The Distance (track) by Cake

Nice music but I don't like the rapping

From soundguardian 12/17/2013 23:48

This one pretty much epitomizes the sound that was established by Fashion Nugget and Prolonging the Magic, in what would become known as signature 90's Cake. The bouncing beats, the funky and upbeat guitar lines, the restrained and bright and smooth brass, the backing choral vocals, the weird organ sounds that creep in intermittently - this song has it all. It's quite possibly their most distinguishable and adored track, so one could even say that this song... TAKES THE CAKE.

However, puns aside, which fail to match the tone of this piece, "The Distance" is poetically dark in its phrasings and meaning. Set to rapped rather than melodic lines, "The Distance" explores a business man's struggle to climb the corporate ladder, to the abandon of all who are close and require his affection and attention.

The man who is the topic of the track perfectly exemplifies a standard American drudge toiling night-and-day to make progress in a dog-eat-dog world. But regardless of the amount of effort he puts forth, it's only for someone to already be reaping the awards.

The entire principle of the corporate ladder and competition for acknowledgment and success is set to a car racing motif in which everyone is striving to finish the race in first place and take home the cup, a representation of success - it's something the subject of the song just cannot attain. Some of the darkest lines here, like "The arena is empty except for one man / Still driving and striving as fast as he can" cast the shadow that he's so obsessive-compulsive of the extreme standards and expectations he's set for his role in industry that he's working harder and longer than anyone, his career is an all-encompassing obsession, and for nothing. If you listen closely towards the end, you can hear John McCrea moan "so sad!...". And it is sad to see someone who's "driving and striving and hugging the turns / And thinking of someone for whom he still burns". It's darkly ironic that because he is unable to see the truth that he can't match his expectations because his role in industry isn't in his control, becomes negligent of things that he COULD control, ruins other facets of his life like his social and love life. His lover hopes that her memories with him fade to make bearing the pain easier. In this regard, the car racing metaphor become even more relevant, as this song is about control and power over one's actions.

Utter "Cake" for all "Cake" fans to enjoy!