The Distance (song)

"The Distance"
Single by Cake
from the album Fashion Nugget
Released	October 15, 1996
Format	CD single
Recorded	September 1996 (1996-09)
Genre	Alternative rock, alternative hip-hop
Length	3:00
Label	Capricorn
Writer(s)	Greg Brown
Producer	Cake
Cake singles chronology
"I Will Survive" (1996) "The Distance" (1997) "Frank Sinatra" (1997)
Music sample "The Distance"

"The Distance" is a song by the American alternative rock band Cake. Released in 1996, "The Distance" was the second single from the band's second album Fashion Nugget, and considered one of their most popular songs. It was written by the band's guitarist at the time, Greg Brown.

Track listing

1. "The Distance" - 3:00
2. "Multiply the Heartaches" - 2:49
3. "Jolene" (Live) - 8:25
4. "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 synthesized and other non-traditional sounds. In the official music video, a glimpse of the Melodica can be seen.

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

Chart (1997)	Peak position
Canadian RPM Alternative 30	5
UK Singles Chart	22
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay	35
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	38
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	4

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".^{[citation needed]}

• An instrumental cover of this song is featured in The Simpsons episode "Saddlesore Galactica". After a licensing delay, the original song was used in later airings.

• 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 Star Trek: First Contact ("resistance" being part of the signature tagline of the film's antagonists, the Borg).

• Alvin and the Chipmunks covered this song as a bonus track on their 2007 video game Alvin and the Chipmunks.

• Relient K has covered this song while on tour, most recently during the Paramore spring tour, and recorded it in 2011 for their album Is for Karaoke.