Adam Schlesinger death: How Fountains of Wayne hit 'Stacey's Mom' became the anthem of a generation
Music can bring people together and that was exactly what Fountains of Wayne wanted to do. With Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter, and Brian Young, the band was formed in 1995 with the hopes of making everyone groove to their music. While the band managed to produce a series of songs that paved their way to people's hearts, one song that particularly struck a chord with many was 'Stacey's mom'.
Unlike any song seen or heard before, 'Stacey's mom' brought in a fresh look while also emphasizing how childlike a heart can be while falling in love with someone. The masterminds behind the song were Schlesinger and Collingwood. Schlesinger decided to take some notes from his real-life instances and bring it to life in his song.
Part of the inspiration for the song came from the incident where he was approached by his friend who said that he thought Schlesinger's grandmother was hot. At that point, Schlesinger did not think it was appropriate but when he grew up, he decided to make it into a satire for his music video.
"It's sort of about that period when you're first hitting puberty and suddenly everybody of the opposite sex is strangely attractive," he said in an interview with MTV. "It's a combination of sexual awakening and limited contact with a large number of people. It's the kids at school and whoever else happens to be in your life."
Schlesinger knew that this song had to be made into something big. For this, he and Collingwood did not hold back in making a video that was reflective of the idea that the song had. Even though many music producers told them to turn it down a notch, they knew that it was the video that had to be made into a reality to bring a new wave of music video into the picture.
For Schlesinger, the idea of the song was a mix of humor along with the personality of almost everyone in their generation. Keeping this idea in mind, what better way to let everyone unite together than a music video?
Even though they had an idea in their mind, there was a lot of thought process that went into it. They took inspiration from various music videos and finally decided on what would suit best. Undoubtedly, when the music first came out, not only did it manage to have some jaw-dropping moments but the idea also helped them make a place for themselves in the Billboard Top 100.
The song also became one of the most downloaded songs and happened to become one of the most heard songs. There is no doubt that the music along with the comic relief that the video had to offered made people fall in love with it instantly.
The bold move made by the band made their song different and unique. Even though the world lost a great singer after Schlesinger passed away at the age of 52 due to coronavirus, there is no doubt that his legacy and the song 'Stacey's mom' will keep reminding people about the gem of a talent he was.