Why Fountains of Wayne Makes the Perfect Airport Soundtrack
Fountains of Wayne wrote some of the best songs about airports, airplanes, and baggage claim. Here are the ones worth adding to your pre-flight playlist.
Pull up a chair. We need to talk about Fountains of Wayne.
If you’re like most people, your relationship with Fountains of Wayne stops at “Stacy’s Mom.” The song came out in 2003, got stuck in your head for a summer, then faded with the rest of the early 2000s power pop stuff.
But here’s the thing most people forget: Fountains of Wayne wrote quite a bit of songs about the mundane reality of air travel. If you’re looking for pre-flight music that captures the specific energy of the airport slog, FOW has got you.
Read on to see why they’re part of my go-to pre-flight soundtrack.
They’re Basically a Band About Mundane Suburban Life
The underrated thing about Fountains of Wayne is that Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood wrote songs about the dull reality of American adult life. They cover topics like rush hour traffic, office parks, and bad bosses
A good chunk of that catalog ended up being about travel too. Not glamorous travel, but the grind of airports, baggage claim, delayed flights, and lining up for boarding.
It’s no surprise that their fourth album is called Traffic and Weather. By that point one critic noted that Fountains of Wayne had spent 10 years writing songs about “planes, trains, and automobiles.”
The Essential Fountains of Wayne Airport Playlist
Here’s your pre-flight listening order:
“Trains and Boats and Planes”
The B-side to “Stacy’s Mom”. it discusses someone else’s trip to Paris or Rome and the feeling of being at an airport and watching aircraft push back for places you’re not going.
Perfect for the moment when you arrive at the gate, settle in, and watch everyone else’s flight board before yours.
“Michael and Heather at the Baggage Claim”
The ultimate baggage claim song. Michael and Heather are at baggage claim. Her bag’s been lost. His bag’s arrived. The whole song is a small-stakes drama that unfolds in the terminal. A perfect listen while waiting at baggage claim, if that’s not too meta.
“Seatbacks and Traytables”
Written by Chris Collingwood for Traffic and Weather. The song itself is a quiet reflection on being on a plane and recalls the familiar announcement that we’re beginning our descent and that eatbacks and tray tables need to come up for landing.
“Mexican Wine”
A song about getting fired from flying for United. “I used to fly for United Airlines, but I got fired for reading High Times.”
If that’s not the perfect lyric to think about while you’re sitting at a United gate, I don’t know what is. The perfect song for when you pass through a United hub.
Why Fountains of Wayne Hits Different at the Airport
The mundane details match. Most music about travel is either triumphant (“flying to see my love!”) or depressed (“flying home from somewhere terrible”). Fountains of Wayne writes about the middle ground.
The production matches airport ambiance. Their power-pop production is clean, bright, and somewhat optimistic. It fits with the general airport soundscape of distant announcements, florescent lighting, and a hum of activity.
It’ll make you notice things you otherwise wouldn’t. Listen to “Michael and Heather at the Baggage Claim” while at baggage claim and you’ll start noticing the actual Michaels and Heathers around you.
Final Thought
Next time you’re at a gate waiting for your flight to board, do yourself a favor. Pull up Fountains of Wayne. Not just “Stacy’s Mom” (although that’s fine too). Try out their airport-adjacent material.
You’ll be listening to some of the most thoughtfully observed (though sometimes mundane) songs written about suburban adult life.
Trust me on this one.
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