Fountains Of Wayne was a rock band formed in New York in the mid-90s who gained a reputaion for their slick, melodic 'power pop' songs with witty, observational lyricism. The band was named after a lawn ornament store in New Jersey. Their founding members were Chris Collingwood (lead vocals, guitar) and the late Adam Schlesinger (31 October 1967 - 1 April 2020 RIP) on bass, who were joined by Jody Porter (lead guitar) and Brian Young (drums).
Fountains of Wayne were influential to me and my songwriting. You can read what I wrote about Adam Schlesinger when he passed, here.
So to pick just ten songs was a challenge but nice to do cos they're all great.
10] Cemetery Guns (2011)
An unusually somber number on the final album from FoW, Sky Full of Holes. It's beatifully sung by Collingwood with lyrics that bring up some vivid imagery.
9] Hey Julie (2003)
A catchy tune about respite from the rat race. It's from the incredible Welcome Interstate Managers album of which three other songs on this list are from.
8] Denise (1999)
Everything on this list is catchy so I'll rest that adjective from now on. This is just a great blast of power pop without too much thought behind some of the verses with a Devo-esque music video that stars Jolene Blalock in a car wash.
7] Mexican Wine (2003)
A surreal song that's ultimately about drinking. I read somewhere that this was mainly a Schlesinger composition where he tried to imitate the way Collingwood compositions don't seem to make so much sense but still work. And the Duran Duran homaging music video is similarly bizarre but watchable.
6] Little Red Light (2003)
An upbeat tempo post-breakup song with loud guitars and synths. "And as I'm reaching in the bottom drawer / I'm dreaming 'bout the way it was before". Ouch. If you know, you know. Jody Porter plays a rocking guitar solo in this too.
5] Baby I've Changed (2005)
This is more Beatles-y than most Beatles songs. That's some sophistication to nail all those stylisms. I would never live with anyone who listens to Sugar Ray by the way.
4] This Better Be Good (2007)
Speaking of sophistication, Brian Wilson would be proud of this one. There's some great lead guitar in this to go with the vocal harmonies that make this song about a chick with massive holes in her story stand out on 2007's Traffic & Weather album. "Your half-baked alibi is so full of holes / I think you might wanna stop in at the doughnut shop / They might buy it, I sure won't".
3] Stacy's Mom (2003)
And here it is. I know some other FoW fans wouldn't have it this high and in interviews there is some regret from its writers about its success detracting from the rest of their body of work. However in my opinion it is an amazing composition and any success helps - I might not have delved into the music of FoW if it wasn't for this song. Musically I love the homage to "Just What I Needed" by The Cars and there is also a little tribute to Ric Ocasek in the music video which also happens to be probably the best music video ever made.
2] Someone To Love (2007)
All the lonely people, where do they all belong? Great disco drumming and a banging chorus with backing vocals from Melissa Auf Der Mar on a tune that laments the loneliness that can exist from the difficulty of meeting someone. That it's a modern day "Eleanor Rigby" is not far from the truth, as the surname of one of the characters in the song is McKenzie, like the priest in the Beatles song. I have different pyjamas otherwise that's my life as portrayed by Demeti Martin in the music video, which also features Faryl Millet as the taxi-stealing person he never meets.
1] Amity Gardens (1999)
I honestly can't say what this song is about but it's just sounds so nice with melodic lead guitar lines and a subtly brilliant guitar solo.
Here is the above countdown as a Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0TIiz8uwEqD0kspjqWreCQ
Fountains Of Wayne official website: http://fountainsofwayne.com