Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong released the latest episode of his "No Fun Mondays" with a tribute to singer-songwriter Adam Schlesinger with a cover of "That Thing You Do!," earlier today, April 20.
Billie Joe Armstrong gave a punk rock reimagining to the sixties-inspired pop single. The video, also uploaded in Green Day's YouTube channel, was accompanied by the caption "Another week, another No Fun Mondays," noting that the song is a tribute to "the late Adam Schlesinger and the incredible music he wrote including this one, 'That Thing You Do.'"
Billie Joe on Quarantine
His modern take on a beloved classic follows his previous cover in his "No Fun Mondays" quarantine series. Armstrong previously performed "Manic Monday" with none other than The Bangles' frontwoman herself, Susanna Hoffs. He also gave fans an Easter offering with the Avengers' "Corpus Christi."
As Billie Joe said in an earlier statement, he will keep on releasing cover songs "until we're let back out into the world." He first did a cover of Tommy James and the Shondells' 1967 hit "I Think We're Alone Now" before officially launching the series with Johnny Thunders' 1978 single "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory."
In the ongoing fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Billie Joe Armstrong has recently performed the Green Day classic "Wake Me Up When September Ends" from his home. Armstrong was among the artists who participated in the "One World: Together at Home" special, an event by the World Health Organization and Global Citizen. The star-studded event was hosted by late-night icons Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert. It featured performances and appearances from Stevie Wonder, rapper Common, Keith Urban, Lizzo, Samuel L. Jackson, and a lot more.
Armstrong's stripped-down performance of the 2004 song, interspersed with images of abandoned streets, left the Mother Monster herself in tears.
Remembering Adam Schlesinger
Schlesinger, best known as bassist and songwriter for the rock band "Fountains of Wayne," died earlier this month, April 1, at the age of 52 due to complications from COVID-19. He also penned the title track for the 1996 flick, and Tom Hanks' directorial debut, "That Thing You Do!"
He has also co-written the pop-rock classic "Stacy's Mom" with bandmate and Fountains of Wayne co-founder Chris Collingwood.
Just last week, the members of the fictional band "The Wonders" who initially performed the song reunited via video conferencing app Zoom. Actors Tom Everett Scott, Ethan Embry, Steve Zahn, and Johnathon Schaech went online to share a commentary on the 1996 film as well as answer fan messages. The event aimed to raise funds by calling for donations and by auctioning an ultra-rare vinyl of the movie soundtrack, with the proceeds going to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.
Also, surviving members of Fountains of Wayne are set to perform together for the first time since 2013, in a live-streamed fundraiser for the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund slated on April 22, 7 PM ET. New Jersey singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten will be filling for Schlesinger's bass and backup vocals.
