Stacy's Mom

"Stacy's Mom"
Single by Fountains of Wayne
from the album Welcome Interstate Managers
B-side "Trains and Boats and Planes" (Europe 7")
Released September 29, 2003
Format CD single, 7", digital download
Recorded 2003
Genre Power pop, pop punk
Length 3:19
Label Virgin
Writer(s) Adam Schlesinger, Chris Collingwood
Producer(s) Adam Schlesinger, Mike Denneen, Chris Collingwood
Certification Gold (ARIA)
Fountains of Wayne singles chronology
"Denise"
(1999)		 "Stacy's Mom"
(2003)		 "Mexican Wine"
(2003)
Music video
"Stacy's Mom" on YouTube

"Stacy's Mom" is a song by American rock band Fountains of Wayne, released as the lead single from their third studio album, Welcome Interstate Managers, on September 29, 2003.

"Stacy's Mom" appeared in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart (No. 21) and was one of the first songs to reach the No. 1 spot on the "Most Downloaded Songs" list of the iTunes Music Store. It reached No. 11 in the UK Singles Chart. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Vocal Pop Performance at the 2004 awards. The video reached No. 1 on both MTV's TRL and VH1's VSpot Top 20 Countdown. The song was included on the setlist for Guitar Hero: Van Halen as a guest act. It also appeared in the 4th episode of the 1st season of the television series Psych, Woman Seeking Dead Husband, Smokers Ok.

The song ranks No. 350 on Blender's 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born[1] and No. 88 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '00s.[2]

Texan rock band Bowling for Soup covered the song in 2011. The song was featured in a Cadillac commercial for the Cadillac SRX.

Subject matter

"Stacy's Mom" is about an adolescent boy's fantasies about his female friend Stacy's attractive mother. The boy spends time with Stacy in an attempt to get closer to her mother.

Composition

"Stacy's Mom" was written by Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger. Stylistically it is power pop.[3][4] It begins with an intro similar to the one in "Just What I Needed" by The Cars. Overall it presents the listener with a very accessible melody starting with a I - IV - V - IV chord progression in E major, and launches into a crescendo as a segue to the refrain that is complete with vocal harmonies. Standard rock instrumentation comprises the orchestration: drums, bass, guitar, vocals, and keys.[5]

Chart performance

"Stacy's Mom" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of October 11, 2003 at number 59, making this their first song to appear on that chart.[6] It entered the top 40 the week after by moving twenty-one spots to number 38 and moved nine spots to number 31 on the week of October 25, 2003.[7] It peaked at number 21 the week of November 21, 2003 and stayed there for two weeks. It stayed on the chart for seventeen weeks.[8]

Music video

Stacy catches the boy masturbating in her bathroom

The music video, directed by Chris Applebaum, pays homage to the 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The video features several comedic scenes illustrating the boy's attempts to get closer to Stacy's mother, the object of his affections and fantasies. There is a scene which shows Stacy wearing red heart-shaped sunglasses, which are very similar to the ones on the poster for the 1962 film Lolita. There is also a nod to Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher" video.

The video begins with the boy (Shane Haboucha), Stacy (Gianna Distenca) and some other children standing at a school crossing. Stacy's mother (Rachel Hunter) then pulls up in front of them to pick up Stacy. The boy and his friends gaze at her in awe. The boy later goes over to Stacy's house and is seen lying on a pool toy in her backyard swimming pool while wearing large, dark sunglasses. Through a window he sees Stacy's mother, and then watches her undress. Stacy gives the boy a bottle of soda and, as he sees Stacy's mother remove her bra, he spills soda on himself. As his eyes are hidden by his shades, Stacy laughs, thinking that he is just clumsy. After a scene with the band during the chorus, Stacy, in heart-shaped glasses and swimsuit, is shown sunbathing while the boy mows her lawn. Stacy's mother comes out wearing just a towel and is given a massage on both her back and front. The masseur gives the boy a look of amusement, since he gets to look at Stacy's mother naked and the boy doesn't. The boy is distracted by the massage and ends up knocking over Stacy's birdhouse with the lawnmower. The video then cuts to him and Stacy watching Fountains of Wayne on TV, before the boy imagines Stacy's mother as a pole dancer teasing him. Near the end of the video, it is implied that the boy begins to masturbate by the bathroom window while Stacy's mother climbs out of the pool in her red bikini.[9] Before he finishes, Stacy opens the bathroom door, ignoring a sign saying Ocupado and catches him in the act. Then, as in the movie, she quickly closes the door and starts smiling, showing that she might be thinking the boy is masturbating to her own image and not her mother's, supported by the fact she shows an obvious attraction to the boy throughout the video.[10]

