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.
Long Line Of Cars
Cake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And they're trying to get through
There's no single explanation
There's no central destination
But this long line of cars
Is trying to get through
And this long line of cars
You don't wonder where we're going
Or remember where we've been
We've got to keep this traffic
Flowing and accept a little spin
So this long line of cars
Will never have an end
And this long line of cars
Keeps coming around the bend
From the streets of sacramento
To the freeways of L.A.
We've got to keep this fire burning
And accept a little gray
So this long line of cars
Is trying to break free
And this long line of cars
Is all because of me
This long line of cars
Long line of cars
Long line of cars
Long line of cars
The song "Long Line of Cars" by Cake is a commentary on the monotony of modern life, particularly the daily grind of commuting. The repeated image of a long line of cars conveys the sense of being stuck in traffic, waiting for something to change. The lyrics suggest that there is no single reason for this traffic, no central destination that everyone is trying to reach. Instead, people are just going about their daily lives, trying to get from one place to another without really thinking about where they're going or why.
The song also touches on themes of conformity and resignation. The line "you don't wonder where we're going, or remember where we've been" suggests that people are simply going through the motions of daily life without really thinking about the bigger picture. This is echoed in the repeated refrain "we've got to keep this traffic flowing and accept a little spin," which implies that people are willing to put up with the boredom and frustration of commuting because they believe it's just part of the way things are.
Overall, "Long Line of Cars" is a wry commentary on modern life, a reminder that sometimes we get so caught up in our routines that we forget to stop and think about where we're headed. The song suggests that there's something unsettling and unsatisfying about this, that we should all try to be more mindful of the path we're on and where it might be taking us.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a long line of cars
There are a lot of cars trying to get through.
And they're trying to get through
The cars are attempting to make it to their destination.
There's no single explanation
There are multiple reasons why these cars are in this line.
There's no central destination
These cars are not heading to the same location.
But this long line of cars
Despite the lack of explanation, these cars are still present.
Is trying to get through
The cars are attempting to move forward.
And this long line of cars
This line of cars that we see.
Is all because of you
You are the reason for this line of cars.
You don't wonder where we're going
You don't care about where these cars are headed.
Or remember where we've been
You don't think about where these cars have come from.
We've got to keep this traffic
We need to keep these cars moving forward.
Flowing and accept a little spin
We need to accept some unpredictability in this traffic flow.
So this long line of cars
This line of cars that we see.
Will never have an end
This line of cars will continue indefinitely.
Keeps coming around the bend
This line of cars is constantly appearing around the corner.
From the streets of sacramento
These cars are coming from Sacramento.
To the freeways of L.A.
These cars are headed towards the freeways of Los Angeles.
We've got to keep this fire burning
We need to keep this line of cars moving forward.
And accept a little gray
We need to accept some uncertainty and imperfection in the traffic flow.
So this long line of cars
This line of cars that we see.
Is trying to break free
These cars are attempting to escape from this line.
And this long line of cars
This line of cars that we see.
Is all because of me
I am the reason for this line of cars.
This long line of cars
The line of cars that we see.
Long line of cars
A repeated emphasis on the length of this traffic jam.
Long line of cars
Another repetition of the emphasis on the length of this traffic jam.
Long line of cars
Repeating the length of this traffic jam a third time.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: John M McCrea
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-ip9yu7lp1q
There's a long line of cars
And they're trying to get through
There's no single explanation
There's no central destination
But this long line of cars Is trying to get through
And this long line of cars Is all because of you
You don't wonder where we're going
Or remember where we've been
We've got to keep this traffic
Flowing and accept a little spin
So this long line of cars will never have an end
And this long line of cars Keeps coming around the bend
From the streets of Sacramento To the freeways of L.A.
We've got to keep this fire burning and accept a little gray
So this long line of cars Is trying to break free
And this long line of cars Is all because of me
@Wundarrphul
As a Traffic Control Laborer this song speaks to me on a spiritual level
@justinsummers8788
Are you one of the people they put inside the traffic lights to change the colors?
@supabiscuit
📠
@TheKhopesh
As someone in a long line of cars, this is entirely on-point.
@allanrickard2117
@Justin Summers no they hide a midget inside the traffic lights
@derpinbird1180
@Justin Summers You need to lay off the weed, man.
@harmonyfisher8122
First time I heard this, we were stuck in traffic on the motorway. Loved this song ever since. Play it whenever I’m in traffic and makes everything better.
@James-StJames
Among the most undervalued tunes ever to grace a record.
@user-ip9yu7lp1q
There's a long line of cars
And they're trying to get through
There's no single explanation
There's no central destination
But this long line of cars Is trying to get through
And this long line of cars Is all because of you
You don't wonder where we're going
Or remember where we've been
We've got to keep this traffic
Flowing and accept a little spin
So this long line of cars will never have an end
And this long line of cars Keeps coming around the bend
From the streets of Sacramento To the freeways of L.A.
We've got to keep this fire burning and accept a little gray
So this long line of cars Is trying to break free
And this long line of cars Is all because of me
@ozma7339
Accept a little sin*