Tag: Ric Ocasek

My Sunday Song – “Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne

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For My Sunday Song #449, we re going to look at the super fun song “Stacy’s Mom” by the band Fountains of Wayne. The single was released on May 19, 2003 and is off their album ‘Welcome Interstate Managers’. The song was probably the biggest mainstream hit for the band where it went to #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it received massive airplay on MTV as Stacy’s Mom was played by Supermodel Rachel Hunter and who didn’t enjoy watching that.

The song was written by bassist Adam Schlesinger and vocalist Chris Collingwood. The song was inspired by a childhood friend of Adam’s who thought his grandmother was really hot. Take that and add a little Mrs. Robinson and you have the song. “Stacy’s Mom” is about a teenage boy who was dating Stacy and loved to spend time at Stacy’s house out by the pool in hopes Stacy’s mom was around. He fantasized that her mom was into him and now that he is older and not the boy he used to be, he could be the man around the house for Stacy’s mom since her dad was no longer in the picture. It is a typical boy fantasy transformed in to a brilliantly executed song.

The song is pure Power Pop and New Wave. So much so in fact the opening riffs is almost identical to The Cars’ classic “Just What I Needed”. I mean…I.D.E.N.T.I.C.A.L. They actually played the opening riff and it was not a sample despite what Ric Ocasek might have thought. The song is a blast. It is so catchy and you instantly get swept in the excitement. It is full of joy and I love the handclaps towards the end. It is one of those bright and sunny songs that feels like Summer and will put a smile on your face.

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Retro Rock Reviews: Ep. 5 – The Cars ‘Heartbeat City’ (1984)

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Welcome to a the series I have on YouTube called Retro Rock Reviews. Each week, we pick an album and do a quick review. They won’t be long shows, something quick and fun to get you through your day. For Episode 5, we jump to the 80’s after spending several weeks in the late 60’s, early 70’s. We talk The Cars’ fifth album, ‘Heartbeat City’. The band exploded with help from legendary producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange. The album was released on March 13, 1984 and spawned not one, not two, but six singles, two of which reached the Top 10 on the Top 40. The album sold over 4 million copies going 4 x’s Platinum in the U.S. alone.

So go check it out as it is live now on September 5, 2024 at Noon. Thanks for stopping by and please click “Like” and hit “Subscribe” as it helps out the site when you do.

The Cars – The Albums Ranked Worst to First

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic21 Comments

The Cars.  What can be said about them that hasn’t already been said.  They are one of the greatest new wave bands to ever come along and an inspiration to many.  Their brand of power pop ruled the airwaves from the Debut in 1978 all the way to 1984 before they started to fade away from the scene, but never faded away from our hearts.

The band was inducted in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018 and the band was all there except for Benjamin Orr who died in 2000.  It was really cool to see the band together again and play a few songs.  The classic line-up consisted of the following members:

  • Ric Ocasek – Vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Elliot Easton – lead guitar
  • Greg Hawkes – keyboards
  • Benjamin Orr – bass, lead vocals
  • David Robinson – drums

We most recently we lost Ric Ocasek in 2019.  As I did when Orr died, upon Ric’s death I pulled out The Cars catalog and went through it over and over again.  It reminded me of how great these guys were and what a catalog of music they left behind.  As a result, I decided to do an album ranking to see what was the worst album all the way up to the best. Let’s see where they stack up.

WORST – PANORAMA (1980):

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