At their best, Fountains of Wayne is the thinking nerds Weezer, At their worst they're Weird Al for guys who think they're too cool for Weird Al. In between is this song. It has the goofy lyrics and insta-dated cultural references (Korn? Really?) that would go on to mar many otherwise fine F.O.W. songs, but it's also a fan favorite and a standout track on their standout album Utopia Parkway.Most importantly this song, while silly, addresses an emotional truth about male nerds who use humor as a defense mechanism and their unrequited romantic yearnings. Look at this song as a peek inside the mind of such a dude and the it aquires an almost documentary realism. What nerd hasn't, at some point, hung all their hopes for cooldom on a single improbable affectation, a bad beard, a new shirt, or a tattoo. And when has it ever been a good idea?
So if you were or are this kind of nerd, listen to this song and feel the pleasure of knowing that somebody else UNDERSTANDS the way your stupid mind works. On the other hand, if you were the champion football fuckhead in highschool, with a promise ring in the finger of every hottie in the 10th grade, then listen to this song and realize that it isn't a joke, and it certainly isn't funny. It's a living document of the tragedy that is the lives of those strange creatures that surround you as you walk through the halls of your kingdom. Let's them pass in peace, my friend. For their very existence is torment enough as it is.
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