Mexican Wine (song)

"Mexican Wine"
Single by Fountains of Wayne
from the album Welcome Interstate Managers
ReleasedJanuary 20, 2004 (2004-01-20)
Genre
Length3:22
Label
Songwriters
Producers
  • Collingwood
  • Schlesinger
  • Mike Denneen
Fountains of Wayne singles chronology
"Stacy's Mom"
(2003) 		"Mexican Wine"
(2004) 		"Hey Julie"
(2004)
Music video
"Mexican Wine" on YouTube

"Mexican Wine" is a song by American rock band Fountains of Wayne. It was released on January 20, 2004, as the second single from their third studio album, Welcome Interstate Managers. The song was released in Europe on May 17, 2004.

Though the song never charted, it was met with positive reviews from music critics, praising the track's sound and lyrics. It was written and produced by members Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger.

Background

After releasing "Stacy's Mom" as the lead single from Welcome Interstate Managers, the band planned on releasing "Mexican Wine" as the album's next single.[1] It was released for radio airplay on January 20, 2004.[2] It was released in Europe on May 17.[3]

Composition

"Mexican Wine" was written and produced by Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger. The track was also produced by Mike Denneen.[4] According to Schlesinger, he wanted to "imitate" the way Collingwood writes, stating, "Chris' have been more free associative. I was really jealous of his ability to write this semi-nonsense that still held together, so I tried to sit down and come up with a bunch of images that didn't make a whole lot of sense."[1]

The song is described as power pop and pop rock.[5][6] Lyrically, the song is about causalities, "built around a Beatles-y melody."[1][7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Drowned in Sound8/10[8]

"Mexican Wine" was met with positive reviews from music critics. Andrew Farley of Drowned in Sound rewarded the single an 8 out of 10 rating, praising the lyrics, describing it as "trademark Fountains Of Wayne." He also praised the track's sound stating, "It's odd that a bunch of thirty-something Americans can make such fantastic sounding '60s-influenced guitar pop, executed to near perfection and remain endearing to those who subscribe to their witty, self-aware lyrics and tunes."[8] Ben Hogwood of MusicOHM wrote that the song "doesn't disappoint," praising the harmonies and melody on the track.[9] Mark Martelli of Pitchfork called the song "the biggest rocker on the record" and remarked, "As soon as the seconds start ticking and the guitar starts strumming on 'Mexican Wine', you know what you're in for: fuzzy guitars, big Warner Bros. drums, and the gravelly voices of Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood."[10] Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Beth Johnson compared the track to The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" due to its "horns and brass-ring fumbles."[11] Alex Robert Ross of The Fader described the song as "perfect power pop song," praising its harmonies and melody.[5]

Following the death of Schlesinger, The New York Times released their "Adam Schlesinger's 30 Essential Songs" list, where "Mexican Wine" was listed. Writing for the publication, Rob Tannenbaum wrote, "It's part John Cheever, part John Hughes. This slow-building rocker cycles around a great description of someone stuck in place."[12] On Goldmine's "10 Great Fountains of Wayne Songs" list, author John M. Borack said of the song, "This startling pronouncement is quickly followed by a gently tinkling harpsichord, which is soon chased out by monster rock guitars riffing like mad. All this frivolity should be clue number one that this is not some garden variety power pop combo."[13]

Music video

The music video premiered in January 2004. Directed by Chris Applebaum, it was shot in Los Angeles in December 2003.[2] The video opens with twin sisters Katie and Linda Lipschitz, returning champions of a talent show, being introduced by the pseudo show's host. Asked what song they'll perform, the twins shout, "'Mexican Wine' by Fountains of Wayne!" and break into song. The scene shifts to the deck of a yacht during the second verse, where the band are performing for a crowd amid a line of dancers. The members also mingle with the crowd until a pillow fight breaks out. The set then changes to the band doing a spoof of Duran Duran's "Rio" video. The final scene returns to the talent show's soundstage.[2]

Track listing

US CD single[14]
No.TitleLength
1."Mexican Wine"3:22
UK CD single[15]
No.TitleLength
1."Mexican Wine" (radio edit)2:41

Personnel

Credits for "Mexican Wine" retrieved from album's liner notes.[4]

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Mexican Wine"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States January 20, 2004 Contemporary hit radio
[2]
Europe May 17, 2004 CD [16]

References

  1. ^ a b c Joe Wiederhorn (October 29, 2003). "Fountains Of Wayne Give Props To Hunter's Butt, Sip At 'Wine'". MTV. Archived from the original on March 23, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d Joe D'Angelo (January 7, 2004). "Fountains Of Wayne Spoof 'American Idol,' Jay-Z For New Clip". MTV. Archived from the original on February 7, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  3. ^ "Mexican Wine - Single by Fountains of Wayne". AllMusic. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  4. ^ a b Welcome Interstate Managers (booklet). Virgin. 2013. 7243 5 90875 2 8.
  5. ^ a b Alex Robert Ross (April 2, 2020). "'Mexican Wine' was Fountains of Wayne at their optimistic best". The Fader. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  6. ^ Mark Vanderhoff. "Welcome Interstate Managers Review by Mark Vanderhoff". AllMusic. Retrieved January 12, 2026. reigning deities of uptempo, big-guitar pop/rock with feel-good anthems like 'Mexican Wine'.
  7. ^ Robert Sietsema (November 20, 2008). "Think I'll Have Another Glass of Mexican Wine". The Village Voice. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  8. ^ a b Andrew Farley (May 20, 2004). "Review: Fountains Of Wayne - Mexican Wine". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  9. ^ Ben Hogwood (May 31, 2004). "Single Reviews: Fountains Of Wayne - Mexican Wine (S-Curve)". MusicOHM. Archived from the original on August 7, 2004. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  10. ^ Martelli, Mark (June 17, 2003). "Fountains of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  11. ^ Johnson, Beth (June 13, 2003). "Welcome Interstate Managers". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 25, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  12. ^ Rob Tannenbaum (April 2, 2020). "Adam Schlesinger's 30 Essential Songs". The New York Times. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  13. ^ John M. Borack (April 4, 2010). "RIP Adam Schlesinger: 10 great Fountains of Wayne songs". Goldmine. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  14. ^ Mexican Wine (US CD liner notes). Virgin. 2004. 7087 6 18333 2 4.
  15. ^ Mexican Wine (UK CD liner notes). Virgin. 2004.
  16. ^ Mexican Wine (booklet). Virgin. 2004. VSCDJ 1874.
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