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.
Ruby Sees All
Cake Lyrics
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Do you think it's all just murky green?
Don't you think that she would realize?
Yeah, do you think that she has never seen?
'Cause when the seaweed sinks
And the sun gets low
When the waves retire
I know, I know Ruby sees all
Whoa, I know
I know Ruby sees
I can feel the pressure building high
You should see you're headed for a storm
Don't you see it building in the sky?
Don't you think it's time to swim to shore?
'Cause when the seaweed sinks
And the sun gets low
When the waves retire
To the darkness below
I know, I know Ruby sees all
Whoa, I know
I know Ruby sees
The lyrics to Cake's song "Ruby Sees All" are about a woman named Ruby who is very perceptive and sees through lies and deception. The song opens with the question of whether or not the singer's lies are obvious to Ruby, and if she can see through the murkiness of his intentions. The imagery of seaweed sinking and the sun setting, as well as the retiring waves, sets the tone for the idea that the truth will eventually come to light and Ruby will see through the deception. The chorus emphasizes this point, with the repetition of "I know, I know Ruby sees all."
As the song progresses, the pressure of the situation builds and the singer warns that a storm is coming. He urges the subject of the song to see the danger that is building in the sky and to swim to shore before it's too late. It seems that this warning comes too late, as the singer already knows that Ruby has seen through the lies and sees all. The chorus repeats again, driving home the notion that Ruby is always watching and observing.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you think she's swimming in your lies?
Do you believe that she is blindly believing your lies?
Do you think it's all just murky green?
Do you believe that your lies have made everything unclear and hard to see?
Don't you think that she would realize?
Don't you think that she is smart enough to figure out what is really happening?
Yeah, do you think that she has never seen?
Yeah, do you think that she has never noticed anything suspicious or questionable?
'Cause when the seaweed sinks
And the sun gets low
When the waves retire
To the darkness below
The ocean turns dark and silent when the seaweed settles, the sun goes down, and the waves disappear.
I know, I know Ruby sees all
Whoa, I know
I know Ruby sees
The singer knows that Ruby can see through the lies and cryptic behavior of the person addressed by the song.
I can feel the pressure building high
You should see you're headed for a storm
The situation is getting intense, and it's clear that a crisis is close at hand.
Don't you see it building in the sky?
Don't you think it's time to swim to shore?
The storm is getting closer, and it's time to take action before it's too late.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: John M McCrea
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind