One Hit Thunder

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 country, the Divinyls were a long-running and successful band, but it wasn’t until their collaboration with the writers of “Like a Virgin” that they crossed over to the US. So why didn’t the States continue to bust a nut over the band after this unforgettable hit? Tune in to find out.

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 famously explosive live shows. Fred shares how the track evolved over time, why emotional honesty matters more than perfection, and how a great hook can outlast just about anything. From vocal delivery to production decisions, this conversation offers a raw, insightful look at a song that’s connected with fans for decades—and proves that sometimes shouting “let it go, let it go, let it go” is exactly what we all need.

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!

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 layered instrumentation, unique pre-chorus, and the clever use of samples—most notably the shout of “Oh!” lifted from Andrew Dice Clay’s stand-up album. He also recounts how a chance encounter with Rick Rubin at a New York restaurant led to Rubin casually granting sample clearance with the words, “Fax my office in the morning.” The conversation explores the emotional and musical influences that shaped the track, the challenges of creating in the analog era, and how personal experiences and playful experimentation helped fuel the song’s unforgettable energy.

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 that still shows up in movies and commercials decades later. Modern English faced breakups, reunions, and changing music trends, yet the song’s combination of pop hooks and emotional depth has kept it alive. Tune in as we dive into all things Modern English, a band that realized the power of a great hum solo in a song.