1.) 90s alternative rock band 2.)… Read Full Bio ↴At least 2 bands have the name “Cake”.
1.) 90s alternative rock band 2.) 60s Girl pop band 3.) Underground 70s pop/funk band. 1.) Best-known for their ubiquitous hit "The Distance," Cake epitomized the postmodern, irony-drenched aesthetic of '90s geek rock. Their sound freely mixed and matched pastiches of widely varying genres -- white-boy funk, hip-hop, country, new wave pop, jazz, college rock, and guitar rock -- with a particular delight in the clashes that resulted. Their songs were filled with lyrical non-sequiturs, pop-culture references, and smirky satire, all delivered with bone-dry detachment by speak/singing frontman John McCrea. Cake's music most frequently earned comparisons to Soul Coughing and King Missile, but lacked the downtown New York artiness of those two predecessors; instead, Cake cultivated an image of average guys with no illusions and pretensions about their role as entertainers. At the same time, critics lambasted what they saw as a smugly superior attitude behind the band's habitual sarcasm. Perhaps there was something in Cake's doggedly spare, low-key presentation that amplified their ironic detachment even when they didn't intend it, but most reviewers pegged them as one-hit wonders after the success of "The Distance." Nonetheless, Cake managed a few more alternative radio hits in the years that followed, while largely retaining the same approach.
Cake was formed in Sacramento, California in 1991 by vocalist/songwriter John McCrea, who'd recently returned home after spending a few years in Los Angeles, unsuccessfully trying to break into the music business. The original lineup of Cake also featured guitarist Greg Brown, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, bassist Sean McFessel, and drummer Frank French; McFessel soon left to attend college, and was replaced by Gabe Nelson. In 1993, the band released their debut single, "Rock ‘n' Roll Lifestyle," on a local basis, and followed it with a self-produced, self-released, self-distributed album, Motorcade of Generosity. Motorcade found its way to the revived Capricorn label, which released the album nationally after Cake signed a contract with them. With the prospect of extensive national touring, both Gabe Nelson and Frank French left the band, and were replaced by bassist Victor Damiani and drummer Todd Roper. Re-released by Capricorn, "Rock ‘n' Roll Lifestyle" caught on at college radio in 1995, and was followed by two more singles, "Ruby Sees All," and "Jolene" (not the Dolly Parton song).
Cake's second album, Fashion Nugget, was released in 1996 and spawned a breakout smash in the Greg Brown-penned "The Distance," which dominated alternative radio that fall, and even turned into an unlikely sporting-event anthem. Mostly on the strength of "The Distance," Fashion Nugget charted in the Top 40 and sold over a million copies. It also spun off a somewhat controversial follow-up single in a cover of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive"; although the band professed its sincere admiration for the song, some critics and listeners took it as a smarmy putdown, in part because of McCrea's deadpan vocals. In 1997, Greg Brown and Victor Damiani both left Cake and formed a new group, the new wave-influenced Deathray, which eventually released its debut album on Capricorn in 2000. Meanwhile, McCrea briefly considered putting Cake to rest, but brought original bassist Gabe Nelson back to replace Damiani instead. For Cake's next album, McCrea used a tag-team procession of guitarists -- five in all -- on different tracks; the result, Prolonging the Magic, was released in 1998. True to its sardonic title, it defied critical opinion to produce another big, alternative radio hit in "Never There," plus decently successful follow-ups in "Sheep Go to Heaven" and "Let Go."
Prolonging the Magic sold nearly as well as Fashion Nugget, and was also certified platinum. For the supporting tour, one of the album's guitarists, Xan McCurdy, officially joined Cake full-time. In the spring of 2000, the band signed a new deal with Columbia, and debuted in 2001 with their fourth overall album, Comfort Eagle, which became their highest-charting yet (at number 13). The lead single, "Short Skirt/Long Jacket," was a hit on alternative radio, and even earned some MTV airplay -- no longer an easy task for any artist -- with a video that featured reactions to the song by randomly selected people on the street. Following the completion of the album, drummer Todd Roper left the group to spend more time with his children, and was replaced on the supporting tour by Pete McNeal. Pressure Chief appeared in 2004. Redefining the meaning of independent -- the band was by then recording in a studio powered entirely by solar energy, and free of the corporate involvement of even so much as a utility bill -- released Showroom of Compassion some six years later in 2011.
Biography by Steve Huey
2. The Cake (which is currently being redirected to this page) was a psychedelic girl pop group from the 1960s with the album Slice of the Cake in 1968.
3. Cake, a 70s funk/pop band who’s most popular track was “Make Up Your Mind” in 1979.
Jolene
Cake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like she'd done one hundred times before.
Jolene smoothed her dark hair in the mirror.
She folded the towel carefully and put it back in place.
Yeah I want to pull you down into bed.
I want to cast your face in lead.
Well every time I pull you close
Cream rinse and tobacco smoke
That sickly scent is always always there.
Jolene heard her father's uneven snores.
Right then she knew there must be something more.
Jolene heard the singing in the forest.
She opened the door quietly and stepped into the night.
Yeah I want to throw you out into space.
I want to do whatever it takes, takes, takes.
Well every time I pull you close,
Push my face into your hair,
Cream rinse and tobacco smoke,
That sickly scent is always, always there.
In this Cake song, Jolene is a young woman who is living in a situation that she is not happy with. The lyrics paint a picture of her performing familiar tasks such as unlocking a door and grooming herself, but with an underlying sense of restlessness and a desire for escape. The singer sings about his desire for Jolene, but also conveys that there is a sense of discomfort and repulsion in their relationship. The repetition of the scent of "cream rinse and tobacco smoke" hints at the suffocating atmosphere of their interactions.
Line by Line Meaning
Well Jolene unlocked the thick breezeway door
Jolene opened the door, as she had done many times before
Like she'd done one hundred times before
Jolene had unlocked that door so many times that it felt like second nature
Jolene smoothed her dark hair in the mirror
Jolene fixed her hair in front of the mirror
She folded the towel carefully and put it back in place
She neatly put away the towel
Yeah I want to pull you down into bed
The artist wants to have sex with Jolene
I want to cast your face in lead
The singer wants to hurt Jolene
Well every time I pull you close
Whenever the singer embraces Jolene
Push my face into your hair
When the artist buries their face in Jolene's hair
Cream rinse and tobacco smoke
The smells of Jolene; specifically the scent of her cream rinse and tobacco smoke
That sickly scent is always always there
The smell of Jolene's cream rinse mixed with tobacco smoke is always present
Jolene heard her father's uneven snores
Jolene was made aware of her father's snoring
Right then she knew there must be something more
Jolene realized there was something beyond her current surroundings
Jolene heard the singing in the forest
Jolene heard someone singing in the forest
She opened the door quietly and stepped into the night
Jolene quietly went outside to investigate the singing
Yeah I want to throw you out into space
The singer wants to get rid of Jolene
I want to do whatever it takes takes takes
The artist is determined to do what is necessary to get rid of Jolene
Well every time I pull you close
Whenever the artist embraces Jolene
Push my face into your hair
When the singer buries their face in Jolene's hair
Cream rinse and tobacco smoke
The smells of Jolene; specifically the scent of her cream rinse and tobacco smoke
That sickly scent is always always there
The smell of Jolene's cream rinse mixed with tobacco smoke is always present
Lyrics © Stamen Music
Written by: GREG BROWN, JOHN MCCREA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind