"That Song" is a song by Canadian-American rock band Big Wreck. It was released in April 1998 as the second single from their debut album, In Loving Memory Of.... While not achieving the same success in the U.S. as the band's debut single, "The Oaf", it charted well in Canada, reaching number 31 on Canada's singles chart.[1] Between 1995 and 2016, "That Song" was the most played song by a Canadian artist on rock radio stations in Canada.[2] The song was certified Platinum in Canada.[3]

"That Song"
Single by Big Wreck
from the album In Loving Memory Of...
ReleasedApril 1998
Recorded1997
GenreAlternative rock, post-grunge
Length5:04
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Ian Thornley
Producer(s)Matt DeMatteo and Big Wreck
Big Wreck singles chronology
"The Oaf"
(1997)
"That Song"
(1998)
"Blown Wide Open"
(1998)
Music video
"That Song" on YouTube

Background

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Singer Ian Thornley said:

It actually came from one particular moment where I came out of a supermarket… and it was the same thing of [thinking about] the same person… almost wanting to dwell on it. I was fine, [when I] walked out of the supermarket. [Then] a car goes whizzing by playing this tune… I only caught about three or four notes of it, and it brought me back and triggered something where I was like ‘Fuck!’ — you know what I mean? — for about three days. Then you really get into it and you’re really down on yourself and you really want to fucking wallow in it, so you go and put on that song… and it doesn’t work. Your mind starts to wander, it just doesn’t work.[4]

Reception

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Billboard reviewed the song favorably, stating that the song has "spine-crawling beats, jittery guitars...and a boombastic chorus that is so deliciously over the top that you just have to hear it again and again."[5]

Charts

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Chart (1998) Peak
position
Canadian RPM Singles Chart[1] 31
Canadian RPM Alternative 30[6] 7
US Active Rock (Billboard)[7] 28
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks[8] 32

References

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  1. ^ a b "Top Singles - Volume 67, No. 9, May 25, 1998". RPM. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  2. ^ "NIELSEN MUSIC & BILLBOARD PRESENT CANADA 150 CHARTS" (PDF). bdsradio.com. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  3. ^ "Gold/Platinum". Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  4. ^ Worley, Gail (March 27, 1998). "An Interview With Ian Thornley of Big Wreck". Ink 19. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  5. ^ Billboard 18 Apr 1998, page 65 Google Books
  6. ^ "Rock/Alternative - Volume 67, No. 15, July 06 1998". RPM. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  7. ^ "Big Wreck". billboard.com. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  8. ^ "Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.