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Cake — The Distance
Album: Fashion Nugget
Avg rating:
6.8

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1144









Released: 1996
Length: 2:55
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Reluctantly crouched at the starting line
Engines pumping and thumping in time
The green light flashes; the flags go up
Churning and burning, they yearn for the cup

They deftly maneuver and muscle for rank
Fuel burning fast on an empty tank
Reckless and wild, they pour through the turns
Their prowess is potent and secretly stern

As they speed through the finish, the flags go down
The fans get up, and they get out of town
The arena is empty, except for one man
Still driving and striving as fast as he can

The sun has gone down and the moon has come up
And long ago somebody left with the cup
But he's driving and striving and hugging the turns
And thinking of someone for whom he still burns

He's going the distance
He's going for speed
She's all alone (All alone)
All alone in her time of need

Because he's racing and pacing and plotting the course
He's fighting and biting and riding on his horse
He's going the distance
Ahh, ahh

Yah! Oh!

No trophy, no flowers, no flashbulbs, no line
He's haunted by something he cannot define
Bowel-shaking earthquakes of doubt and remorse
Assail him, impale him with monster truck force

In his mind, he's still driving, still making the grade
She's hoping in time that her memories will fade
'Cause he's racing and pacing and plotting the course
He's fighting and biting and riding on his horse

The sun has gone down and the moon has come up
And long ago somebody left with the cup
But he's striving and driving and hugging the turns
And thinking of someone for whom he still burns

'Cause he's going the distance
He's going for speed
She's all alone (All alone)
All alone in her time of need

Because he's racing and pacing and plotting the course
He's fighting and biting and riding on his horse
He's racing and pacing and plotting the course
He's fighting and biting and riding on his horse
He's going the distance
He's going for speed
He's going the distance
Ahh, ahh, hey!

Hey!
Comments (80)add comment
WHERE IS THE 11 BUTTON!!!!!!


Not a big Cake fan but what the hey...
 UltraNurd wrote:

Love the alliteration in this one. Great lyrics, albeit a bit nonsensical.


Nonsensical?  

How's this: It's about a less-than-successful romantic pursuit. The guy's going for speed and etc. The woman disengages, however, and the guy doesn't even notice because he's thinking of someone for whom he still burns and focused intently on his quest -- perhaps this one, perhaps the one who got away.
This album was my introduction to Cake. I am now a dedicated casual fan.
In this I believe were sacred hints of WE ARE BUILDING A RELIGION; WE ARE BUILDING IT BIGGER, and I've always loved how they get so fun and funky!
 velsd wrote:

I still sometimes think of the woman sitting next to me during their concert in Antwerp last year... next time I'll talk to her.




Go for it! If you get another chance, don't chicken out! If you get to meet her, let us know how it turns out! Good Luck!
I love Cake, but this is not one of my favorite tunes by them.
not "rock"...
I still sometimes think of the woman sitting next to me during their concert in Antwerp last year... next time I'll talk to her.
music for when ur italian and in a horse race across the usa for a large sum of money
...not Rock,,,
It gets no worse. This is the song they play forever over the intercom in hell.
Hey! {#Daisy}
Yuk.
 lmic wrote:
Funnily, I never cared much for this song til seeing them do it live. Now I'm hooked!
 
I'm not hooked on Cake but I always thought this song was funny...particularly with the spoken lyrics, stripped-down groove, silly gangsta rap keyboard treatment (circa early-to-mid-90s).

Videos:

MTV-style
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__PU5CVSegg&feature=related

Live version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKax7euEM5Q&feature=related


What a great love song...of sorts.
 paraclete wrote:
Great pair of songs with this one and the prior one (Depeche Mode - Route 66)

 
ABSOLUTELY! 

 Canoe52 wrote:
Rap on RP?...Please!!!

Cake classified as Rap?...Please!!!

Rap: Urban, typically African-American music that features spoken lyrics, often reflecting current social or political issues, over a background of sampled sounds or scratched records.
Rap - is just somebody getting something off his chest. That’s all it is. — Ice Cube

 Xeric wrote:
All the way from one to zero. I like some Cake tunes quite well, but this ain't one of 'em. One I like, or a tune.
 
well, it wasn't written by mcrea but by a member of the band that left after the first album ....

