That Thing He Did! Adam Schlesinger's Music in 'That Thing You Do!', 'Josie and the Pussycats', and 'Music and Lyrics'

The Sleepless Cinematic Podcast

To close out the "Musicians on Film" cycle, Julian, Madeline and Emilio dig into the work of ace songwriter Adam Schlesinger, focusing on catchy pop songs he penned for three films - 'That Thing You Do!' (1996), 'Josie and the Pussycats' (2001), and 'Music and Lyrics' (2007). Emilio and Julian break out guitars to point out some of the little details from early 60s rock n'roll and beyond that made their way into "That Thing You Do!", the irrepressible hit single from the movie of the same name. The trio gets into how 'Josie and the Pussycats', and by extension Schlesinger's contribution "Pretend to Be Nice", both sends up the early 2000s music pop landscape and predicts the female punk pop explosion that was around the corner. And the group gets into what works, and what doesn't work as well, in the execution of "Way Back Into Love", the song at the center of 'Music and Lyrics'. All the while, discussions about the movies themselves supplement a lively conversation about Schlesinger and his most enduring cinematic bangers.
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