Whatever happened to Fountains of Wayne? (c/d?)

ugh :(((((((

Crazy Ex GF had some great songs.

bad time to ask this, probably, but do hardcore FoW fans know there are Adam songs and Chris songs, like Teenage Fanclub or something like that? or are they all pretty much collaborations that sound like FoW?

"That Thing You Do" has got to be one of the most convincing songs ever written for a film, also.

Never actually checked out Ivy, I'll have to rectify that.

horrible. he was so talented. he and rachel bloom were collaborating again, on a musical adaptation of THE NANNY.

also i think i’ve mentioned this but “stacy’s mom” is an enduring party song at the college where i teach, like second only to “mr. brightside.”

Had forgotten he produced and wrote for the most recent Monkees albums.

Utopia Parkway is classic start to finish. Soundtrack to 1999-2000 for me. Geez I remember standing a Border’s listening station listening to “Radiation Vibe” over and over. So talented.

I didn't know that!

Two personal stories. One, my friend and I were almost signed to a vanity label of his, way back when. Two, years ago I interviewed him and asked him about his experience in the original "The Real World" season on MTV (he was in someone's band. Becky?). He got really quiet, then, almost accusatory, asked me how I knew that. I told him I actually recognized him when it was shown as a rerun a couple of years later, since I was a fan of Ivy and Fountains of Wayne and ergo one of the few at the time who would know Adam Schlesinger, from, well, Adam. He got quiet again, thrown off by the fact that a seemingly "gotcha" question was actually based in my fandom. Then he just politely asked that I not put that information in the story, so I didn't.

xpost Re: Monkees, sorry.

I have a subway car to myself so I'm playing FoW jams and singing along really loud.

Why does my daughter know "Stacy's Mom"?

xxp just looked that up -- it was Becky's band: https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1997-05-14-9705140080-story.html

Josh I guess it’s permanent youth culture now, it’s interesting to find these things. Apparently Linkin Park is in this category.

This really sucks.

RE: The songwriting - I saw a detailed post that someone made on a (official?) FoW forum a few years ago that broke down the songwriting - I remember it being either solo Chris or Adam songs pretty much all the way. Not sure what the source of it was, but it seems credible.

I think it has done now, but I remember Radiation Vibe, Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart, Leave The Biker being solo Chris songs. I think Stacey's Mom and of course Everything's Ruines were Adam ones. Memory not too reliable otherwise.

*gone now

man this sucks. my fav FOW song seems prescient atm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFUAG_1775U

wow sorry to hear this, Apartment Life is a really great pop record imo.

I didn't really keep up with them later in their career, but I listened to Utopia Parkway quite a bit at the time (""Troubled Times" being my fave) and I was always pleased when I saw that Adam was getting good work in Hollywood. RIP.

Is there a good breakdown anywhere of who wrote what in FoW? I can only find "written by" credits that attribute all songs to both.

I said a few posts ago, there did used to be one on an old FoW message board, but I think it has long gone. Someone on a Facebook group may have it, though.

That debut album was just perfect, really. Head and shoulders above so much of the other major label alt power pop of the era. Although not quite on the same level, Utopia Parkway was an excellent follow-up. They lost me for a bit by Sky Full Of Holes brought it back, for me anyway. Now to finally investigate Ivy.

*but. tired emotional etc

One thing I remember is that Traffic & Weather is mainly Adam songs, while it is back to being more balanced on the last album

The first three albums are some of my favorites of all time.

One thing I remember is that Traffic & Weather is mainly Adam songs, while it is back to being more balanced on the last album

That's mentioned on the Wiki page; Chris was struggling with alcoholism at the time. But still no song breakdown.

It took his passing for me to realise that so many songs I've loved from TV and film were written by him.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend definitely has some classics, and also shout out to Way Back Into Love from Music and Lyrics.

Goddamn you coronavirus. Why didn’t you take a politician instead?

I interviewed the two of them a number of times, and ran into them very often in the late 90s/ early 00s in NYC;… they did not say so specifically when I talked to them, but it is clear to me that the more humorously inclined tunes were his and the more heart on sleeve offerings were Chris's… I think they had a VERY bad breakup, as the final record which I've never heard was allegedly tortuous to produce…

I think the more overtly character-based songs are nearly always Adam's.

Chris tweeted about Adam's condition just yesterday. I hope they were able to patch things up in recent times.

Also somehow missed that Schlesinger co-composed the score to Damsels In Distress!

Sky Full Of Holes is their third best album for me, easily. Was so pleased with it when it was released. Revisiting all of these is going to be strange.

Gonna assume "Haley's Waitress" is an Adam tune. Always loved how the lovely vocal bridge only shows up once.

Anyone else like Ivy? I love the first two records and EP.

me!

List I have kept of who wrote what.

