Fictional Bands Who Reached Billboard’s Charts: The Wonders, August Moon, 4*TOWN, Spinal Tap & More (2024)

• The Chipmunks, Alvin & The Chipmunks, David Seville & The Chipmunks

  

  All three variations of the animated anthropomorphic rodent band have reached Billboard’s charts.

  The high-pitched trio (comprising Alvin, Simon and Theodore) first charted in December 1958—just four months after the Hot 100’s launch—with its novelty holiday hit “The Chipmunk Song” (billed with David Seville). The track climbed all the way to No. 1, and held on top for four weeks, and stood as the only holiday leader in the chart’s history until Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” rose to the top in 2019 (and each season since). “The Chipmunk Song” later took home the Grammy Award for best recording for children, best comedy performance, and best engineered record—non classical, in 1959. The trio charted six other songs in 1959-62: “Alvin’s Harmonica” (No. 3 peak, and later a Grammy Award winner for best engineered recording—non-classical), “Ragtime Cowboy Joe” (No. 16), “Alvin’s Orchestra” (No. 33), “Alvin for President” (No. 95), a cover of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” (No. 21) and “The Alvin Twist” (No. 40).

  Over 40 years later, the franchise was rebooted with a new CGI/live-action jukebox musical adaptation, Alvin and the Chipmunks, in 2007. The film’s soundtrack featured the chipmunk trio performing a selection of popular hits, and as such, several covers reached the Hot 100: a cover of Lipps Inc.’s “Funkytown” reached No. 86, and a cover of Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day” hit No. 67. Plus, a renewed version of an original Chipmunks song, “Witch Doctor,” peaked at No. 62.

  Outside of the Hot 100, the Chipmunks have charted 12 albums on the Billboard 200, the highest peaking at No. 14 in 1964 (The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles Hits). The trio’s cover of Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart” also reached No. 71 on Hot Country Songs in 1992.

• The Archies

  

  The fictional rock band from The Archie Show charted six songs on the Hot 100 in 1968-70: “Bang-Shang-a-Lang” (No. 22 peak in 1968), “Feelin’ So Good (S.K.O.O.B.Y-D.O.O.)” (No. 53; 1969), “Sugar, Sugar” (No. 1; 1969), “Jingle Jangle” (No. 10; 1970), “Who’s Your Baby?” (No. 40; 1970), and “Sunshine” (No. 57; 1970).

  The band also charted five albums on the Billboard 200, one of which was a greatest hits compilation (The Archies Greatest Hits) in 1970.

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  The Archies were a five-piece act that comprised the characters Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Reggie Mantle, Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge. While professional voice actors performed as the characters on the show, a separate crew of uncredited studio musicians performed the act’s music. The band was managed by the late former Monkees manager Don Kirshner, who, after a falling out with the Monkees, proclaimed, “Screw the Monkees, I want a band that won’t talk back.”

• The Banana Splits

  

  The theme song from the 1960s variety show The Banana Splits (which is also the name of the fictional rock band the show centers around) became a chart hit during the show’s initial run. “Tra La La (One Banana, Two Banana)” spent one week on the Hot 100, at No. 96, on Feb. 8, 1969. It marked the group’s only chart appearance.

  The Banana Splits, the band, comprised four costumed animal characters: Fleegle (a beagle, on guitar and vocals), Bingo (an orange ape; drums/vocals), Drooper (a lion; bass/vocals) and Snorky (an elephant; keys).

• The Partridge Family

  

  The popular 1970s ABC sitcom follows a musical family in the fictional city of San Pueblo, Calif., as they make it big.

  The family in question, the Partridges, comprised Shirley (played by Shirley Jones), Keith (David Cassidy), Laurie (Susan Dey), and Danny (Danny Bonaduce). The group wasn’t limited to just San Pueblo (or the small screen). The Partridge Family charted nine songs on the Hot 100, all between 1970-73, including the three-week leader “I Think I Love You” in 1970.

  Billed as The Partridge Family Starring Shirley Jones Featuring David Cassidy, the band later charted with “Doesn’t Somebody Want to Be Wanted” (No. 6 peak), “I’ll Meet You Halfway” (No. 9), “I Woke Up in Love This Morning” (No. 13), “It’s One of Those Nights (Yes Love)” (No. 20), “Am I Losing You” (No. 59), “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” (No. 28), “Looking Through the Eyes of Love” (No. 39), and “Friend and a Lover” (No. 99).

