Hackensack

Yeah, Another Blogger

The other day, while driving to Hatboro, a town near mine in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, I heard on the radio a song I adore. It has a simple title — Hackensack — and always has made me go weak in the knees. Powerfully gentle, Hackensack tugged at my heartstrings as I made my way along the road. I hadn’t heard the tune in years, in effect had forgotten about it. Now it is stuck in my head.

Hackensack is by Fountains Of Wayne, a pop-rock outfit whose career spanned the years 1995 through 2013. During that time the band had one big hit, Stacy’s Mom, which came out in 2003 on the album Welcome Interstate Managers. Hackensack also is on that album. Without further ado, let’s give a listen to the recording I’ve become reacquainted with and addicted to.

What’s Hackensack about? Well, I used to think of it as a bittersweet lyric — I guess I viewed the words as both wistful and vaguely hopeful — woven into a melody that is as delicious as a summer breeze. A guy, probably a 30-something, pines for a girl he went to school with years earlier in Hackensack, New Jersey, the town he has lived in his entire life. Despite his infatuation, in reality he never knew her all that well. She moved away long ago and has made it big as an actress. Tell me, is it possible not to sing along with these lines, though they might also cause a lump to form in your throat?

But I will wait for you/As long as I need to/And if you ever get back to Hackensack/I’ll be here for you.

As noted above, I can’t shake Hackensack. Nor do I want to. A day or two after visiting Hatboro, where I got my cardio in by walking vigorously around town, I did a bit of research into Fountains Of Wayne. I read that the band consisted of Chris Collingwood (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Adam Schlesinger (electric bass), Jody Porter (lead guitar) and Brian Young (drums). They recorded five studio albums, Collingwood and Schlesinger writing all the songs. The only band member whose name rang a bell with me was Schlesinger, though years ago, in my music-junkie days, I probably knew all of them.

During the research I also learned something I was aware of when it happened but had forgotten. Namely, Adam Schlesinger, poor soul, succumbed to COVID in 2020. He was 52. And I also learned something I hadn‘t known before: Three weeks after his death, Fountains Of Wayne, long disbanded, came together (with Sharon Van Etten filling in on bass for the departed) to honor Schlesinger.

The song they played was Hackensack. I watched the video of their performance. It really got to me, the words taking on new meanings and hitting home. I realized that Hackensack is not bittersweet, which, as I’ve mentioned, is how I previously would have described it. No, it’s emphatically a sad song. Hackensack’s protagonist is lost and clueless. He isn’t exactly climbing the ladder of success. And, of course, he isn’t going to get the girl. Or any girl, most likely. Man, I can relate. I once was in similar straits, going nowhere fast during much of my 20s. It was only because of the grace of who-knows-what that my ship righted itself eventually, allowing me to establish a decent career and find someone — the absolutely correct lady, no less — to be with.

I see now that, at their root, Hackensack’s lyrics imply what we all know to be true. That is, life can be scarily unpredictable and fragile. It’s a crapshoot, really. Nothing is guaranteed, certainly not longevity. Adam Schlesinger’s death, I think, touched his former bandmates deeply. By regrouping briefly in 2020, they are saying, by way of the song they chose to play, that they miss him a lot. He won’t be returning to the town of Hackensack, or to anywhere else. But they wish he could and would.

Here is the video:

145 thoughts on “Hackensack”

  1. ckennedy July 2, 2023 / 9:57 am

    Love Fountains of Wayne–such a good band! I heard “Stacy’s Mom” a lot, but rarely did I hear “Hackensack,” and it is a wonderful song. Cheers!

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  2. Shelley@QuaintRevival.com July 3, 2023 / 6:54 am

    I so enjoyed your take on the song lyrics and the research you did. So sad that he passed away in 2020. It’s nice they did a tribute to him and sang the song again.
    My youngest was born in 1995. I can say that I didn’t listen to the radio much so had never heard the song – guess I was sadly too busy with two little ones to occupy my time. I would’ve enjoyed listening to the catchy and relaxing tune. Now I have it stuck in my head – it’s happy there for now though, thanks!! 😉

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  3. J P July 3, 2023 / 10:05 am

    I don’t get into modern music much because I have had too little time and there is so much of it. But this proves that really, really good music can be found in any era and genre. Hackensack is really well done. Thanks for sharing this!

