enduring stadium anthem. Ian offers a look behind the curtain at the song’s construction, including its ...
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January 7, 2026 • 45 mins
Modern English’s “I Melt With You” is one of those songs everyone knows, but most people don’t realize how much is packed into its seemingly happy 80s charm. On the surface, it’s a catchy love song, but listen closer and you catch hints of nuclear anxiety and darker undertones that make it surprisingly layered. In this week’s episode, we explore how a band blending punk and new wave turned a modest chart hit into a timeless anthem ...
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January 4, 2026 • 75 mins
From Chris DeMakes A Podcast (originally released as Episode 256 on 5/5/25)....
This week, Stacy Jones sits in to share the story behind American
Hi-Fi’s 2001 breakout hit, “Flavor of the Weak.” From his early days as
Veruca Salt’s touring drummer to stepping into the spotlight as a
frontman, Stacy discusses the evolution of his career, the challenges of reinvention, and the lessons he’s learned along the way. He reflects on
...
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December 31, 2025 • 50 mins
Feeling optimistic about the new year? We hope so, because we thought it was the perfect time to dive into Timbuk 3’s “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades.” On the surface, it sounds hopeful, but the lyrics reveal something much darker once you really listen. In this week’s episode, we explore how a married couple with a drum machine managed to break into the Top 20 with the first single from their debut album. As if that w...
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December 28, 2025 • 61 mins
From Chris DeMakes A Podcast (originally released as Episode 247 on 3/3/25)...
This week, Danbert Nobacon of Chumbawamba sits in to break down the
writing and recording of the band's massive 1997 hit, "Tubthumping." He
and Chris explore the song’s punk-influenced origins, its anthemic
structure, and how its themes of resilience and working-class pub
culture resonated worldwide. Danbert shares insights into the band's
approa...
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December 24, 2025 • 56 mins
In this week’s episode, we dig into NewSong’s “The Christmas Shoes,” a holiday hit that somehow became a cultural phenomenon despite being, frankly, awful. The song relies on emotional manipulation instead of real storytelling, and we still cannot understand how it convinced so many people that it was profound. We take apart the lyrics, talk through the bizarre narrative choices, and then go down the rabbit hole of the YouTube comm...
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December 23, 2025 • 51 mins
In this episode, Chris and Matt discuss the new HBO Original Documentary from their Bill Simmons-produced Music Box series. Using the categories from Bill’s very popular The Rewatchables podcast, the guys discuss their favorite parts of this look into the meteoric rise of Counting Crows in the early 90s.
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December 21, 2025 • 51 mins
From Chris DeMakes A Podcast (originally released as Episode 288 on 12/15/25)...
In the 1981 holiday season, The Waitresses delivered a refreshingly offbeat gift with their single “Christmas Wrapping.” Written by Chris Butler, who openly admitted his dislike for the holidays, the song was pieced together from leftover riffs and lyrics he scribbled down in a taxi on the way to the studio. With Patty Donahue’s cool, talk-sing deli...
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December 17, 2025 • 49 mins
Doesn’t escaping into the hills to do nothing but write music with your friends sound like the ultimate dream? By the mid-60s, this was a reality for Black Oak Arkansas, a Southern rock band that refined their sound and mastered their instruments while living off the land. Led by charismatic frontman Jim “Dandy” Mangrum, they built a reputation for their wildly entertaining live shows. By early 1974, it was a cover of a 1957 LaVern...
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December 14, 2025 • 73 mins
From Chris DeMakes A Podcast (originally released as Episode 224 on 9/16/24)...
This week, Mike Edwards sits in to discuss the writing and recording of
the 1991 hit single from Jesus Jones, “Right Here, Right Now." The
conversation explores the creation and impact of the song, including the
inspiration behind it and the cultural context of the time. Mike opens
up about the poignant lyrics, highlighting references to Tracy Ch...
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December 10, 2025 • 55 mins
In 1972, Bill Withers wrote, produced, and performed the #1 hit “Lean on Me,” a timeless single about being there for someone you care about. Fifteen years later, Club Nouveau flawlessly brought the song into the 80s, achieving a modern sound without losing its signature heart and soul. Despite topping the charts and even winning a Grammy for their cover, the group was never able to replicate that success. This week, we dive into t...
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December 7, 2025 • 64 mins
From Chris DeMakes A Podcast (originally released as Episode 137 on 1/9/23)...
Glasgow's Del Amitri has had a long and storied career, releasing five
albums that reached the Top 10 in the UK and selling over 6 millions
albums worldwide. In the United States, it was the 1995 hit single "Roll
To Me" that showcased the band to the whole country via pop radio. In
this episode, bassist and vocalist Justin Currie discusses the wri...
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December 3, 2025 • 63 mins
If you were living in Gainesville, Florida, in the late 90s, Sister Hazel’s “All For You” was probably a hit song to YOU way before it was a hit for the rest of the country. The band had already sold tens of thousands of copies of their album …Somewhere More Familiar when they signed to Universal and re-released it. The album would go platinum, thanks mostly to the one of the catchiest songs of the decade. The many years that follo...
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November 30, 2025 • 60 mins
From Chris DeMakes A Podcast (originally released as Episode 139 on 1/23/23)...
In this episode, Toadies vocalist and guitarist Vaden Todd Lewis
discusses the writing, recording, and release of the band's 1994 hit
single "Possum Kingdom". The song's eerie lyrical content matched with
its unique composition made it stand out in an era of inventive rock
music, leading to a long and storied career for the legendary Fort Worth b...
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November 26, 2025 • 71 mins
In the summer of 1993, an up-and-coming Brooklyn hip-hop trio collaborated with an NBA rookie sensation to create a Bugs Bunny-inspired track that cracked the Top 40. In a world of athletes releasing embarrassing novelty singles, “What’s Up Doc? (Can We Rock?)” had people far and wide asking if Shaq was as diesel on the mic as he was on the court. It was the undeniable track from FU-Schnickens, however, that laid the groundwork for...
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November 23, 2025 • 66 mins
From Chris DeMakes A Podcast (originally released as Episode 68 on 9/13/2021)...
Candlebox's 1993 smash hit single "Far Behind" is still in regular
rotation on rock radio today. On this episode, lead singer Kevin Martin
discusses the writing, recording, release, and legacy of this timeless
single.
One Hit Thunder is brought to you by DistroKid, the ultimate partner for taking your music to the next level. Our listeners get...
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