Stacy's Mom
Encyclopedia
"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 and #88 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '00s.
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
.
.jpg)
The music video
, directed by Chris Applebaum
, pays homage
to the 1982
movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High
. The video features several comedic scenes illustrating the boy's attempts to get closer to Stacy's mother, the object of his affections and fantasies. There is a scene which shows Stacy wearing red heart-shaped sunglasses
, which are very similar to the ones on the promotional picture for the 1962
film Lolita
.
The video begins with the boy (Shane Haboucha
), Stacy (Gianna Distenca) and some other children standing at a school crossing. Stacy's mother (Rachel Hunter
) then pulls up in front of them to pick up Stacy. The boy and his friends gaze at her in awe. The boy later goes over to Stacy's house and is seen lying on a lilo in her backyard swimming pool
while wearing large, dark shades
. He sees Stacy's mother come into her kitchen and then watches her remove her skirt and top to reveal black underwear. Stacy gives the boy a bottle of soda
and, as he sees Stacy's mother remove her bra, he spills it on himself. Since his eyes are hidden by his shades, Stacy laughs, thinking that he is just clumsy. After a scene with the band during the chorus, Stacy is shown sunbathing while the boy mows her lawn. Stacy's mother comes out wearing just a towel and is given a massage on both her back and front. The masseur gives the boy a look of amusement, since he gets to look at Stacy's mother naked and the boy doesn't. The boy is distracted by the massage and ends up knocking over Stacy's birdhouse
with the lawnmower. The video then cuts to him and Stacy watching Fountains of Wayne on TV, before the boy imagines Stacy's mother as a pole dancer teasing him. Near the end of the video, it is implied that the boy begins to masturbate
by the bathroom window while staring at Stacy's mother coming out of the pool in her red two-piece swimsuit. Before he finishes, Stacy opens the bathroom door, ignoring a sign saying Ocupado and catches him in the act. Then, as in the movie, she quickly closes the door and starts laughing, showing that she might be thinking the boy is masturbating to her own image and not her mother's.
, 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" 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.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
by American band Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne is an American power pop band that formed in New York City in 1996. The band consists of members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter and Brian Young.-Early years:...
, released in 2003 and taken from their album Welcome Interstate Managers
Welcome Interstate Managers
Welcome Interstate Managers is an album by Fountains of Wayne. It was released on June 10, 2003. The album's title was taken from a hotel marquee sign. The album includes the hit song "Stacy's Mom", which garnered significant airplay in 2003. "Mexican Wine" was the second single...
.
"Stacy's Mom" appeared in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
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
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It was nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Vocal Pop Performance
Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals was awarded between 1966 and 2011...
at the 2004 awards
Grammy Awards of 2004
The 46th Grammy Awards were held on the February 8, 2004. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. The big winners were Outkast, who won three awards including Album of the Year & Beyoncé Knowles, who won 5 Awards...
. The video reached #1 on both MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
and VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's VSpot Top 20 Countdown
VSpot Top 20 Countdown
VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown is a weekly television show on the VH1 cable television network in the United States. The long-running series began in 1994 as the VH1 Top 10 Countdown, as part of VH1's "Music First" rebranding effort...
. The song was included on the setlist for Guitar Hero: Van Halen
Guitar Hero: Van Halen
Guitar Hero: Van Halen is the third and final band-specific rhythm video game in the Guitar Hero series. As with the previous games Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and Guitar Hero: Metallica, the game features 25 songs from Van Halen along with 19 additional songs from selected artists that have been...
as a guest act.
The song ranks #350 on Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
's 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born and #88 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '00s.
Music
"Stacy's Mom" was written by Chris CollingwoodChris Collingwood
Chris Collingwood, born in 1967 in USA, is a singer, songwriter, and founding member of the power pop band Fountains of Wayne. Collingwood's major influences are The Beatles, The Zombies, The Hollies, Aztec Camera, Squeeze, and Blue Öyster Cult....
and Adam Schlesinger
Adam Schlesinger
Adam Schlesinger is an American songwriter, composer and record producer. He has been nominated for Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy , and Golden Globe Awards. He is also a winner of the ASCAP Pop Music Award....
. Stylistically it is power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
. It begins with an intro similar to the one in "Just What I Needed
Just What I Needed
-Cover versions:*Big Daddy - Big Daddy*Caleigh Peters – Sky High soundtrack*Sister Hazel – Lift*Poison – Poison'd*Bang Tango – Untied and live!*The Insyderz – Fight Of My Life and Paradise CD Single*Replicants – Replicants...
" by The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
. Overall it presents the listener with a very accessible melody starting with a I - IV - V - IV chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
in E major
E major
E major is a major scale based on E, with the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps .Its relative minor is C-sharp minor, and its parallel minor is E minor....
, and launches into a crescendo
Crescendo
-In music:*Crescendo, a passage of music during which the volume gradually increases, see Dynamics * Crescendo , a Liverpool-based electronic pop band* "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue", one of Duke Ellington's longer-form compositions...
as a segue to the refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
that is complete with vocal harmonies. Standard rock instrumentation comprises the orchestration
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
: drums, bass, guitar, vocals, and keys
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
.
Subject matter
"Stacy's Mom" is about a 12-year old boy's adolescent fantasies about his friend Stacy's mother. The boy spends time with Stacy in an attempt to get closer to her mother; hence the name of the song.Music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, directed by Chris Applebaum
Chris Applebaum
Chris Applebaum is an American music video director, who has worked with a diverse range of artists, among them Rihanna, Hilary Duff, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Mandy Moore, Natasha Bedingfield, Fountains of Wayne and Britney Spears...
, pays homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to the 1982
1982 in film
-Events:* March 26 = I Ought to Be in Pictures, starring Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret and Dinah Manoff is released. Manoff would not appear in another movie until 1987's Backfire.* June = PG-rated film E.T...
movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written by Cameron Crowe and adapted from his 1981 book of the same name...
. The video features several comedic scenes illustrating the boy's attempts to get closer to Stacy's mother, the object of his affections and fantasies. There is a scene which shows Stacy wearing red heart-shaped sunglasses
Sunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
, which are very similar to the ones on the promotional picture for the 1962
1962 in film
The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
film Lolita
Lolita (1962 film)
Lolita is a 1962 comedy-drama film by Stanley Kubrick based on the classic novel of the same title by Vladimir Nabokov. The film stars James Mason as Humbert Humbert, Sue Lyon as Dolores Haze and Shelley Winters as Charlotte Haze with Peter Sellers as Clare Quilty.Due to the MPAA's restrictions at...
.
The video begins with the boy (Shane Haboucha
Shane Haboucha
- Early life :Haboucha attended a Jewish private school, Tarbut V' Torah Community Day School, until the eighth grade, and was home-schooled.- Acting career :Haboucha was discovered at ProScout and started acting in commercials in Texas...
), Stacy (Gianna Distenca) and some other children standing at a school crossing. Stacy's mother (Rachel Hunter
Rachel Hunter
Rachel Hunter is a New Zealand born American model, actress and reality TV show host who now resides in the U.S. She is best known for her appearance in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and her longtime marriage to singer Rod Stewart, which ended in 2006...
) then pulls up in front of them to pick up Stacy. The boy and his friends gaze at her in awe. The boy later goes over to Stacy's house and is seen lying on a lilo in her backyard swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
while wearing large, dark shades
Sunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
. He sees Stacy's mother come into her kitchen and then watches her remove her skirt and top to reveal black underwear. Stacy gives the boy a bottle of soda
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
and, as he sees Stacy's mother remove her bra, he spills it on himself. Since his eyes are hidden by his shades, Stacy laughs, thinking that he is just clumsy. After a scene with the band during the chorus, Stacy is shown sunbathing while the boy mows her lawn. Stacy's mother comes out wearing just a towel and is given a massage on both her back and front. The masseur gives the boy a look of amusement, since he gets to look at Stacy's mother naked and the boy doesn't. The boy is distracted by the massage and ends up knocking over Stacy's birdhouse
Birdhouse
Birdhouse may refer to:* Nest box, an artificial nest for birds* Birdhouse Skateboards* "Birdhouse in Your Soul", a song by They Might Be Giants* Birdhouse...
with the lawnmower. The video then cuts to him and Stacy watching Fountains of Wayne on TV, before the boy imagines Stacy's mother as a pole dancer teasing him. Near the end of the video, it is implied that the boy begins to masturbate
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
by the bathroom window while staring at Stacy's mother coming out of the pool in her red two-piece swimsuit. Before he finishes, Stacy opens the bathroom door, ignoring a sign saying Ocupado and catches him in the act. Then, as in the movie, she quickly closes the door and starts laughing, showing that she might be thinking the boy is masturbating to her own image and not her mother's.
Influences
Adam Schlesinger says "Stacy's Mom" was a tribute to The CarsThe Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
, whose single "Just What I Needed
Just What I Needed
-Cover versions:*Big Daddy - Big Daddy*Caleigh Peters – Sky High soundtrack*Sister Hazel – Lift*Poison – Poison'd*Bang Tango – Untied and live!*The Insyderz – Fight Of My Life and Paradise CD Single*Replicants – Replicants...
" has an intro similar to "Stacy's Mom". Cars frontman Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....
thought that the intro was a sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
from "Just What I Needed" 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.
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 |