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.
Up So Close
Cake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Microscope I might as well be out in space.
Up so close I never get to see the view.
Down your throat I'm never sure if it's still you.
Up your nose down to your toes.
In your mouth way down south.
Up so close it seems I only think of you.
I only wanted to be sure
That what it was was really pure.
I put my face down in the cake.
My feet were flailing in a lake.
Up so close, I never get to see your face.
Microscope, I might as well be out in space.
Up so close, I never get to see you.
Microscope, I'm never sure if it's still you.
The song "Up So Close” by Cake talks about a person who is deeply in love with someone, but unfortunately, they cannot see beyond the surface level. The person they adore is so close to them, but they still cannot see the beauty in the surroundings or the real, unfiltered version of their significant other. They feel like they are studying their lover under a microscope, and even in this scrutiny, they can still barely see the other person. The lyrics "Down your throat I'm never sure if it's still you," could suggest a feeling of being unsure of who the other person is and whether they are truly compatible. The singer is so close to their loved one, but they are not sure if they even know them anymore.
The chorus of the song focuses on the body parts of the loved one, which are very close to the singer. The lyrics, "Up your nose down to your toes, in your mouth way down south" indicate that the singer is very close to their loved one, but only on a physical level. The overall theme of the song is a feeling of distance, despite being so close, and a longing for something real. The bridge could be interpreted in several ways, but it could be seen as an attempt to connect with the loved one fully. They plunge their face into the cake, perhaps a metaphor for trying to dive deeper into the relationship and get more than just a surface-level perspective.
Line by Line Meaning
Up so close I never get to see your face.
Being so close to you physically does not give me the chance to observe your facial features.
Microscope I might as well be out in space.
No matter how close I get to you, I feel as though I am observing you from afar, because of the lack of intimacy.
Up so close I never get to see the view.
Though we may be near, my focus remains solely on you, and I fail to take in any other beauty around me.
Down your throat I'm never sure if it's still you.
Even though I am able to penetrate you, I am not so sure that I am able to create any real relation with you.
Up your nose down to your toes.
I delve inside you, with the aim of comprehending every aspect of you.
In your mouth way down south.
Venturing deep into you in search for any form of identification or attachment.
Up so close it seems I only think of you.
Being close to you creates an obsession that makes me think only of you.
Up so close I never see the sky so blue.
I fail to see and appreciate the world's beauty because my focus remains mainly on you.
I only wanted to be sure
My aim was to confirm the authenticity of the situation in which we find ourselves.
That what it was was really pure.
I hoped that what we had going on was genuine and unadulterated.
I put my face down in the cake.
I took a risk by getting too close to something that only provided temporary satisfaction.
My feet were flailing in a lake.
Although my actions were bold and daring, it led to me being lost and confused.
Up so close, I never get to see your face.
My increased vulnerability and intimacy with you do not allow me to recognize your true identity.
Microscope, I might as well be out in space.
As much as I try to be attentive and present in our situation, my efforts seem useless when my actions are only superficial.
Up so close, I never get to see you.
Although I may have frequent contact with you, I do not really take the opportunity to observe you and understand who you are.
Microscope, I'm never sure if it's still you.
Even though we may be in close proximity, my innermost thoughts remain ambivalent as to whether our relations are authentic or merely physical.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: John M McCrea
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind