Scrolling Bluesky in search of vinyl thrills, a post caught my eye. It was a book, its rectangular profile standing out amongst square LP covers and rotating records. Nothing flashy about the cover, but an instant spark of interest in the name: Fountains of Wayne. Such a hip little band, one that should have been way bigger. The publisher, J-Card, was good enough to send over a copy, and I’ll tell you more about this soon. 

First, by way of introduction here is an edited version of a piece on Fountains of Wayne, posted soon after co-leader Adam Schlesinger died (1 April 2020).

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I vividly remember buying the CD single of “Leave the biker”, on spec, from JB Hi-Fi in Camberwell, way back in 1997. The title was amusing and on playing the disc its smart, funny lyric blew me away. “He’s got his arm around every man’s dream, crumbs in his beard from the seafood special”. I was in love and grabbed other CD singles and the debut album at the first opportunity.

I’m listening to the LP now on headphones as it’s late and everyone is in bed. Singing along, trying to keep the vocals inside my head but sometimes failing. “She’s on her way, she’s taking a sick day sooooon…” Smiling and feeling a bit full up too, probably because it’s been a tough week (who hasn’t had those?). 

Pop smarts and great hooks infest Fountains of Wayne’s first album. Harmonies (“You curse at girls”), riffs (“Radiation vibe”) and choruses to die for (“Please don’t rock me tonight”). The dark heart of true power pop (remember “Day tripper”?) is front and centre in songs like “She’s got a problem”. The album closes with the swooning “Everything’s ruined”. Over half the songs clock in under three minutes. Ah, the 3 minute single; concise, punchy, economical. Guitar thrash never overpowers the melodies. Such a vibrant and assured debut. So much fizz in this power pop it tickles your nose.

Schlesinger and Collingwood didn’t stop there. The second album was Utopia Parkway (1999) which amply demonstrated their depth of talent. It’s another amazingly consistent album crammed with story songs about people stumbling through life (“A fine day for a parade”) and relationships (“Troubled times”). There’s humour too (“Red dragon tattoo”) and a few sly pot-shots at the music industry (“Laser Show”).

The next album, “Welcome Interstate Managers” (2003) yielded Fountains of Wayne’s biggest hit, “Stacey’s Mom”. It’s a strong collection of songs, though perhaps an element of repetition is creeping in. And perhaps a little less warmth, as if they are further away from the battlers and nerds and lonely souls they are writing about. Still, “Bright future in sales” is a classic and “All kinds of time” one of the best sports-themed songs I’ve heard.

There were two further albums and a rich B-sides comp before they folded, each probably appealing more to existing fans than new arrivals.

It’s late. That might do me for tonight. Except to spin the glorious “Troubled times” as an epilogue. It’s a song anticipating (and hoping for) a nostalgic glow and which—though ostensibly about a relationship—seems pretty fitting in these dark days.

Maybe one day soon it will all come out

How you dream about each other sometimes

With the memory of how you once gave up

But you made it through the troubled times

Thank you Adam Schlesinger. You left us some wonderful music, much of it energetic and upbeat. Yet whenever I listen to a Fountains of Wayne album from now on, an element of sadness will be there too. That’s a part of the best power pop, you know.

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Fiona McQuarrie’s recent book on Fountains of Wayne evinces the admiration of a fan and the research diligence of an academic. This is a fine combination as readers are likely to already be fellow fans and will recognise a kindred spirit, while the writer’s rigorous approach both builds confidence and constantly throws up surprising tidbits. Who knew, for example, that Adam Schlesinger wrote a song for a Stephen Colbert Christmas Special that was performed by Willie Nelson? In fact, Adam S’s side projects were abundant in number and astonishingly diverse. Here are a few, some of which were familiar while others entirely new.

• The title song for the Tom Hanks film That Thing You Do
• A stage (music theatre) adaptation of John Waters film Cry-Baby
• Schlesinger’s other band, Ivy, were very active and productive
• Writing a Top 20 hit for The Click Five
• Songs for Sesame Street 

A sense that the band was short on lucky breaks drifts through the narrative. Fiona McQuarrie reports, for instance, how an important Boston gig fell on the same night as the last ever episode of the much-loved TV series Friends, leading to an underwhelming turnout. Or consider how, after the band broke up, Chris Collingwood became an Uber driver. “It’s a good way to meet people,” he explained. The songwriter continued the gig until, we are told, “his car got too old to meet Uber’s vehicle requirements.” Ah, the glamour of the rock lifestyle.

Although written with warmth and affection, Fiona does not shy away from some of the hard edges of the music biz. She doesn’t blink when reporting how critical responses to Traffic and Weather were “lukewarm”. A recurrent theme is the struggle for success amidst record company expectations (and often pressure). You cannot help but grin ruefully at this incisive quote from a Capitol Records Senior Marketing VP. “The consumer is a very fickle person. There are no guarantees.” Thanks for that, VP in charge of the Bleedin’ Obvious. 

I enjoyed how the author, using only secondary sources, manages to convey the almost spooky way in which the bitter sweet undertone of many Fountains of Wayne songs permeates their own story. Here’s a fabulous quote from journalist Les Gehrett.

“Fountains of Wayne,” he wrote, “Isn’t a party band. It is a band for people who didn’t get invited to the party, or who got stuck in traffic on the way to the party, or for those who managed to make it to the party but then spent the whole night sitting in a corner.”

If you identify with any of that, you really should be a Fountains of Wayne fan. If you are, you’ll devour this book.

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Part Two of this feature is an interview with the author, Fiona McQuarrie. Fiona was good enough to subject herself to interrogation-by-email and was a generous and engaging correspondent. Those with an interest in writing generally and music writing in particular will find her experiences and insights most worthwhile.

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Fiona’s book can be purchased for a number of sources that you can find here.