Skip to main content

12 by Fountains Of Wayne


12 by... aims to summarize an artist's career in 12 songs. This one features...

The trick with a Fountains of Wayne complication is balancing their rocking songs and their ballads, while also representing their variety of styles. I believe this list covers those bases pretty well.


1. "Radiation Vibe" (Fountains Of Wayne, 1996) 
The first song on their first album is still one of their best. 

2. "She's Got A Problem" (Fountains Of Wayne, 1996) 
This was the first inkling of FOW as songwriters in the Billy Joel-character-sketch vein. 

3. "Red Dragon Tattoo" (Utopia Parkway, 1999) 
Maybe the most memorable of their many self-deluded, well-intentioned narrators. 

4. "Troubled Times" (Utopia Parkway, 1999) 
The poster child for all of those "why wasn't that a hit?" songs. 

5. "Stacey's Mom" (Welcome Interstate Managers, 2003) 
And then the actual hit!

6. "Hackensack" (Welcome Interstate Managers, 2003) 
The best song containing a reference to Christopher Walken ever written. 

7. "Bright Future in Sales" (Welcome Interstate Managers, 2003) 
Comes just after "Red Dragon Tattoo" on the self-deluded narrator continuum.  

8. "I Know You Well" (Out-Of-State Plates, 2005) 
I picked this sweet ditty mostly for the bridge, which sticks in my craw. 

9. "Yolanda Hayes" (Traffic & Weather, 2007) 
In its own way, as scintillating a come on as Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On. Plus, horns! 

10."Someone to Love" (Traffic & Weather, 2007)
The twist ending gets me every single time.

11. "Richie and Ruben" (Sky Full of Holes, 2011)
More fine character work, and a melody so good that it makes you want to consider making some bad investments.

12. "A Road Song" (Sky Full of Holes, 2011)
The mix of sweet and acerbic with a sprinkling of pop culture references on top encapsulate the Fountains of Wayne worldview. And bonus points for being a parody that's also and a fine example of what it's parodying.

*

The above was revised in 2021. Here is the original 2008 entry:

1. Radiation Vibe (Fountains Of Wayne, 1996)
Their opening song is still one of their best.

2. She's Got A Problem (Fountains Of Wayne, 1996)
This was the first inkling of FOW as songwriters in the Billy Joel-character-sketch vein.

3. I've Got A Flair (Fountains Of Wayne, 1996)
A rare narrator of unabashed confidence.

4. Red Dragon Tattoo (Utopia Parkway, 1999)
On the other hand, the first of many self-deluded, well-meaning narrators.

5. Troubled Times (Utopia Parkway, 1999)
The poster child for all of those "why wasn't that a hit?" songs.

6. Stacey's Mom (Welcome Interstate Managers, 2003)
And then the actual hit.

7. Hackensack (Welcome Interstate Managers, 2003)
The best song containing a reference to Christopher Walken ever written.

8. Hey Julie (Welcome Interstate Managers, 2003)
Ever had a crappy job and a happy home life? This sparkling song is about that.

9. Maureen (Out-Of-State Plates, 2005)
An ode to that self-involved female friend who knows you have a crush on her but will never give it up.

10. I Know You Well (Out-Of-State Plates, 2005)
I picked this sweet ditty mostly for the bridge, which sticks in my craw.

11. Yolanda Hayes (Traffic & Weather, 2007)
In its own way, as scintillating a come on as Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On. Plus, horns!

12. Fire In The Canyon (Traffic & Weather, 2007)
Eagles eat your heart out.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

REO Speedwagon: R.E.O. Speedwagon (1971)

REO Speedwagon got its start in the late 1960s on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana. The band grew out of a friendship between a students Neal Doughty (piano/keyboard) and Alan Gratzer (drums). Joining up with a couple of other musicians, they took the name R.E.O. Speedwagon. It wasn't long before they started getting gigs at parties and bars, doing covers of the hits of the day. The band cycled through several players in its first three years, with Gratzer and Doughty as the only constants. One-by-one they added the members that would form the first "official" lineup: singer Terry Luttrell in early 1968, bassist Gregg Philbin later that summer, and guitarist Gary Richrath at the end of 1970. Richrath was a native of Peoria, 90 miles northwest of Champaign, and had essentially stalked the band until they let him join. It was a good move, as he not only an accomplished guitarist, but also a songwriter. With Richrath the band ascended to the n...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stuck, or Obsession Cessastion

You may have noticed that things have slowed down around here. I had the summer off from teaching, and I spent it with my 7 month-old son. I gave myself permission to make this blog less of a priority. Well, "less of a priority" is putting it lightly. Initially, I considered an abrupt retirement. But then I reconsidered. Maybe the proximity to Brett Favre is causing this. If you're a long time reader, this is probably not all that surprising to you. Since 2007, it has become an annual ritual for me to soul-search about my waning interest in music. First I blamed an inability to express myself and a lack of quality music . Then in 2008 I cited new technology and the death of the album . Last year I wrote about how my changing life priorities hindered my ability to seek out new music. I've done a lot of thinking about it this summer and in truth I believe this was all just dancing around the issue, a slow realization of something I didn't want to admit to myse...
7 comments
Read more

Billy Joel: Greatest Hits, Volumes I and II (1985)

As you may know, I'm something of a connoisseur of compilations. I have three guidelines that I like my greatest hits to follow, though I am open to these rules being disregarded in certain cases. It's not an exact science. Billy Joel's 1985 Greatest Hits Volumes I and II (an odd title for a set that was never sold separately) is proof of that.  It mostly follows the rules. The songs are in chronological order. There are no remixes, just a couple of single edits; there are two live songs, but those were actually were the versions that charted. And there are two new songs - we'll get to them eventually - but both ended up in the Top 40, so in retrospect that was a good decision. My mom bought the double LP when it came out and then dubbed it to a tape that lived in her car for at least three years. It and An Innocent Man were part of the soundtrack of the second half of my first decade of life. So I have a hard time criticizing something so ingrained in my consciousne...
Post a Comment
Read more