The Distance (song)

Infobox Single
Name = The Distance


Artist = Cake
Album = Fashion Nugget
Released = October 15, 1996
Format = CD single
Recorded = Start date|1996|9
Genre = Alternative
Length = 3:00
Label = Capricorn
Writer = Greg Brown
Producer =
Last single = "I Will Survive"
(1996)
This single = "The Distance"
(1997)
Next single = "Frank Sinatra"
(1997)
Misc =

"The Distance" is a song by the American alternative rock band Cake. Released in 1996, "The Distance" was the first single from their second album, "Fashion Nugget", their "best-known" and "ubiquitous" [cite web|url=http://wm07.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0pfexqe5ldhe~T0 |title = allmusic - Overview] single. It was written by the band's guitarist at the time, Greg Brown.

Track listing

# "The Distance" - 3:00
# "Multiply the Heartaches" - 2:49
# "Jolene" (Live) - 8:25
# "It's Coming Down" - 3:44

Instrumentation

The song is based around Cake's standard guitar, bass and drums setup, with flourishes of solo trumpet, and John McCrea's characteristically deadpan, driving vocals. The song does not employ McCrea's rhythm guitar, but does feature some overlaid synthesised and other non-traditional sounds.

Music Video

The video for "The Distance" features footage of the members of the band performing the song in a busy office lobby, mixed with footage of a businessman who inexplicably starts to run off into the sunset; first he runs from his office building (the same one the band is performing in) to the suburbs, then into the country and a forest, and finally into the sea. While the man is running, various people in humorous animal costumes cheer him on.

Chart positions

References in popular culture

*Ska punk band The Aquabats make reference to The Distance in the opening of their song Sandy Face, by mimicking the introduction to the chorus and using the line "He's going the distance".Fact|date=April 2008

*An instrumental cover of this song is featured in The Simpsons episode "Saddlesore Galactica"

*The great Luke Ski recorded a parody of "The Distance" for his early album, "Shadows of the Bunghole" (later re-released on "Carpe Dementia"). Entitled "Resistance", it was a humorous take on the film "" ("resistance" being part of the signature tagline of the film's antagonists, the Borg).

External links

* [http://www.cakemusic.com/ Official site]

References