  The family band also charted seven albums on the Billboard 200, including three top 10s: The Partridge Family Album (No. 4), Up to Date (No. 3) and The Partridge Family Sound Magazine (No. 9).

  Outside of his TV family, Cassidy had solo chart hits of his own. He charted five songs on the Hot 100 (including a No. 9-peaking remake of The Association’s “Cherish”).

• The Brady Bunch

  

  The iconic ABC sitcom family didn’t generally delve into the musical space, but that didn’t stop the group from releasing five albums during the show’s five-season run. One of those sets, Meet the Brady Bunch, reached No. 108 on the Billboard 200 in 1972. The set included covers of popular songs (Don McLean’s “American Pie,” for one), plus original tracks from the series (Christopher Knight’s puberty anthem, “Time to Change,” for example).

  The album’s music is sung by the six Brady kids: Marcia (played by Maureen McCormick), Jan (Eve Plumb), Cindy (Susan Olsen), Greg (Barry Williams), Peter (Christopher Knight), and Bobby (Mike Lookinland). The parents, Mike (Robert Reed) and Carol (Florence Henderson), and housekeeper Alice (Ann B. Davis), didn’t contribute.

• The Blues Brothers

  

  The two brothers “on a mission from God” became a charting duo in December 1978—even before the release of The Blues Brothers film in 1980.

  Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi (performing in their signature Ray-Ban sunglasses and suits as Elwood J. Blues and Zee Blues, respectively) premiered the Blues Brothers on Saturday Night Live in a 1978 sketch, drawing inspiration from the classic soul/R&B duo Sam & Dave. That kicked off a series of recurring appearances on the show, and in November 1978, Aykroyd and Belushi performed a cover of Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man” on SNL and later released their version as a single. It climbed all the way to No. 14 in February 1979, earning the duo its first Billboard chart hit.

  The Blues Brothers later charted on the Hot 100 with “Rubber Biscuit” (No. 37 peak in 1979), “Gimme Some Lovin’” (No. 18; 1980) and “Who’s Making Love” (No. 39; 1981). They also charted four albums on the Billboard 200: Briefcase Full of Blues (No. 1 in 1979), The Blues Brothers film soundtrack (No. 13; 1980), Made in America (No. 49; 1981) and The Best of the Blues Brothers (No. 143; 1982). Three of their albums have even charted on Billboard’s Blues Albums survey, through 2018.

  Though Belushi died in 1982, the Blues Brothers have continued to perform with a rotating cast of characters that has included John Goodman and Belushi’s brother, Jim, plus soul/R&B acts Steve Cropper, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Donald “Duck” Dunn, Lou Marini and Eddie Floyd.

• The Muppets, Kermit, Dr. Teeth & The Electric Mayhem

  

  Jim Henson’s Muppet cinematic universe has spawned multiple Billboard-charting acts.

  Collectively billed as “The Muppets,” the ensemble first charted in 1979 with its holiday album with John Denver, A Christmas Together. The set reached No. 13 on the Top Country Albums chart and No. 26 on the Billboard 200 (both in 1980), and then No. 9 on Americana/Folk Albums in 2018. The album consists of 13 holiday songs, most of which are traditional holiday staples performed by Henson and various Muppet characters (voiced by Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt and Dave Goelz).

  The collective returned to the charts in 2012 with a featured appearance on Cee Lo Green’s “All I Need Is Love,” from Cee Lo’s holiday album Cee-Lo’s Magic Moment. The song reached No. 22 on the Hot R&B Songs chart and No. 29 on Adult Contemporary.

  While the Muppets have charted together, other individual Muppets have their own chart histories. Kermit the Frog’s classic “Rainbow Connection” from The Muppet Movie in 1979 (sung by Henson and written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher), reached No. 25 on the Hot 100 and No. 18 on Adult Contemporary. The song received an Oscar nomination for best original song. In 2020, the Library of Congress even added it to the National Recording Registry.

  The Muppet rock band Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem also charted for the first time in 2023 with the soundtrack The Muppets Mayhem: Music From The Disney+ Original Series. The soundtrack (billed to the group) reached No. 1 on the Kid Albums chart, plus No. 10 on Vinyl Albums and No. 29 on Top Album Sales. The series, which ran for one season, followed an A&R executive as she tries to help the Muppet band record its first album.

