When today’s SOTD popped up as the random selection, I was certain I had featured it before. But it turns out I’ve given Fountains of Wayne’s 1999 album Utopia Parkway less attention than I thought.
I posted two songs from the album more than a decade ago, plus two more on Random Weekends over the years. But none of those was ‘Denise,’ the first Fountains of Wayne song I ever heard.
Yesterday’s featured artist was a first-timer on the blog, but today’s is a grizzled veteran. This is the 24th Fountains of Wayne track given Song of the Day treatment, and the 10th to show up on Random Weekends.
‘The Senator’s Daughter’ is the closing track on 1999’s Utopia Parkway, an album I rank alongside Welcome Interstate Managers as the band’s best work. And as much as I love Interstate, with a gun to my head I’d probably go with this one.
The Random iTunes Fairy really likes Fountains of Wayne. Today’s post is the fifth Random Weekend selection in the past year, and the second this month.
I don’t keep stats on which artists show up the most on Random Weekends (though now I’m tempted) but I have to believe Fountains of Wayne are up there, especially as a percentage of their total songs in my library.
Half of the albums on this list of twenty represent my first exposure to the artists who recorded them.
I don’t think that’s a coincidence. So often when I discover someone new, the album that served as my introduction remains my favorite. In part, that’s because the album grabbed me for a reason, but I think it’s also something akin to the blinding blush of first love.
Fountains of Wayne’s second album, 1999’s Utopia Parkway, was my first introduction to the band. I heard the fabulous song ‘Denise’ on a compilation album that came with a music magazine and I was instantly hooked.
For some reason I thought they were a Christian rock band. I think I was confusing them with Jars of Clay. But when I picked up the album I realized that I was completely off base (not that there’s anything wrong with Christian rock bands… it’s just not the sort of thing I want to listen to). Thirty seconds into ‘Red Dragon Tattoo’ I knew I’d found a new band to add to my list of favorites.
Meet Me In Montauk 