Ericac wrote:
I just never know what to expect from Cake. It's always an interesting road.
I usually expect crap.  I am never wrong.


Great pair of songs with this one and the prior one (Depeche Mode - Route 66)

{#Dancingbanana_2}
I just never know what to expect from Cake.  It's always an interesting road.

For some reason I thought Bill refused to play this Cake classic.  Although it's overplayed on CC, I enjoy it from time to time.

This one reminds me of a large turd for some reason.
This one reminds me of Rage Against The Machine for some reason.
Funny It is the only one I can tolerate.Xeric wrote:
All the way from one to zero. I like some Cake tunes quite well, but this ain't one of 'em. One I like, or a tune.
S-curvy wrote:
This is why we dig RP! By virtue of some mysterious DJ "medications and preparations" (thanks Frank) Bill successfully navigates between Beethoven, Miles, and Cake. Nay-sayers, this is great radio, open the shutters to your minds....
To whatever extent your talkin' to me, dude, this: I love (and financially support) this radio station precisely because it plays new, different, and unfamiliar music. If some of that music happens to totally suck, so much the better. Trying to please everyone is, after all, the Clear Channel model. . . .
Cake goes the Distance. I love this song; it reminds me of better (or at least more exciting) days gone by.
This is why we dig RP! By virtue of some mysterious DJ "medications and preparations" (thanks Frank) Bill successfully navigates between Beethoven, Miles, and Cake. Nay-sayers, this is great radio, open the shutters to your minds....
kalkin84 wrote:
this song goes the distance
All the way from one to zero. I like some Cake tunes quite well, but this ain't one of 'em. One I like, or a tune.
Cake on RP. It's why there's radioio.com.
redeyespy wrote:
Part of that lamentably deceased genre of Perfect 90s "Alt Radio" Gems (see also: Jimmy's Chicken Shack's "High"). Just an infectious, breathless, insanely rhythmic tune. The icing on the, er, cake is McCrea's mysterious ability to make his vocal sound frantic and sardonic simultaneously. A wry sort of victory, that.
Yeah. You make it sound real good. Franticly sardonic. My favorite. Not.
This is the kind of song you could hear once a year and be okay with.
Part of that lamentably deceased genre of Perfect 90s "Alt Radio" Gems (see also: Jimmy's Chicken Shack's "High"). Just an infectious, breathless, insanely rhythmic tune. The icing on the, er, cake is McCrea's mysterious ability to make his vocal sound frantic and sardonic simultaneously. A wry sort of victory, that.
It buuuuurns!
this song goes the distance
Jared wrote:
If he played all of my favorite Cake songs, we'd hear more from Comfort Eagle.
Yes, exactly.
...guh - bowel shaking earthquakes always make me feel ill...
I never really dug this song, and I almost skipped out on Cake because of it. Fortunately I got turned on to some of their other work and therefore able to "discover" this great album.
It's funny - I like this a lot, but at the same time I could see why some would hate it. Me likes me Cake!
Jared wrote:
If he played all of my favorite Cake songs, we'd hear more from Comfort Eagle.
Motorcade of Generosity, for me. The first, the finest.
Wizzuvv_oz wrote:
RP seems to play all of my favorite Cake songs. I dig it. This was a great album IMO
If he played all of my favorite Cake songs, we'd hear more from Comfort Eagle.
Funnily, I never cared much for this song til seeing them do it live. Now I'm hooked!
RP seems to play all of my favorite Cake songs. I dig it. This was a great album IMO
Not a great set this afternoon.
Love the alliteration in this one. Great lyrics, albeit a bit nonsensical.
Killer arrangement!! LOVE THAT BASS!
All right. Aw, no.
Schmackdown wrote:
Fantastic band. This isn't one of their best, but none of the traditional radio releases are anyway. RP's Cake lineup features some of the band's worst tracks("friend...", "never there", "...screws"), but FWICT that's pretty much RP's MO: great bands, crappy or played-out selections, some great diamonds in the rough and a great place to find some new-to-me artists.
Well said, and I tend to agree. Although I think that "Never There" is pretty good, if not groundbreaking.
Good rock instrumentation, understandable lyrics, and so amusing as well!
This is lame.
