Whycome Nobody Told Me About NSYNC Singing That Thing You Do?

by Jaya Saxena · January 19, 2016

Okay, somebody better frickin’ explain themselves as to why it took me until the year of our lord two thousand and sixteen to find out that in 1999 NSYNC covered the seminal faux-hit “That Thing You Do” from the 1996 movie of the same name. SEVENTEEN YEARS, PEOPLE. Seventeen years I could have been considering those velvet pants and jacket combos. Seventeen years I could have remembered JC’s weird flailing arm moves. Seventeen years for Kirkpatrick’s hair!!! I’m extremely disappointed in all of you.

Additional thoughts and questions about this performance of That Thing You Do:

  1. I was that annoying kid who was like “WELL DID YOU KNOW the song ‘That Thing You Do’ was written by the main songwriter in Fountains of Wayne?” as if anyone gave a shit about either of those things.
  2. Until I was maybe 15 I thought Del Paxton was a real jazz musician.
  3. I stan for Steve Zahn and I truly believe it is the finest utilization of Steve Zahn I have ever seen.
  4. Omg how cute was Liv Tyler?
  5. Why is Justin Timberlake playing bass and not doing anything else?
  6. The video says this was for a Pay Per View special, which, what?
  7. Again, velvet pants.
  8. I never knew it was my dream to reunite NSYNC for the sole purpose of seeing them do a dance routine to the Captain Geech & The Shrimp Shack Shooters song.
  9. Is That Thing You Do a genuinely perfect film y/y?

I apologize if you are unfamiliar or disinterested in That Thing You Do.

Jaya Saxena is a Staff Writer at The Toast.


68 Comments

  1. Queenjulie +29

    I believe the answer to Number 5 is that Justin has some mild form of precognition, and he knew even way back then that he would be the only one of these people to continue to be famous in the future, and thus tried to stay as far away from this mess as possible, lest it come back to haunt him.

    Also, at 0:27, there is a moment when the singer/guitarist* genuinely looks as though he is wishing for death.

    *Sorry, I am an old, and the only NSYNC person whose name I am familiar with is Justin Timberlake. And even then, I usually think he was one of the New Kids on the Block.

  4. neptunemars +20

    I can’t consume any new media as is is the greatest thing I have ever seen. Thank you!

  5. deleted3333252 +34

    2. Me too!
    3. “I’ve got a pig in competition over at the livestock pavilion and I am going to win that blue ribbon!” The finest use.
    9. Y

    Genuine, beginning to end perfection. I saw TTYD four times in the theater at age 11 and to date have never seen another movie more than once in the theater. I wanted to say it ages like a wonderful, hilarious, Tom Hanksy wine, but that’s not even it; it gets no better and no worse, it just remains perfect.

    When we got together, my husband had never seen it, but FEAR NOT I fixed it. Makes more sense to him now that when he leaves the lights on I say, “Let it burn, let it burn all night. Bring me out here in the doggone middle of the night…”

    1. Frumiosa +28

      “A man in a…really nice camper wants to put our song on the radio! I’m signing, you’re signing, we’re all signing.”

  6. scopypdx +12

    Love That Thing You Do. One of two movies I walked out of and went across the street to Tower Records to buy the soundtrack.

    The other was Grace of My Heart, but it wasn’t for sale because, Tower guy told me, Joni Mitchell had sued to stop them distributing it. Eventually it came out, and her song was on it, sung by the very good woman who did Ileana Douglas’s singing. Song JM wrote about her lost cat, repurposed in the movie to be about the suicide of Douglas’s husband, Matt Dillon playing Brian Wilson-ish guy.

    1. theshehulkchef +16

      I saw “one of two films I walked out of” and starting to have a complete rage blackout but then I luckily finished the sentence. Crisis averted.

  8. therealadri +35

    Honestly the songwriter from Fountains of Wayne wrote everything. He wrote “It’s Not Just For Gays Anymore” for NPH at the Tony’s a couple years ago! He wrote songs for the delightfully cheesy Josie and the Pussycats movie!

    2. RosemarysFav +37

      Josie and the Pussycats is a GROSSLY underrated movie.

      More people need to see that and appreciate the joy of Backdoor Lover video that opened the movie.

    3. builtahouse +9

      whaaaaaaaattttt he DID? That song is such perfection, I re-watch it if I’m having a blue day because it puts such a big smile on my face.

      AND Crazy-Ex-Girlfriend? Man. I feel so repentant for only being familiar with Stacy’s Mom and Too Cool For School, in the Fountains Of Wayne catalogue.

      1. WiScourge +2

        “Radiation Vibe” and “I’ve Got a Flair” will make your head explode with pure pop glee. I’d start there.

  9. catweazlol +18

    TTYD is an A+ movie and also I greatly appreciate what I assume to be a DuJour reference in the headline of this post. Very on theme.

    1. citizenchristy +22

      FACT: Jaya and I vaguely knew of each others’ existence but never met in person till we both happened to attend the same Josie & the Pussycats singalong afternoon in Brooklyn.

      1. CaroWR +7

        How many people were at the singalong? I didn’t think that many of us appreciated the genius that was the Josie and the Pussycats movie.

        1. citizenchristy +7

          Maybe 30-40 or so? It was in a really small venue (it’s a bar/screening room/video rental place beloved by many) and not heavily advertised, but everyone there was a huge fan, and many people dressed up. (Jaya had ears.)

  10. allofthewhine +28

    man, JC was definitely the most talented person in that band. JT just had more hustle.

    1. meri +10

      Thank you! I’VE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR YEARS.

      Also, I don’t care what anyone says, Chris Kirkpatrick is a delight!

  11. citizenchristy +16

    I SAW ONE OF THESE PERFORMANCES

    It was in Grand Rapids, Michigan in either 1998 or 1999, the second time I saw *NSYNC. (I was between 11 and 13 for the tenure of my *NSYNC superfandom.) They did a kind of medley of songs from different decades and picked this as their fifties number, which doesn’t really make sense, but everyone just kind of went with it. The only other one I remember from the medley was a Fatone-led “Celebration.”

  13. Frumiosa +44

    I looooove this movie. But for so long it has been eating away at me — what…what was the thing?

    It had to be a sex thing, right?

  14. falcofield +25

    1. Liv Tyler hearing the song on the radio for the first time is probably the greatest example of PURE UNADULTERATED JOY AND EXCITEMENT I’ve ever watched on screen.

    2. Steve Zahn is criminally underrated! I make people watch Joy Ride all the time! Not just for him but he’s part of the reason why!

    1. studybears +12

      I was just coming here to say #1! I don’t think there is any scene as joyous in film as everyone hearing the song on the radio for the first time.

      God, I love this movie so much. It is a perfect film. I already knew about the nsync cover as it was very important and relevant to all of my interests, but I’m always extremely glad to be reminded of it.

      Also, I am here for 500% more That Thing You Do! Toast coverage.

  15. paperbgprincess +3

    Re: #5, I can only assume it is because JC doesn’t play any instruments and he needed something to do? What else could it be?

    1. meri +8

      I’m grimly satisfied by the low number of likes on this comment.

      (JC was the best vocalist and since when is a celeb’s level of fame an indicator of talent? Must I trot out the Kardashians as an example? Must I??)

  16. mandarinmarie +10

    Oh man I have to rewatch That Thing You Do! I enjoyed it but I definitely saw it in the movie theater in middle school and that is it.

    I’m not sure Joey Fatone actually deserves that many drums in his kit.

  17. ophelias_ghost +17

    TTYD-related anecdote:

    One of the CDs that my martial arts instructor puts on when we’re doing workouts is songs from movies sped up and set to a pump-up beat; the track listing includes “My Heart Will Go On” and “That Thing You Do!” – the first time I heard the latter I stopped dead and tried to find someone else to exclaim about it with but NO ONE KNEW THE MOVIE. What is wrong with this generation

    1. Yarnybarny +2

      That sounds like an amazing album that is relevant to my interests! Would you happen to know the name?

      1. ophelias_ghost +1

        Unfortunately I don’t – I have no idea where my instructor got it and I’ve tried googling it to no success.

  18. Chelsea Mae +10

    WHAT WAS THIS PAY PER VIEW SPECIAL AND WHERE CAN I VIEW IT, HELP I CANNOT TURN OFF CAPLOCK WHEN *NSYNC IS INVOLVED

  20. sluts4ever +22

    Also, omg the old people comments on this video:

    “Wimpy song, but the Sync do a solid job with it. I agree with Sze Yao Tan that Timberlake does a nice job with the bass. The Sync didn’t get many opportunities to play instruments other than their voices. But this time they’re actually working as a BAND! Very nice!”

  22. jereich2 +16

    “They flailed their arms a lot in the late 50’s to early 60’s, right?” — JC Chasez

    But no, this is the most perfect thing of 2016 for me, frankly.

  23. mollywtx +12

    I am friends with Steve Zahn’s prom date. I consider this a personal victory, though I obviously had nothing to do with it, so great is the power and importance of the Zahn. And agree TTYD! is a perfect movie, y.

  24. theshehulkchef +5

    HOW WAS I NOT AWARE OF THIS?! TTYD’s soundtrack was my first ever DVD, I saw that move approximately 100 times and rewrote the lyrics with my middle school bestie, and I definitely have a picture of myself with Johnathon Schaech from Arts Advocacy Day in DC a few years ago. In short, it is a travesty of epic proportions that I overlooked this video’s existence.

  25. camille +12

    I only learned of this video in 2015 but am so glad I have found my people here because no one seems to care about this movie except me and it is so underrated and a perfect gem of a film and just whhhhhhhhy.

    I was also a big Fountains of Wayne fan back in the day and whenever I like the soundtrack to a show or film, Adam Schlessinger is usually the culprit (TTYD, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, etc.).

  27. alder_tree +4

    That movie came out during the height of my high-school Beatlemania. I didn’t get to see it until it was on video (my family weren’t big movie-theater-goers, though I am, now) but I enjoyed it.

  28. Doctor Jay +7

    You should definitely not apologize to those not interested in TTYD. Sympathy is acceptable, though.

  29. Notreallydorine +23

    I love this movie and I have thumbs-uped everyone in this comment section and I just wish I could give everyone even more thumbs-up. Agree that Zahn is awesome in this movie, as is Tom Everett Scott even though I haven’t much liked him in anything else. I thought Tom Hanks MUST have cast him in this movie because he (Hanks) wanted to be in it SO MUCH but couldn’t pull off the youth any more so he found the actor AS MUCH LIKE HIMSELF AS COULD BE and put him in it. His name’s even Tom. Don’t know why he hasn’t had the Hanks-like career progression, I thought he had it made after this.

  30. Frumiosa +7

    I just had a chance to actually watch the video and guys I honestly had no idea the NSYNC boys could play instruments. Good for them.

  33. evieskye +1

    Now when the NSYNC vs. Backstreet debate comes up I will point to this and as my reason for why NSYNC is better

  35. drowned_heroine

    Unfortunately I don't – I have no idea where my instructor got it and I've tried googling it to no success.