Biography
Although mainstream recognition eluded Fountains of Wayne until “Stacy’s Mom” broke through in 2003, the New Jersey-based outfit had already built a reputation as one of the country’s most reliable power-pop acts. The group first surfaced in 1996, blending British-styled pop melodies, lo-fi textures, and dryly humorous lyrics that chronicled dead-end employment and biker boyfriends. Over the ensuing years the lineup expanded and the sound grew more refined, culminating in the gold-certified success of 2003’s Welcome Interstate Managers. Though that release proved an outlier commercially, the band kept issuing meticulously constructed albums in the years that followed. Co-founder Adam Schlesinger simultaneously maintained a parallel career writing and producing for other performers.
Schlesinger first met Chris Collingwood in 1986 while the two attended Williams College in Massachusetts. Bonded by a shared love of tuneful British pop, they cycled through several short-lived groups before issuing an album as Pinwheel. Legal obstacles prevented the record’s release, prompting the pair to go separate ways; Schlesinger later joined the indie-pop outfit Ivy while Collingwood played with the Boston country band the Mercy Buckets. They reconvened in 1995 under the name Fountains of Wayne, borrowed from a lawn-ornament shop in Wayne, New Jersey. Atlantic Records issued the self-titled debut in 1996, and Schlesinger added further attention by composing the title track for the film That Thing You Do!
His work on the soundtrack earned a Grammy nomination and RIAA gold certification in 1997. The Fountains of Wayne album itself sold only about 125,000 copies domestically. Even without broad commercial traction, the band toured internationally with the Lemonheads and the Smashing Pumpkins. Guitarist Jody Porter and former Posies drummer Brian Young, initially brought in as touring musicians, became permanent members while shaping the more polished sound of Utopia Parkway. Issued in 1999, that album featured tighter production, richer harmonies, and Porter’s muscular guitar lines. Despite college-radio play for “Denise,” sales remained modest. Tensions with Atlantic mounted when the label declined to promote “Trouble Times” as a single, leading to the band’s dismissal from the roster in late 1999. During the extended break that followed, Schlesinger co-wrote songs for the Josie and the Pussycats soundtrack, completed a third Ivy album, and produced records for the Verve Pipe, David Mead, and They Might Be Giants.
Four years later the musicians pooled their own resources to record Welcome Interstate Managers. Released in 2003 on the fledgling S-Curve imprint, the album delivered the band’s first Billboard-chart success when “Stacy’s Mom” became a multi-format hit and their initial Top 40 single. The accompanying video, starring Rachel Hunter as the curvaceous title figure, quickly entered heavy rotation on MTV. Follow-up singles “Mexican Wine” and “Hey Julie” made smaller impressions, yet Welcome Interstate Managers still achieved gold status and heightened anticipation for subsequent releases.
The double-disc compilation Out-of-State Plates appeared in 2005, collecting two new tracks—including the single “Maureen”—alongside live performances and previously unreleased material. After a brief tour the band regrouped at home, where Schlesinger contributed four songs to the soundtrack of the 2007 film Music and Lyrics. Traffic and Weather, also issued that year, sustained the group’s signature fusion of power-pop arrangements with themes of travel, romance, and office ennui. While preparing the next album, Schlesinger joined Taylor Hanson, James Iha, and Bun E. Carlos in the supergroup Tinted Windows, whose debut appeared in 2009. Later that year Fountains of Wayne embarked on a full-band acoustic tour that previewed several new compositions. Most of those songs surfaced on Sky Full of Holes, the band’s first release for Yep Roc in 2011. Adam Schlesinger died on April 1, 2020, from complications related to COVID-19.
Schlesinger first met Chris Collingwood in 1986 while the two attended Williams College in Massachusetts. Bonded by a shared love of tuneful British pop, they cycled through several short-lived groups before issuing an album as Pinwheel. Legal obstacles prevented the record’s release, prompting the pair to go separate ways; Schlesinger later joined the indie-pop outfit Ivy while Collingwood played with the Boston country band the Mercy Buckets. They reconvened in 1995 under the name Fountains of Wayne, borrowed from a lawn-ornament shop in Wayne, New Jersey. Atlantic Records issued the self-titled debut in 1996, and Schlesinger added further attention by composing the title track for the film That Thing You Do!
His work on the soundtrack earned a Grammy nomination and RIAA gold certification in 1997. The Fountains of Wayne album itself sold only about 125,000 copies domestically. Even without broad commercial traction, the band toured internationally with the Lemonheads and the Smashing Pumpkins. Guitarist Jody Porter and former Posies drummer Brian Young, initially brought in as touring musicians, became permanent members while shaping the more polished sound of Utopia Parkway. Issued in 1999, that album featured tighter production, richer harmonies, and Porter’s muscular guitar lines. Despite college-radio play for “Denise,” sales remained modest. Tensions with Atlantic mounted when the label declined to promote “Trouble Times” as a single, leading to the band’s dismissal from the roster in late 1999. During the extended break that followed, Schlesinger co-wrote songs for the Josie and the Pussycats soundtrack, completed a third Ivy album, and produced records for the Verve Pipe, David Mead, and They Might Be Giants.
Four years later the musicians pooled their own resources to record Welcome Interstate Managers. Released in 2003 on the fledgling S-Curve imprint, the album delivered the band’s first Billboard-chart success when “Stacy’s Mom” became a multi-format hit and their initial Top 40 single. The accompanying video, starring Rachel Hunter as the curvaceous title figure, quickly entered heavy rotation on MTV. Follow-up singles “Mexican Wine” and “Hey Julie” made smaller impressions, yet Welcome Interstate Managers still achieved gold status and heightened anticipation for subsequent releases.
The double-disc compilation Out-of-State Plates appeared in 2005, collecting two new tracks—including the single “Maureen”—alongside live performances and previously unreleased material. After a brief tour the band regrouped at home, where Schlesinger contributed four songs to the soundtrack of the 2007 film Music and Lyrics. Traffic and Weather, also issued that year, sustained the group’s signature fusion of power-pop arrangements with themes of travel, romance, and office ennui. While preparing the next album, Schlesinger joined Taylor Hanson, James Iha, and Bun E. Carlos in the supergroup Tinted Windows, whose debut appeared in 2009. Later that year Fountains of Wayne embarked on a full-band acoustic tour that previewed several new compositions. Most of those songs surfaced on Sky Full of Holes, the band’s first release for Yep Roc in 2011. Adam Schlesinger died on April 1, 2020, from complications related to COVID-19.
Albums
Sky Full of Holes
2011
Traffic And Weather
2007
Welcome Interstate Managers
2003
Utopia Parkway
1999
Fountains of Wayne
1996
Singles
