It’s been 17 years since Fountain of Wayne’s “Stacey’s Mom” climbed the Billboard charts and filled teenagers’ cars with unabridged pop-punk energy. For many, the song represents a time-gone-by, harkening to the confusing and consequential coming-of-age that a generation of Americans went through during the Bush era. Yet, for others, the song is an open book of sorts, with questions left unanswered… questions like: what happened to Stacey after the song ended? Well, if that question has been burning a hole in your mind since 2003, then I’ve got good news for you — 16-year-old pop-punk prodigy Mia Morris has released the sequel to “Stacey’s Mom,” an energetic and delightful track by the name of “Stacey’s Song.”
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“I’m a huge fan of the aggression in grunge, the energy and fun in pop-punk and the satisfying melody-and-chord relationships of The Beatles,” Morris told American Songwriter. “For me, the band Fountains of Wayne do an amazing job of blending most of those influences, so I’m always analyzing their songs when I’m thinking about how to improve my writing. I actually spend quite a bit of time analyzing chord, melody, cadence, lyrics and even production of songs I love.”
From that musical starting-point, Morris began developing a song that built on the harmony and production-style of Fountain of Wayne’s big hits. Yet, once she really started cooking, she started considering building off the thematic content too.
“I just turned 16, so I grew up on movies like Harry Potter and Hunger Games and I absolutely love it when movies and stories build on what came before, developing so much over the course of multiple movies,” she said. “So, I wanted to write a song sequel. ‘Stacy’s Mom’ isn’t even close to Fountain of Wayne’s best songs but it’s probably one of their most popular ones — and the subject matter and video are hilarious — so my idea was to write a song about the imaginary Stacy’s life, after the period of ‘Stacy’s Mom.’ I listened to the song over and over again and pieced together what the lyrics were saying and how they might shape Stacy as she matured into an adult.”
The end result is a fun and organic expression of the legacy of pop-punk itself. With an Avril Lavigne-chic, Morris’s youthful energy illuminates the track with a sense of wonder. Considering that she’s only 16, Morris’ path is as promising as it is infinite.
Listen to “Stacey’s Song” by Mia Morris below:
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