"Stacy's Mom" was written by bassist Adam Schlesinger and vocalist Chris Collingwood, both of whom produced the song alongside Mike Denneen.

"Stacy's Mom" reached number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's highest-charting hit in the United States.

The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over 500,000 copies, and it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals.

"Stacy's Mom" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of October 11, 2003, at number 59, making this their first song to appear on that chart.

"[15] Ben Greenman, writing for The New Yorker, considered it the "second-catchiest song ever written about a girlfriend's parent," after "Mrs.

[18] The music video, directed by Chris Applebaum,[19] features several comedic scenes illustrating the boy's attempts to get closer to Stacy's mother (Rachel Hunter).

Its premise is around Stacy (Gianna Dispenza),[20] whose best friend and love interest (Shane Haboucha) is attracted to her mother, mentioning times she caught his attention: by the pool, receiving a massage on the lawn and during an imaginary strip tease in the dining room.

It closes on the door with an "Ocupado" sign hanging from the doorknob and Stacy laughing, possibly flattered by the event believing the friend in question reciprocated her romantic and sexual interests.

"We looked at a lot of treatments and some directors were trying to be kind of arty and subtle with it, but Chris Applebaum went completely for the jugular," said Schlesinger.

In 2011, pop punk band Bowling for Soup released a cover version of "Stacy's Mom" as a B-side to their single "I've Never Done Anything Like This".

[57] Reddick said that by finally releasing their own version of the song, "I’ve basically just taken care of a large part of the population that's been wrong for years, and I've made them right.

[59] It also appeared in the 4th episode of the television series Psych, "Woman Seeking Dead Husband: Smokers Okay, No Pets".

The song was parodied on The Howard Stern Show to mock Wack Pack character Hanzi (Imran Kahn).

[60][61] Washington, D.C., indie-pop band Sub-Radio released a parody titled "Stacy's Dad" on TikTok in 2022 that recorded 10.2 million views before the end of that year.