Fountains of Wayne

The Fountains of Wayne can be proud that they've increased our cultural awareness of the acronym MILF (Moms I'd Like to . . . well, you can figure out the rest). The widely respected but (until now) seldom-played Jersey power-pop band's "Stacy's Mom" is a masturbatory tale of a boy...

By Christina Fuoco

November 6, 2003

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The Fountains of Wayne can be proud that they've increased our cultural awareness of the acronym MILF (Moms I'd Like to . . . well, you can figure out the rest). The widely respected but (until now) seldom-played Jersey power-pop band's "Stacy's Mom" is a masturbatory tale of a boy who disses his beautiful pubescent neighbor and instead lusts after her mother, played in the video by a pole-dancing Rachel Hunter.

But there's one thing that Fountains of Wayne songwriter Adam Schlesinger would like to make clear about his MILF jones: "You'll notice that we didn't actually put that term in that song," he says with a laugh. "It's other people applying that term."

Schlesinger likens the song to an education. Now, not only are 50-something financial analysts using MILF, kids are learning about the lost art of subversive pop music. Schlesinger calls "Stacy's Mom" a "Cars rip-off," which explains the subtle nods to front man Ric Ocasek in the video -- the I [heart] Ric license plate, the kid with the black Ocasek-like mullet.

Schlesinger is a subtle genius in the world of pop. Fountains of Wayne and his side project Ivy have long been underrated and unappreciated. In case you didn't know, Schlesinger was also the man behind the band the Wonders' music in the Tom Hanks flick That Thing You Do!.

In a way, then, maybe it's sad that it took a dirtbag shock jock fixation to bring attention to one of the best pop bands out there.

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