Fountains of Wayne Songs Ranked
Fountains of Wayne was an American rock band that formed in New York City in 1995. The band consisted of Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter, and Brian Young. The band is best known for its 2003 Grammy-nominated single “Stacy’s Mom”. In 1999, the band released Utopia Parkway, an album named after a road in Queens, New York. The album was a concept record that dealt with life in modern suburbia. Utopia Parkway was received well by critics, garnering many favorable reviews, and was the album of the week in People magazine. The group once again toured extensively behind the album, but frustrations grew between the band and the label. The band was later dropped by Atlantic in late 1999. Here are all of Fountains of Wayne songs ranked.
Don’t miss out on the HOTTEST Fountains of Wayne music below! Click to experience the band at their finest!
15. Hung Up On You (Welcome Interstate Managers, 2003)
This is the best pastiche (look it up) of a country song that I have ever heard, fantastically bittersweet. I love the play on the simple phrase “hung up”. It’s a country song, but somehow it still kicks ass. Fountains of Wayne have truly amazed me.”
14. I Want an Alien for Christmas (Out-of-State Plates, 2005)
“I LOVE this song!!! Perfect for the Christmas spirit and season! Totally untraditional, and totally humorous! You cannot be burned out by Christmas shopping or even life, when you listen to this song! Upbeat and happy!”
13. Radiation Vibe (Fountains of Wayne, 1996)
“I hate to be one of those guys that buys an album for one track, but if I hadn’t seen the “Radiation Vibe” video I would’ve never experienced this phenomenal band. These guys are living, breathing proof that talented songwriting is still alive and well.”
12. Action Hero (Sky Full of Holes, 2011)
“Their approach also lends itself to some oddly heartwarming moments. The aforementioned lyric is from “Action Hero,” which paints the picture of an unerringly average guy who’s firmly wedged in suburban life and whose health is deteriorating, and despite it all, he refuses to discard the badass world-saving mental image of himself. “
See more: Fountains of Wayne Albums Ranked
11. Denise (Utopia Parkway, 1999)
“Perhaps the defining Fountains of Wayne single, complete with totally over the top sha la la las, deliberately buffoonish verses, a raging riff, a killer melody, an unexpectedly decent mini solo, handclaps & keyboards and the sort of power poppy tuneful inspiration that makes so many of their missteps so very frustrating.”
10. Hey Julie (Welcome Interstate Managers, 2003)
“How can you listen to this song and not just be instantly happy? I think it may be physically impossible. Basically, he’s so grateful this girl is in his life because she makes all the crap he faces all day long not seem so bad. I want someone to write a song like this about me! So sweet.”
9. The Valley of Malls (Utopia Parkway, 1999)
“Just to remind you that Fountains of Wayne were both shamelessly power pop and seeped in American suburban culture, the next track is “The Valley of Malls”. Yeah, there might have been a reason that pre-millennium Brits were left scratching their heads at Utopia Parkway”
8. Hackensack (Welcome Interstate Managers, 2003)
“The lyrics are as on-the-nose as the harmonies; “Hackensack” might’ve worked better if we’d actually got to know anything about the girl besides the fact that she sat beside this guy in period one.”
7. Strapped for Cash (Traffic and Weather, 2007)
“.A song which should make an impact at radio is the uber catchy Strapped For Cash. The song has everything going for it, lyrics are good and the chorus is hooky. I don’t think the band could have done much more outside of writing Stacey’s Mom part II which would have been a bad idea to rehash previous glories and that is part of what I love about this album.”
6. Sick Day (Fountains of Wayne, 1996)
“At least none of the tracks here remotely overstay their welcome, with “Sick Day” being the only selection that breaks the four-minute mark, and if anything the record is too short at only 36 minutes.”
See more: The 1975 Albums Ranked
5. Troubled Times (Utopia Parkway, 1999)
“The song is so obviously about a guy who is into a girl that probably doesn’t even know he’s alive, and how he lives this fantasy that someday it’ll turn out she feels the same way about him. The “moral” of the song is essentially “don’t give up”. The lyrics indicate that if he gives up, this fantasy can never become reality. So why bother trying? Well, because you never know! You never will know with another person if you don’t try.”
4. Sink to the Bottom (Fountains of Wayne, 1996)
“I really love this song. just makes you think about those times when you feel like life is nothingness and you just want to sink to the bottom of the ocean. I love how the solo at the end is pretty much same as on All Kinds of Time only faster. cool how that worked out.”
3. I-95 (Traffic and Weather, 2007)
“I think literally this song is about a long distance relationship where the guy drives south to see his girl and would happily do it till the day he dies despite the rubbishness of getting there. unfortunately, he does die in the end. metaphorically, it could be about a situation where the guy is constantly striving to be the man his girl wants, but to no avail as the “older gentleman” wins her in the end. either way, best song ever.”
2. Someone to Love (Traffic and Weather, 2007)
“Two lonely people in much the same situation: lives stuck in neutral. They tell themselves “it’ll happen” soon. There’s the perfect opportunity to meet cute, but whether because of the lives they lead, the people they are, or most likely the culture we all live in, they just drift right by each other.”
1. Stacy’s Mom (Welcome Interstate Managers, 2003)
“I used to hate this song so much because of the concept and then I randomly decided to download one of their albums eight years later + I saw the awesome video for this song and so now I officially love this song (and Rachele Hunter). Now I think the situation is hilarious and I think the guitar solo is pretty awesome”