    I remember Stacy’s Mom – I had to look up when it came out, and it is hard to believe that’s now a 20 year old song. My kids were young so I got a lot of time around radios then, and it was a really catchy pop song. I also remember it because just a few years after it came out, my brother married a girl named Stacy, and it seemed that everyone remembered this song whenever there was a reference to her mother.

    BTW, if you want some Hackensack musical trivia, this was not the first music entitled “Hackensack” – Thelonious Monk wrote one in 1954, that has been performed by quite a few jazz performers through the years.

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    • Yeah, Another Blogger July 3, 2023 / 12:11 pm

      Hi. I appreciate your input a lot. And thanks for bringing up the Monk composition, which I’m familiar with. At first I thought I might work it into the story offhandedly. But I soon realized that doing so would take away from the points I was trying to make. It’s an odd coincidence that two compositions have the same unlikely title.

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  4. rkrontheroad July 3, 2023 / 7:58 pm

    Having grown up in New Jersey, I can hear that sad, going nowhere as long as we stay here kind of sentiment. Shades of Bruce Springsteen, but a sweet sad melody.

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    • Yeah, Another Blogger July 3, 2023 / 10:40 pm

      Hi Ruth. I’m guessing that Springsteen knows the song Hackensack, and that he likes it. It would be interesting to know if that’s true.

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  5. juliefj1 July 3, 2023 / 11:40 pm

    Thanks for sharing that song. It’s crazy how music has so much power over our lives.

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  6. Linda Pearce Griffin July 4, 2023 / 12:57 pm

    I had never heard of this band – much less this bittersweet melody. Thank you for sharing – all of this: the music, the band legacy, your thoughts on all of it. It tugged at my heartstrings and left a lump in my throat. But I don’t regret even one sad sigh……

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  8. johnlmalone July 4, 2023 / 11:22 pm

    thanks Neil; I enjoyed the song and your ramble through the band’s history; some lovely lyrics: first time I’ve heard Christopher Walken’s name in a song; hope he felt honoured 🙂

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  9. The Wheelchair Teen July 6, 2023 / 6:30 am

    I’m not familiar with the song but everyone has songs like this. For me, it was Toy Soldiers which I loved as a child and used to always play on my music-playing iTeddy toy. Only later on in life did I realise what the song actually meant. Thank you for sharing such a precious memory with is. (btw I subscribed because of your name. It’s probably one of the best I’ve ever seen xD)

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    • Yeah, Another Blogger July 6, 2023 / 10:46 am

      Thanks for stopping by. I sometimes waiver about whether I still like the name of my website. But now I’m stuck with it!

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  11. markbierman July 7, 2023 / 4:13 pm

    I’m not familiar with that song, but i can see why it’s addictive after listening.

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  13. andrewcferguson July 10, 2023 / 4:31 pm

    Neil, that’s a great post. It’s for those moments of connection that those of us who write songs write songs (well, at least, I do). Thanks for introducing me to a great ‘new’ band.

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    • Yeah, Another Blogger July 10, 2023 / 7:51 pm

      I’ve heard only one of their albums, the one that contains Hackensack. There are four other albums, which probably have some really good songs.

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  14. Pam Lazos July 12, 2023 / 3:37 pm

    Love that song, Neil. I’ve never heard it before. Very catchy. 😘

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  15. Silver Screenings July 30, 2023 / 7:21 pm

    Thanks for introducing me to this song, and thanks for showing that touching video. I was sorry to hear of Adam Schlesinger’s untimely death in 2020.

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  16. estricsek August 2, 2023 / 7:56 am

    Neil, I have to confess that I was not familiar with this band or with the song. Thanks for enlightening me! I am familiar with Hackensack! We lived nearby many years ago and I used to deliver The Bergen Record, which was published and printed in Hackensack. It is a very touching song and I love how it is sung. It’s in my head now! Great post. I am sorry I have gotten behind on my reading. It has been a busy summer.

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    • Yeah, Another Blogger August 2, 2023 / 11:09 am

      Hi Ernie. Glad you like this song. It’s been in my head, though not as much as before, for weeks. A great, moving tune!

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