92 Subaru Adam Schlesinger
A Dip In The Ocean Chris Collingwood
A Fine Day for a Parade Chris Collingwood
A Road Song Adam Schlesinger
Acela Adam Schlesinger
Action Hero Adam Schlesinger
All Kinds of Time Adam Schlesinger
Amity Gardens Chris Collingwood
Baby One More Time Max Martin
Barbara H. Chris Collingwood
Better Things Ray Davies
Bought for a Song Chris Collingwood
Bright Future in Sales Adam Schlesinger
Bus Stop Graham Gouldman
Can't Get It Out of My Head Jeff Lynne
Cemetary Guns Chris Collingwood
Chanukah Under the Stars Adam Schelsinger
Cold Comfort Flowers Chris Collingwood
Cry One Tear Chris Collingwood
Denise Adam Schlesinger
Everything's Ruined Adam Schlesinger
Fire In The Canyon Chris Collingwood
Fire Island Adam Schlesinger
Firelight Waltz Chris Collingwood
Go, Hippie Chris Collingwood
Hackensack Adam Schlesinger
Halley's Waitress Adam Schlesinger
Hat and Feet Adam Schlesinger
Hate To See You Like This Adam Schlesinger
Help! John Lennon/Paul McCartney
Hey Julie Adam Schlesinger
Hotel Majestic Chris Collingwood
Hung Up on You Chris Collingwood
I-95 Adam Schlesinger
I Know You Well Chris Collingwood
I'll Do the Driving Chris Collingwood
I Want an Alien for Christmas Adam Schlesinger
I Want You Around Chris Collingwood
Imperia Chris Collingwood
It Must be Summer Adam Schlesinger
I've Got a Flair Adam Schlesinger
Janice's Party Chris Collingwood
Joe Rey Chris Collingwood
Kid Gloves Chris Collingwood
Killermont Street Roddy Frame
Laser Show Adam Schlesinger
Leave the Biker Chris Collingwood
Little Red Light Adam Schlesinger
Lost in Space Adam Schlesinger
Maureen Adam Schlesinger
Mexican Wine Adam Schlesinger
Michael and Heather At The Baggage Claim Adam Schlesinger
New Routine Adam Schlesinger
Nightlight Adam Schlesinger
Peace and Love Adam Schlesinger
Places Chris Collingwood
Planet Of Weed Adam Schlesinger
Please Don't Rock Me Tonight Chris Collingwood
Prom Theme Adam Schlesinger
Radiation Vibe Chris Collingwood
Radio Bar Adam Schlesinger
Red Dragon Tattoo Chris Collingwood
Revolving Dora Adam Schlesinger
Richie and Reuben Adam Schlesinger
Seatbacks and Traytables Chris Collingwood
Sense Into You Adam Schlesinger
She's Got a Problem Adam Schlesinger
Sick Day Adam Schlesinger/Chris Collingwood
Sink to the Bottom Adam Schlesinger
Small Favors Chris Collingwood
Someone To Love Adam Schlesinger
Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart Chris Collingwood
Song Of The Passaic W: John Alleyne Macnab M: Adam Schlesinger
Stacy's Mom Adam Schlesinger
Strapped For Cash Adam Schlesinger
Supercollider Chris Collingwood
Survival Car Chris Collingwood
The Girl I Can't Forget Adam Schlesinger
The Man in the Santa Suit Chris Collingwood
The Senator's Daughter Adam Schlesinger
The Story In Your Eyes Justin Hayward
The Summer Place Adam Schlesinger
The Valley of Malls Chris Collingwood
These Days Jackson Browne
This Better Be Good Adam Schlesinger
Today's Teardrops Gene Pitney/Aaron Schroeder
Traffic and Weather Adam Schlesinger
Trains and Boats and Planes Burt Bacharach/Hal David
Troubled Times Chris Collingwood
Utopia Parkway Adam Schlesinger
Valley Winter Song Chris Collingwood
Workingman's Hands Chris Collingwood
Yolanda Hayes Adam Schlesinger
You Curse at Girls Adam Schlesinger

(From a Facebook fan group)

What a body of work for both of them though. What a loss.

Their Baby One More Time is something else

what a terrible loss. writing a song that makes "that thing you do" work as a movie is a significant achievement on top of everything else he did as a working musician.

May his memory be a blessing.

his marriage to his ex-wife was covered in Vows, what a time capsule https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/14/style/vows-katherine-michel-adam-schlesinger.html

Nice that maybe my absolute fave ("sick day") is one of the few co-writes.

Most of those not too surprising except Collingwood doing Hung Up on You and A Fine Day for a Parade.

Anyone else like Ivy? I love the first two records and EP.

Over here IVY

RIP. The sound of my tweens.

― coco vide (pomenitul), Thursday, April 2, 2020 12:39 AM (ten hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Fuck, this very much. RIP.

Haven't posted in a minute but ilx was the first place I wanted to come when I heard. This is heartbreaking. RIP

Good reminder of how crazy prolific here was here:

https://music.avclub.com/adam-schlesinger-and-fountains-of-wayne-were-so-much-mo-1842627923

And how he basically had multiple shots at going for the EGOT.

it is so so dumb that "TTYD" lost Best Original Song

Funny bit in what I just posted:

“I was up against Andrew Lloyd Webber and Diane Warren. You know, all my peers, basically,” Schlesinger said in that 2001 interview of losing the 1997 Oscar to Lloyd Webber for Evita’s “You Must Love Me.” “It was funny, because Diane Warren was sitting right in front of me, and she writes these really sappy love ballads, but her personality does not fit her music. When he won, she was like, ‘That piece of shit won?’”

Nice post by Sarah Silverman, apparently they were very close and working on a musical together

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-ewvzUAfyf/?igshid=1ntfv4wnvihdj