Influence of The Cars

Adam Schlesinger says "Stacy's Mom" was a tribute to The Cars, whose single "Just What I Needed" has an intro similar to "Stacy's Mom". Cars frontman Ric Ocasek thought that the intro was a sample from "Just What I Needed"[11] but the band says they performed it in the studio and just "got it right." Fountains of Wayne had asked Ocasek to be in the video for the song. Schlesinger explains that while Ocasek claims that he "politely declined", he actually just never responded to the request. Schlesinger holds no ill feelings and expresses the highest regard for Ocasek.[12]

There are several references to The Cars in the video: a license plate reads "I ♥ RIC", a reference to Ric Ocasek; one of the boys in the opening scene has dark hair, sun glasses, and clothes such that he looks like an adolescent version of Ocasek; the trademark Elliot Easton "bouncing" (at approximately 1:15 into the video) and hairdo as he plays his guitar for The Cars; and the re-creation of the Fast Times scene, which featured The Cars' "Moving in Stereo". Further links to The Cars and New Wave music are given by the magazine Nu Wave that is featured in the video, the Roland Juno-6 keyboard (a synthesizer of the 1980s), and the record sleeve showing 'Stacy's Mom' in a car.[13]

Cover versions

The song has been parodied on The Howard Stern Show to mock Wack Pack character Hanzi (Imran Kahn). It has also been performed by the band Bowling For Soup, and also by Postmodern Jukebox ft. Casey Abrams.

Formats and track listing

Europe 7"[14]
A. "Stacy's Mom" – 3:16
B. "Trains and Boats and Planes" – 3:02
UK CD (Enhanced)[15]
1. "Stacy's Mom" – 3:16
2. "Elevator Up" – 4:02
3. "Trains and Boats and Planes" – 3:02
4. "Stacy's Mom" (Video) – 3:16
US CD (Promo)[16]
1. "Stacy's Mom" – 3:18

Charts

Chart (2003–04) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[17] 14
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[18] 13
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[19] 99
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[20] 35
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[21] 11
US Billboard Hot 100[22] 21
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[23] 20
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[24] 11
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[25] 3

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[26] Gold 35,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 350–351
  2. ↑ Anderson, Kyle (September 29, 2011). "U2, Rihanna, Amy Winehouse, Foo Fighters fill out VH1's '100 Greatest Songs of the '00s'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  3. ↑ Johnson, Beth (13 June 2003). "Welcome Interstate Managers (2003) – Fountains of Wayne". Entertainment Weekly (Time Inc.). Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  4. ↑ Layman, Will (15 April 2007). "Fountains of Wayne: Too Smart to Be a Rock Band, Too Smart to Be Anything Else". PopMatters. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  5. ↑ Fountains of Wayne – "Stacy's Mom" sheet music. Hal Leonard. 2003. pp. 1–7. UPC: 7399952767.
  6. ↑ Martens, Todd (October 2, 2003). "'Baby Boy' Holds Down Singles Chart Lead". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  7. ↑ Martens, Todd (October 16, 2003). "'Baby Boy' Fends Off Singles Chart Challenges". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Fountains of Wayne - Stacy's Mom". aCharts.us. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  9. ↑ Fountains of Wayne. Stacy's Mom. Virgin Records/EMI Music. Event occurs at 3:00–3:08.
  10. ↑ Fountains of Wayne. Stacy's Mom. Virgin Records/EMI Music. Event occurs at 3:08–3:17.
  11. ↑ (This is more likely similar to the intro of Best Friends Girl, and Just What I Needed combined). Fountains Of Wayne US, "February 8, 2006 – Ric Ocasek"
  12. ↑ Interview with Adam Schlesinger, May 2007 =)
  13. ↑ "Left of The Dial". Retrieved 2006-08-16.
  14. ↑ "Fountains Of Wayne - Stacy's Mom (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Fountains Of Wayne - Stacy's Mom (CD)". Discogs. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Fountains Of Wayne - Stacy's Mom (CD)". Discogs. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Fountains of Wayne – Stacy's Mom". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  18. ↑ Allmusic peaks
  19. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Fountains of Wayne – Stacy's Mom" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  20. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Fountains of Wayne – Stacy's Mom". Top 40 Singles.
  21. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2004-03-20" UK Singles Chart.
  22. ↑ "Fountains of Wayne Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Fountains of Wayne. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Fountains of Wayne Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Fountains of Wayne. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Fountains of Wayne Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Alternative Songs for Fountains of Wayne. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  25. ↑ "Fountains of Wayne Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Pop Songs for Fountains of Wayne. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  26. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2004 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.

External links