• The Rutles

  

  The Rutles initially began as a parodied version of The Beatles on Eric Idle’s 1970s BBC comedy series Rutland Weekend Television. But after a positive reception to the group’s sketches, and an encouragement from George Harrison himself, the group recorded multiple albums and made a mockumentary-style film All You Need Is Cash.

  One of its albums, The Rutles, reached No. 63 on the Billboard 200 in April 1978. The album comprises 14 original parodies, including “Ouch!” (a take on “Help!”), “Doubleback Alley” (“Penny Lane”) and “Cheese and Onions” (“A Day in the Life,” “Across the Universe” and more).

  The Rutles comprised Ron Nasty (Neil Innes), Dirk McQuickly (Idle), Stig O’Hara (Ricky Fataar) and Barry Wom (John Halsey).

  Idles and Monty Python collaborator Innes initially developed the idea for Rutland Weekend Television. After its run on the show, Idle and Innes brought the group to Saturday Night Live in 1976, which then in turn developed into a full-length mockumentary film produced by Lorne Michaels. The Rutles toured periodically up until Innes’ death in 2019.

• Spinal Tap

  

  The classic 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap might’ve been poking fun at the pretentiousness of rock n’ roll bands, but, ironically, the fictional heavy metal band itself ended up being a real Billboard-charting act.

  Spinal Tap’s hilariously-titled Break Like the Wind reached No. 61 on the Billboard 200 in April 1992. The group returned to the charts in 2009, when its follow-up Back From the Dead reached No. 18 on Top Rock Albums and No. 52 on the Billboard 200.

  The English trio comprises David St. Hubbins (performed by Michael McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer).

  This Is Spinal Tap was directed and co-written by Rob Reiner, and reportedly, didn’t have a script, just a four-page outline. As such, the film was almost entirely improvised.

  Though the group hasn’t been back on the charts since 2009, its return could be imminent. The film’s sequel began filming earlier this year, with reported cameos from Garth Brooks, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Chad Smith, Lars Ulrich and Trisha Yearwood.

  In a 2022 interview at Cannes, Reiner discussed his decision to make a sequel. “The bar is high. There’s no question about it,” he said. “And we wrestled with that forever, whether or not we should even bother to do it. But we had an idea. Over the years, people have come up and said, ‘Oh, you should do a sequel.’ We’ve always said, ‘No, no, no.’ But as time went by, we finally had something we think can work. And we’ll find out!”

• The Heights

  

  Though the Fox TV drama The Heights only lasted one season, the show’s impact is permanently ingrained in Billboard Hot 100 history, thanks to the series’ No. 1 hit “How Do You Talk to An Angel.”

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  Billed as The Heights—the fictional band from the series—the song spent two weeks at No. 1 beginning on Nov. 14, 1992, less than two weeks before the last of its 12 episodes aired. “Angel” is the theme song for the series, and also appears as a plot point in the show: the series lead Alex O’Brien (played by Jamie Walters) writes the song because he’s infatuated with the Heights’ saxophone player Rita MacDougal (played by Cheryl Pollak).

  Walters also sings vocals on “Angel,” but sessions musicians performed the rest. The Heights also comprised Arthur “Dizzy” Mazelli (played by Ken Garito), Hope Linden (Charlotte Ross), J.T. Banks (Shawn David Thompson), and Lenny Wieckowski (Zachary Throne).

  “Angel” is one of just four TV theme songs to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 in history, after the theme from S.W.A.T. (by Rhythm Heritage) in 1975, John Sebastian’s Welcome Back Kotter theme “Welcome Back” in 1976, and the Miami Vice theme (by Jan Hammer) in 1985.

  Walters subsequently charted as a soloist with his 1995 self-titled album, which reached No. 70 on the Billboard 200. Its lead single “Hold On” also hit No. 5 on Pop Airplay, No. 9 on Adult Contemporary and No. 16 on the Hot 100.

• Sesame Street Muppets, Ernie

  

  As a collective, the Sesame Street Muppets reached Billboard’s charts for the first time in 2015 with its holiday album Keep Christmas With You, with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Santino Fontana (who performs as Hans from Frozen). The album reached No. 9 on both the Classical Albums and Classical Crossover Albums charts.

