A Pop Gem or a One-Hit Wonder?

If you were alive in 2003, chances are you heard the song “Stacy’s Mom” in some form, whether you heard the song on the radio or heard it as background music on a commercial. Whatever the case, the song was ubiquitous then and stayed that way for well over a year. The song was written and recorded by Fountains of Wayne, a pop rock band out of New Jersey. Fountains of Wayne has recorded five studio albums; “Stacy’s Mom” appears on their third album, Welcome Interstate Managers, which was recorded after a three-year hiatus.

The question I have is did “Stacy’s Mom” make them a one-hit wonder. Honestly, I don’t know that I have heard any of their other songs on the radio or on TV (knowingly) since that song. That’s not to say they’re bad songwriters, but sometimes even the best artists disappear because they don’t produce another “it” song. I’m going to listen to Welcome Interstate Managers to see if maybe they are just having bad luck.

#126 – Fountains of Wayne, Welcome Interstate Manager (Metascore = 86)

The opening tune, “Mexican Wine”, is a drag to me. There’s nothing remotely interesting to me musically about this song. Lyrically it seems to be interesting, but I want to turn the song as soon as it comes on. “Bright Future in Sales”, however, opens with a great riff that segues into a story about a kid starting his first job out of college and transitioning from that partying lifestyle to being a grown-up. I don’t feel turned off by this song, and listening to the lyrics these guys obviously know how to translate a good story to song. “Stacy’s Mom” speaks for itself. The song was a pop gem in 2003 and is still a pop gem today. Chris Collingwood (vocals, guitar) and Adam Schlesinger (bass), the primary songwriters for the band, wrote a catchy Buddy Holly tune and modernized it.

“Hackensack” changes the tempo from the quickly-paced opening and is the story of a boy yearning for his school crush who’s made it in Hollywood. The interesting lyric to me in the song is “Probably in L.A./That seems to be where everybody else ends up these days.” Social commentary about our obsession with fame? “Valley Winter Song” is another slower tempo song with great harmonies and an intriguing subject to tackle—seasonal affective disorder (if you read into the lyrics a little). In this case, to pass the time while he’s separated from his love the narrator deals with his loneliness in winter by writing this love song.

I could carry on about some of the other songs, but in listening to the first few songs the listener knows the background, knows the story, and sort of has an idea of where the story is going. The running story within the songs is about growing up, learning to cope, learning to love, and learning to live. This same theme carries through on the rest of the album. “Little Red Light” is the same guy from “Bright Future in Sales” working late. In “Hey Julie” he’s coming home after a long day at work to the loving arms of his Julie. So on and so on, the story would befit a Friends episode. Maybe the reason for the ranking on the list is some of the songs are throwaways, but overall this record is very catchy and fun to listen to.