Stacy's Mom
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"Stacy's Mom" is a hit single by American band Fountains of Wayne, released in 2003 and taken from their album Welcome Interstate Managers
"Stacy's Mom" appeared in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart (#21) and was one of the first songs to reach the #1 spot on the "Most Downloaded Songs" list of the iTunes Music Store. It reached #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 #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.
The song ranks #350 on Blender's 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born.[1]
Music
"Stacy's Mom" was written by Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger. Stylistically it is power pop. 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.[2]
Subject matter
"Stacy's Mom" is about a boy's adolescent fantasies about a female friend's mother. The boy spends time with the friend in an attempt to get closer to her mother, hence the name of the song.
Music video
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The music video, directed by Chris Applebaum, features several comedic scenes illustrating the boy's attempts to get closer to the object of his affections and fantasies, played by model Rachel Hunter. In the video, Stacy is played by Gianna Distenca and the boy is played by Shane Haboucha. There is a scene which shows Stacy tanning while wearing red heart-shaped sunglasses, very similar to those on the promotional picture for the 1962 film Lolita. It also pays homage to the 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High; near the end of the video, it is implied that the boy begins to masturbate by the bathroom window,[3] while staring at Stacy's mother coming out of the pool in her red two-piece swimsuit. Before he finishes, Stacy opens the door, ignoring a sign saying Ocupado (Portuguese and Spanish for "occupied"), catches him in the act and then, as in the movie, quickly closes the door laughing, showing that Stacy might be thinking that he is masturbating to her image.[4]
References to The Cars
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 recreation 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.[5]
Influences
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"[6] 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.[7]
Chart performance
| Chart (2003–2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Charts | 14 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Charts | 35 |
| UK Singles Chart | 11 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 21 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Alternative Tracks | 31 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop Songs | 3 |
References
- ^ The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 350-351
- ^ Fountains of Wayne - "Stacy's Mom" sheet music. Hal Leonard. 2003. pp. 1–7. UPC: 7399952767.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Fountains of Wayne. Stacy's Mom. Virgin Records/EMI Music. Event occurs at 3:00–3:08.
- ^ Fountains of Wayne. Stacy's Mom. Virgin Records/EMI Music. Event occurs at 3:08–3:17.
- ^ "Left of The Dial". Retrieved 2006-08-16.
- ^ [1] Fountains Of Wayne US, "February 8, 2006 - Ric Ocasek"
- ^ Interview with Adam Schlesinger, May 2007