  Decades before, though, the lovable Muppet, Ernie, scored his own history on Billboard’s charts. His classic song “Rubber Duckie” peaked at No. 16 on the Hot 100 and No. 36 on Adult Contemporary in 1970.

  Jim Henson performed as Ernie from 1969 until his death in 1990. Ernie and Kermit the Frog are the only Muppets (or puppets overall, to be clear) to reach Billboard’s charts solo.

• The Wonders

  

  The Beatles-esque act from the 1996 Tom Hanks film That Thing You Do! had actual success on Billboard’s charts with its title track, “That Thing You Do!” Written by the late songwriter and Fountains of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger, the song reached No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, plus No. 18 on Adult Pop Airplay and No. 24 on Pop Airplay.

  The Wonders comprised Guy Patterson (played by Tom Everett Scott), Jimmy Mattingly (Johnathon Schaech), Lenny Haise (Steve Zahn) and the unnamed bass player (though officially credited as T.B. Player; Ethan Embry).

  Fun fact: in the movie, the filmmakers embedded the Wonders on a real Billboard Hot 100 chart from July 4, 1964, at No. 93, just behind Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas.” The actual No. 93 that week was The Hollyridge Strings’ cover of the Beatles’ “All My Loving.”

  During a 2020 COVID-19 relief fund reunion (The Wonders’ first reunion since the film’s release), the foursome sat down with Billboard over Zoom about the film’s legacy and their experiences of being in a band. Zahn said, “For me, I’ve never been in a band and never have been since, but I felt like I was in a band. Those guys, [co-producer] Gary [Goetzman] and Tom [Hanks], our rehearsal process for weeks was just as a band. We didn’t rehearse scenes. We didn’t work on character and all that stuff. We played the music; that’s all we did. That really kind of opened my eyes. There’s a difference between what I do, which is mimic people who play guitar. I can play guitar, but I’m not a musician by any means. That’s a different thing, so my respect for musicians is huge because of this experience.”

• Hedwig & The Angry Inch

  

  The titular song from the Broadway rock musical, Hedwig & The Angry Inch, became a chart hit following its release in 1999.

  “Angry Inch,” from the show’s Original Broadway Cast Recording album, climbed to No. 20 on the Dance Club Songs chart in July 1999. While the song is billed to Hedwig & The Angry Inch, the song on the album is performed by Stephen Trask, who also wrote the music and lyrics for the musical.

  The show centers around the nonbinary East German rock n’ roll singer Hedwig Robinson as they tour around the country. “Angry Inch” details Hedwig’s botched sex-change operation. The Hedwig character was originally performed by John Cameron Mitchell off-Broadway in 1998, and has been performed by Neil Patrick Harris, Darren Criss, Michael Cerveris, Ally Sheedy, Andrew Rannells, Michael C. Hall and Taye Diggs.

• 2gether

  

  The fictional boy band from the MTV series of the same name (often stylized as “2ge+her”) was a parody of popular ‘90s boy bands like *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block, but they became real Billboard hitmakers in 2000.

  The group’s single “The Hardest Part of Breaking Up (Is Getting Back Your Stuff)” reached No. 87 on the Hot 100 in September 2000, while the band’s second and final album Again peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Independent Albums chart the same month.

  2gether comprised Jerry O’Keefe (aka “The Heartthrob,” played by Evan Farmer), Chad Linus (“The Shy One”; Noah Bastian), Jason “Q.T.” McKnight (“The Cute One”; Michael Cuccione), Doug Linus (“The Older Brother”; Kevin Farley) and Mickey Parke (“The Bad Boy”; Alex Solowitz).

• The Soggy Bottom Boys

  

  The fictional country-bluegrass band from the 2000 Joel and Ethan Coen film O Brother, Where Art Thou? reached Billboard’s charts in 2001 with “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow.” The track climbed to No. 35 on Hot Country Songs in April 2002.

  While the band itself is fictional, the song has a history outside of the film. “Man of Constant Sorrow” is a traditional American folk song that was published by the late folk artist Dick Burnett in 1913. Before the film, it was also covered by Bob Dylan, the Stanley Brothers, Joan Baez, Rod Stewart, and Peter, Paul & Mary. The film’s success helped the track develop renewed interest.

  O Brother follows three escaped convicts (played by George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson) in the 1930s Deep South in their pursuit of treasures and their adventures along the way—the film is loosely based on Homer’s Odyssey.

  While Clooney’s character, Ulysses Everett McGill, is the vocalist on “Sorrow,” the actual real-life vocalist is bluegrass singer-songwriter Dan Tyminski (who himself has earned two No. 1 albums on Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums chart). Turturro and Nelson’s singing vocals are dubbed by the bluegrass/country singers Harley Allen and Pat Enright (the latter of the Nashville Bluegrass Band), respectively.

  The Soggy Bottom Boys’ version of “Sorrow” helped Tyminski, Allen and Enright take home the Grammy Award for best country collaboration with vocals at the 2002 ceremony. The album itself won album of the year and best compilation soundtrack album for a motion picture, television or other visual media.

• The Cheetah Girls

  

  The Disney Channel girl-group-turned-real-touring-act released three films, three soundtracks and two full-length studio albums during its run in the mid-2000s.

  Its first studio LP Cheetah-licious Christmas earned the quartet its first chart appearance when it reached No. 5 on the Top Holiday Albums chart and No. 74 on the Billboard 200 in 2005. The album features seven Christmas classics, plus six original holiday songs. The group’s follow-up album (and first non-holiday album of original material) TCG reached No. 44 on the Billboard 200 in 2007.

  The group also charted two songs on the Hot 100: “Strut” climbed to No. 53, and “The Party’s Just Begun” peaked at No. 85, both in 2006.

  The Cheetah Girls comprised Galleria Garibaldi (played by Raven-Symoné), Chanel Simmons (Adrienne Bailon-Houghton), Dorinda Thomas (Sabrina Bryan) and Aquanette Walker (Kiely Williams). Outside of the film franchise and studio LPs, the group also became a successful touring act, with two headlining North American tours that featured opening sets from fellow Disney stars Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers and Aly & AJ, among others.

• Hannah Montana, Ashley O

  

  Miley Cyrus has a legendary history on Billboard‘s charts under her own name, but she’s also charted with two of her fictional characters.

  Her classic Hannah Montana character charted 20 songs on the Hot 100 in 2006-10, including the No. 10-peaking “He Could Be the One” in 2009.

  Hannah Montana also charted eight albums on the Billboard 200 (some were billed to Hannah Montana, while others are billed as a soundtrack or to Cyrus herself), including three No. 1s: Hannah Montana in 2006, Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus in 2007, and Hannah Montana: The Movie in 2009.

  Hannah Montana aired four seasons on Disney Channel from 2006-2011. The character also starred in the films Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert (2008), Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009), and the TV film Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana (2009). She also starred in multiple video games.

  In the Hannah Montana universe, Hannah Montana is the musical alter ego of Miley Stewart, a middle schooler who has a secret identity as a pop star. Cyrus’ real dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, also played her TV father, as Robby Ray Stewart.

  Over a decade later, in 2019, Cyrus charted with her Ashley O character from Black Mirror. Ashley O appears in the third and final episode from the show’s fifth season, “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too.” The episode follows Ashley O, a pop singer, whose career is stifled by her controlling aunt and cousins. Ashley O performs her song “On A Roll,” an adaptation of Nine Inch Nails’ 1989 song “Head Like A Hole,” in the episode, which later reached Billboard‘s charts.

  “On A Roll” peaked at No. 3 on Dance Club Songs and No. 39 on the Digital Song Sales chart.

  After launching her solo career, Cyrus charted 40 additional songs under her own name (as of June 2024), including the No. 1s “Wrecking Ball” and “Flowers.”

• Stillwater

  

  The incendiary band from the 2000 Cameron Crowe film Almost Famous became a Billboard-charting act in 2021 thanks to the Record Store Day exclusive release Stillwater Demos EP. The vinyl-only limited release reached No. 95 on the Top Album Sales chart more than two decades after the film’s release.

  The set includes seven demos of Stillwater songs for the film, with five recorded by Nancy Wilson and two recorded by Peter Frampton.

  In the film, the band comprises Jeff Bebe (played by Jason Lee), Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup), Larry Fellows (Mark Kozelek) and Ed Vallencourt (John Fedevich).

• Mouse Rat

  

  Yes, Mouse Rat. Not to be confused with the Andy Dwyer Experience, Death of a Scam Artist, Threeskin, Fourskin, Fiveskin, Nothing Rhymes With Orange, Everything Rhymes With Orange, Malice In Chains, Rat Mouse, or any of its other incarnations.

  Mouse Rat, the fictional band fronted by Andy Dwyer (performed by Chris Pratt) in the NBC series Parks and Recreation, reached Billboard’s charts in 2021 with The Awesome Album.

  The set spent a week at No. 1 on the Comedy Albums chart, and reached No. 4 on Vinyl Albums, No. 12 on Alternative Albums and No. 133 on the Billboard 200. It includes familiar favorites the band performs in the series, including “The Pit” and “5,000 Candles in the Wind (Bye Bye Li’l Sebastian),” along with a guest spot from Pawnee’s resident saxophonist Duke Silver (the secret musical alter ego of Ron Swanson, played by Nick Offerman) and fellow Pawnee band Land Ho! (whose frontman Scott Tanner is played by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy).

• 4*TOWN

  

  The pop heartthrobs from the 2022 Pixar film Turning Red debuted on Billboard’s charts with their single “Nobody Like U.” The track climbed to No. 49 on the Hot 100 in April 2022, and was even a hit internationally, reaching No. 37 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 70 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S.

  4*TOWN comprises the characters Robaire, Aaron T., Aaron Z., Tae Young and Jesse, and the group’s vocals are performed by Finneas, Jordan Fisher, Josh Levi, Topher Ngo and Grayson Villanueva. Finneas also produced the song and co-wrote it with Billie Eilish.

  Turning Red tells the story of 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian student Meilin “Mei” Lee, who transforms into a giant red panda when she expresses strong emotion due to a family curse.

• Daisy Jones & The Six

  

  The fictional soft-rock band from the 10-part Prime Video miniseries of the same name became an actual charting band in 2023.

  The soundtrack to the series, Aurora, spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Soundtracks chart, and reached No. 2 on Americana/Folk Albums, No. 4 on Vinyl Albums, No. 7 on Top Rock Albums, and No. 47 on the Billboard 200. The series’ breakout song “Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)” also peaked at No. 23 on Hot Rock Songs and No. 30 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.

  The album was co-written and produced by Blake Mills, who collaborated with Phoebe Bridgers, Jackson Browne, Marcus Mumford, Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith and others to create the 11 songs on Aurora, along with other songs featured in the series.

  Daisy Jones & The Six is based on Taylor Jenkins Reid’s best-selling 2019 novel about a rock band from the 1970s that releases its defining album, Aurora, before it breaks up amid the thorny relationship between the band’s singer-songwriter Jones (played by Riley Keough) and Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin). The series is told via flashbacks from the band’s members 20 years after they split up.

  The story is loosely inspired by Fleetwood Mac. In August 2023, Stevie Nicks even took to social media to comment about the comparisons. “Just finished watching @daisyjonesand6 for the 2nd time. In the beginning, it wasn’t really my story, but Riley seamlessly, soon became my story,” she wrote. “It brought back memories that made me feel like a ghost watching my own story.”

• August Moon

  

  The pop band from the Prime Video romcom The Idea of You earned real chart success in May 2024 thanks to the film’s soundtrack.

  The soundtrack (which is billed to August Moon) reached No. 7 on the Heatseekers Albums chart and No. 11 on the Soundtracks chart, also helping spark the group’s No. 35 debut on the Emerging Artists chart. The 11-track album includes seven original recordings from the group, plus acoustic versions and remixes.

  The Idea of You centers around Solène Marchand, played by Anne Hathaway, a 40-year-old single mother who has a meet-cute at Coachella with Hayes Campbell, a member of August Moon portrayed by Nicholas Galitzine. Despite their 16-year age difference, the two begin a whirlwind romance. The film is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Robinne Lee, and the story is based on Harry Styles-inspired fan fiction.

• ECLIPSE

  The fictional band from the South Korean drama series Lovely Runner became a real Billboard charting act in May 2024, thanks to the group’s song “Sudden Shower.”

  The track reached No. 69 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart and No. 167 on the Global 200.

  ECLIPSE comprises Inhyeok (played by Lee Seung Hyub), Seonjae (Byeon Woo-seok), Hyunsoo (Moon Xion) and Jay (Yang Hyuk). In the series, the band is active from 2009-2022.

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