Wonders: "Stacy's Mom" and Adam Schlesinger

Switched on Pop

Vox Media Podcast Network

Music Interviews, Music History, Music, Music Commentary

4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 22 August 2023

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 2003, amidst a bunch of bleak alternative rock bangers like “Numb” by Linkin Park and “Bring Me To Life” by Evanescence, a rock song stood out on the charts for its fantastic hooks and juvenile sense of humor. “Stacy’s Mom” turned the New Jersey band Fountains of Wayne into MTV mainstays and Grammy nominees. But while they continued to release music, tour the country, and maintain a devoted fanbase, they never reached the same level of fame again. Most people never looked further than the raunchy music video, but Fountains of Wayne released six albums across two decades, each filled with tracks of quirky, clever, and undeniably catchy power pop. And the writer of that song, FOW bassist Adam Schlesinger, had a rich and fascinating career behind the scenes in film, TV, and more. In this episode of Switched on Pop, we explore the history of “Stacy’s Mom”, a perfectly crafted pop song that stands as a testament to the brilliance of a musician whose career was cut tragically short. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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1:29.2	Welcome to Switched on Pop. I'm musicologist Nate Sloan and I'm producer Rihanna Cruz.
1:35.1	Rihanna, did you have a favorite alternative radio station growing up?
1:38.7	Yes, I always listen to you know in New Jersey we get radio stations from New York and Philly
1:46.3	and I would always listen to all 104.5 which is the Philly alternative rock station.
1:54.1	All 104.5 Philly's alternative rock.
1:58.4	I feel like the Philly Jersey corridor must have been a hotspot for alternative rock.
2:04.8	Oh yeah. I mean there's just a lot of suburban on Wii in general I would think.
2:09.6	Absolutely. Rihanna, if you were listening to all 104.5 in the early 2000s, 2003, 2004,
2:18.4	you would have encountered a barrage of dark, sad alternative rock hits.
2:25.9	I'm talking about songs like Blink 182's, I miss you.
	...

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