This goes well with the two cups of coffee I just slammed. Unfortunately it doesn't go well with my writing assignment.
i'm with all the others about playing some better cake tunes. they are such a great band, it's a shame that some people only hear their moments of mediocrity. more cake!!! better cake!!!
Socially conscious and intelegent: Yes. Rockin': Hell Yeah :bananabanger:
Fantastic band. This isn\'t one of their best, but none of the traditional radio releases are anyway. RP\'s Cake lineup features some of the band\'s worst tracks(\"friend...\", \"never there\", \"...screws\"), but FWICT that\'s pretty much RP\'s MO: great bands, crappy or played-out selections, some great diamonds in the rough and a great place to find some new-to-me artists.
Originally Posted by stripes: Not my favourite cake song by any means. There are much better ones to play.
Maybe in your opinion, hey maybe in mine too. BUT, the same will be said for any song, or do you think that there is one song that we're all gonna nod sagely and say, yep, that's the one we should play.
Not my favourite cake song by any means. There are much better ones to play. :roll:
Originally Posted by SnackBox_Acid: I am amazed at how frequently they are played here on RP...why?!?! If you want The Real Deal: just listen to Beck, not Beck Jr.
I rarely get defensive about a band, but Cake is a socially conscious band whose music reflects political and social critiques in clever and intelligent lyrics and innovative music. For example, the title track Fashion Nugget is a brutal critique of capitalism that I found to be right on - and have been intrigued by them ever since. And the reference to a similarity to Beck just doesn't hold water since IMHO they are nothing alike. While I appreciate opinions, Cake is worth your while to take a second look at, I think you might find more reasons than one why RP plays this band, although I think, not nearly as frequently as they should.
ahh my first illegal download... and now I have 3 Cake Albums legally.
Originally Posted by bluebulb: Catchy tune...and this is their best album to date... You can't help but rattle along to this one. I recommend listening while speeding on the freeway...and just try to keep your foot off the gas!
Very fun - especially banging on the stearing wheel to the drum part.
Like mold in a fine cheese, these guys have really grown on me in the past few years.
I haven\'t heard a single song by this group that I could listen to for more than a few seconds. Please RP, spare us more Cake.
cake is one of the worst and most gimmicky bands i have ever heard. their 15 minutes well over. let them fade into oblivion.
You can NEVER play enough Cake. What an incredible band. MORE CAKE! MORE CAKE!
Originally Posted by bluebulb: ...and this is their best album to date...
Yikes! How sad for them. I like a lot of different styles of music and think most of the complainers here need to lighten up, but I find this tune to be simply wretched. It gets only the second "1" rating I've given on RP. So very, very, very bad. I feel dirty...
Catchy tune...and this is their best album to date... You can\'t help but rattle along to this one. I recommend listening while speeding on the freeway...and just try to keep your foot off the gas!
\"bowel-shaking earthquakes of doubt and remorse..\" I think i\'ve had those before.. :D
Neat. I remember this from days gone by, but never made the connection between this song and all the other Cake tunes. :)
Hahaha, just looked for Fun Lovin\' Criminals at AMG, guess who they compare them with?!
Originally Posted by lily33: hey! i love G Love & Special Sauce! good call!! i'll keep my fingers crossed. in the meantime, i enjoy cake, too.
hi lily33. Yes you're right, why not play them both. Cake with a special sauce, curious 'bout that. :-) In the meantime G. Love is on the playlist as well and I start liking Cake (the band) more and more. They differ enough after all. Cake's just more of a (funny) rockband. A bit like the Presidents Of The USA or The Fun Lovin' Criminals (are they already on the playlist?) And now I'll stop comparing!!! :p
RP pretty often plays Cake, which make me wonder why G Love & Special Sauce isn\'t on the playlist as well. That\'s a so much more loose, playful and groovin\' kinda mix of rap, rock, blues and folkmusic. More original too. Maybe sometime(?). Hope so.